In a recent Insta post by Vegan Supply of Vancouver, they asked, "What is your favourite place for vegan eats?" (or words to that effect). I scanned the list of responses and knew them all except that someone listed Paliottis Westside. I had never heard of this place and how was that possible? A quick look at their website confirmed the near best possible answer. They had a complete and separate vegan menu!
It was immediately moved to the top of our list and we got ourselves to Maple Ridge again, this time to PW on Lougheed Highway between 207 and 210. Vegan Italian is somewhat rare because of the reliance on cheese for many dishes. In fact, the non-vegan thing I miss the most is Taleggio, a wonderful semi-soft Italian cheese which unfortunately comes with a side of cruelty that I have chosen to do without. At PW, we hardly noticed the absence of dairy (or meat obviously).
We could easily have filled up on the wonderful complimentary warm focaccia and vegan butter but exercised some restraint so we would have room to try a few more things.
As usual, I ordered too much but some things would travel home well and reheat and other dishes are meant to be eaten right away. The Vegan Calamari were of the latter category. These deep-fried oyster mushrooms were crispy and surprisingly not greasy or oily! The dipping sauce was refreshing and perfect. Delicious!
We will need to return here often to get a real sample of the many things on the menu but I like to start with the basics. This Margherita Pizza was very well done! The crust...excellent. Tomato sauce...nicely acidic and fresh tasting. Basil...it was there in pesto form but I would have liked a taste of the fresh stuff. Vegan Mozzarella and babybel cheese....it was tasty but there could have been more. Overall, we weren't complaining!
Of the many pastas, we decided to try the Spaghettini Carbonara the first time around. It was quite luxurious and featured vegan bacon and vegan egg (not sure what that was) and it certainly tasted like a Carbonara. The Alfredo sauce was spot on.
As I messaged with @miss_erin (who named this place as a favourite) she told us to make sure that we saved room for cheesecake! This turned out to be wise counsel as the Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake was a winner! It was another one of those dishes where you would never know the difference! We loved it!
So we packed up all our leftovers and waddled out determined to return! As we were playing "Spot the Vegan" we correctly identified a young family who we would see only a week or two later at Planted Expo! Anyway, Palliotti's Westside is a great find! Thanks, Miss_Erin! And thanks to our enthusiastic servers! They were not vegan but appreciated the quality of the plant-based offerings and their vegan customers!
Food 4 out of 5
Vegan Options 4 1/2 out of 5
Comfort 4 out of 5
Service 4 1/2 out of 5
Value 4 out of 5
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