Freshbowl South-East Asian - Vegan Options

So we finally found a rock solid meal destination for the David Lam Park weekend of music that has for so long been a part of the Vancouver Summer Jazz Festival (being just a small hop up the road from the park). Now we just have to hope that the DLP weekend doesn't get cancelled again. I am still traumatized by the fact that the highlight event of my cultural year did not happen in the summer of 2023. I never did hear why it was cancelled, after being an event so many years in a row. It probably has to do with money. For the record, I would pay for a weekend pass if the whole thing costs too much. I imagine that a lot of people would although having free events is part of the charm of the Jazz Festival.

But back to Freshbowl South-East Asian which is located on Pacific Boulevard in the block between Davie and Cambie.

The first thing that I noticed when I visited the Freshbowl website was that the V for vegan was all over the menu (and clearly separately defined from the VG for vegetarian dishes) so off we went. We had not trouble getting a table in the bright and airy little restaurant (or you can site outside) at mid afternoon on Saturday. We felt warmly welcomed!

We ordered the Mee Goreng which is a stir fry with wheat noodles. Although topped with slaw mix and greens this is a warm and substantial dish with kale and sprouts. It was a hit as were, really, all 3 of the dishes that we ordered.

We also enjoyed the Malay Yellow Curry. This was another substantial dish featuring some roasted sweet potatoes and veggies and a mild yellow coconut curry. A nice pineapple chutney contributed greatly as well. It was all served on brown rice.

The Temple Salad was perhaps out favourite bowl, shown here before I applied (with a somewhat heavy hand) the Golden Tahini Dressing. Like all the other dishes, there was a nice variety of ingredients. I tend to peck at things separately but I'm not sure why you would just mix it all together. Chickpea, mango, coconut and jicama all pitch in to make this interesting.

I think Freshbowl has been here for quite a long time so shame on us for not discovering it sooner. On the healthier end of the vegan eatery spectrum, we have been more than a little impressed by them. Prices seem reasonable, the food was great, our host was very friendly and we were comfortable. That for me renders this place rock solid as a place for a vegan to land, once in a while.

Food                                 4 out of 5

Vegan Options                  4 out of 5

Comfort                            4 out of 5

Service                             4 1/2 out of 5

Value                                4 out of 5