Category: Veggielicious

Veggielicious 2017 – Southern Accent

, , , ,

Once upon a time Southern Accent used to be in Mirvish Village, and we’d walk by and always plan to go in. They had a lovely and inviting patio outside, but we never got our act together and Mirvish Village is turning into a condo complex. We were worried we wouldn’t get to try the food at Southern Accent, but thankfully they’ve moved over to College and Ossington(ish.) I have a real fondness for New Orleans and Creole cuisine. JC and I went on a tiny south-western US roadtrip a few years ago – and it was incredible driving through Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and then ending up in New Orleans, Louisiana for New Years Eve way back when. We ate well. We had a great time. There were so many vegan options right on the menu in the French Quarter and around the city, you’d be pleasantly surprised if you’ve never been before. So I was missing that flavour, that ambiance, that music, the colours, the sounds. Well, lucky us – we’ve got a taste of N’awlins right here in Toronto. And double lucky us, Southern Accent was participating in Veggielicious this year. They have a few vegan options on their menu year-round, but they had a couple of special dishes for Veggielicious on the go as well, so we picked the specials – planning to return again in the future for some of their regular menu items. The Southern Accent Veggielicious Menu (Prix-fixe $25 per person) First Course: Soup of the…

Read more

Vegan Brunch at The Steady

, , , ,

We checked out The Steady last weekend after a pal mentioned they did a good vegan-friendly brunch. It’s not an exclusively vegan spot, but it was nice to check it out for a change, and rumour has it, is run (owned?) by a former Hogtown Vegan chef, so I had some faith in the vegan options. When we walked in, the front section was full except for a table for two – perfect. There is tonnes of natural light, and it’s very light blue. We were immediately offered lattes or an americano which was exactly what I wanted at that moment. Coffee. Glorious fancy coffee. They have soy milk. They do charge extra (.50) for it. When JC & I looked at the menu one thing jumped out at me immediately – the cornbread waffle stuffed with greens (I love both cornbread and collard greens), so I ordered it, but unfortunately it turned out to not be vegan. I appreciated the server letting me know, and also appreciated watching him scratch off the little “V”s that had previously been beside the item on the menu. So really, in spite of my disappointment, the experience was positive. (and also inspired me to look for cornbread waffles to make at home and I found a recipe in Vegan Brunch.) Instead, I ended up ordering the Tofu Scramble, which I was ambivalent about (tofu scrambles can be so hit or miss), but it turned out to be lovely. Spiced, seasoned, and full of…

Read more

Vegan MoFo. Preparing for Thanksgiving. And Veggielicious at Fresh

, , ,

I went grocery shopping today in preparation for the Thanksgiving Celebrations this weekend. I can spend more time than I should at farmers markets or grocery stores, getting lost in all the options, reading labels, reading sources (and planning what I’m going to do with everything!) I love looking at veggies and fruits, and where they come from. Ontario has this amazing harvest, and the local food options are endless. (though the cranberries I picked up are from Nova Scotia.) Several bags later, and slightly aching arms (because of course – I don’t drive – so this was a walking/street car trip.) I had a house full of thanksgiving food, and most of it was from Ontario. I am ready to get cooking! This evening we opted for a dinner at Fresh on Crawford (894 Queen Street W, Toronto) and I checked out their Veggielicious special which is: A 16oz Amazon Power Smoothie (young coconut water, strawberry, acai & guarana, coconut milk and agave nectar), your choice of a Szechuan Kale Salad (raw kale in a spicy szechuan dressing with roasted peanuts, celery, bean sprouts, tomato, red pepper, green onions, marinated tofu cubes and sesame seeds) or the BLT Burrito (smokey tempeh bacon with garlic mayo, lettuce, napa cabbage and tomato in a whole wheat tortilla), and the option of a Coconut Cream Cupcake or a Gluten Free Walnut Brownie – $17.00

Read more

Fressen – The last night to take advantage of the Veggielicious special.

, , , , ,

I was looking forward to visiting Fressen(78 Queen Street West, Toronto) while they were participating in the Veggielicious promo with the TVA. It’s hard to believe how quickly April passed by, all of a sudden we arrived at the last day to try it out at Fressen, since they only participated in Veggielicious on slower days: Sunday thru Thursday. Fressen was one of the first restaurants I tried when I arrived in Toronto last year, still fresh on my high from San Francisco’s Millennium vegan fine dining possibilities, I had to try Toronto’s version. It was different, but I was still very impressed with the dishes they had come up with. This time was no exception. The Veggielicious special was a small soup of the day, and side of dips with fresh house made bread and choice of pasta for $17.  My dining companion and I started with a bottle of Buenas Ondas organic malbec and  the seared king, button and shiitake mushroom appetizer (not part of veggielicious, but too yummy to pass up.) The mushrooms were laying on a bed of cold wilted sesame spinach with a tart tamari flavoured garlic sauce. A great start to a lovely evening. Next it was time for the soup course. I was pleasantly surprised that the spiral detail caused the sweet potato soup to be just a touch spicy (I imagine it was sriracha). I ordered the spicy lentil balls and the baba ghannouj (since it wasn’t on the menu I had to try it). The spicy…

Read more

Day one of Veggielicious – Rawlicious in the Junction and Bunner’s (of course!)

, , , , ,

Today was the first day of Veggielicious, and a group of us headed to Rawlicious in the Junction to take advantage of the specials. I’ve never been to Rawlicious (3092 Dundas Street West, Toronto), so it was a great opportunity to try out a new restaurant and its close proximity to Bunners Bake Shop (3054 Dundas Street West, Toronto) didn’t hurt either. Rawlicious was having a special for a smoothie and a wrap plus a side salad for $15. I opted for the ChocoMinty smoothie, which is made with nutmilk, banana, raw chocolate powder, agave and peppermint, and it was really pleasant but I think the next time I try them I’ll have to get the creamsicle one. I watched a friend’s expression change from indifferent to ecstatic in a matter of seconds after drinking in a bit of that smoothie, so clearly, have to try it. Pardon the cellphone photos, I’ll be getting my real camera back in action tomorrow. I asked our server which of the wraps she’d recommend and I’m glad I followed her advice, while the cesar wrap sounded delicious, I went with the taco one. Major selling point of the taco wrap – the fresh guacamole and the salsa nut cheese combo. It also had a seasoned nut based meat, chopped tomatoes and lettuce, all wrapped up in a collard green leaf. Hearty and delicious. I left Rawlicious feeling full and totally satisfied. However, when in The Junction, I can’t help but stop into Bunner’s…

Read more