VEGETARIAN — REVIEWS

OPHELÍA

Ophelia is authentically Mexican—something Higareda wanted to return to. The Veracruz-born chef has worked all over the globe: He honed avant-garde techniques as a sous chef at Michelin-stared restaurants in Spain and France, saw the explosion of TexMex while working as a chef in Al Paso, and grew a distaste for monoculture agriculture systems in Peru and Argentina—a time when chemical-company Monsanto (now Bayer) expanded its monopoly on the growth of corn. “I hate Monsanto,” he says with a grin. Higareda even took a three-year hiatus from cooking to play professional basketball in Mexico. (When the team sold him to a city he didn’t like, he returned to the kitchen to further explore his love for food.)

OLYMPIC VILLAGETracy GieszJuly 17, 2020CASUAL, PATIO, FARM-TO-TABLE, VANCOUVER, VEGAN, VEGETARIAN, OPEN-LATE, WIFI, COMFORT-FOOD, GLUTEN-FREEComment

FLOURIST

Bishop and McDermott’s mission was to offer a dry-goods source that focused on traceability: the ability to track food through all stages of production, processing, and distribution. A plan for a café-bakery-mill-and-market amalgamation unfolded: the duo wanted a place where the public could find premium, entirely traceable dry goods grown by Canadian farmers—as well as purchase flour that is stone-milled each day and a treat or two if desired. "We never stock flour in our warehouse," the young women explain.

UBUNTU CANTEEN

There’s a special place in many Vancouverite’s hearts for anything David Gunawan does. His approach to thoughtful food—whether in high cuisine or through casual café fare—has always been something of an anomaly. With his first restaurant, Farmer’s Apprentice, the now-standard of farm-to-table cooking exploded in popularity. But Gunawan put forth his own philosophy which he tied to the locavore trend: kaiseki-style cooking. This more meditative food movement …

ROW FOURTEEN

At the back of Row Fourteen, a sous chef picks green leaves off a purslane stalk while another slices peaches. The Klippensteins aren't on site: like every weekend, they're in Vancouver. The duo has been selling their family farm's organic produce at the Vancouver Farmers Markets for over a decade: their children often by their side, running the cash (and market coin) tills. Yes, the Klippensteins are dedicated vendors, but from youth, their dream was always to start a restaurant. Today, they can do both.

HUNDY

When Their There opened just under a year ago, there was something suspicious about the large walls of light oak paneling that shut off the back part of the café. Perhaps an office for the very busy team behind the highly successful bakery-restaurant duo of Their There and AnnaLena? Or was something else brewing? Understanding proprietors Mikey Robbins and Jeff Parr, who together possess a seemingly unquenchable desire to create, you’d be correct to assume the latter. Fast-forward to December 2018 and a new project was born: an essentials-focused, straight-to-the-chase, late-night burger and fries joint called Hundy.

KITSILANOTracy GieszFebruary 21, 2019CASUAL, FARM-TO-TABLE, COMFORT-FOOD, MODERN-CANADIAN, VEGETARIAN, WIFI, OPEN-LATE, VANCOUVERComment

ATLA

A chef who often stops by her local Farmer's Markets, Soto-Innes seems to understand the value of small, permaculture- and biodiverse- focused produce, so this is often what's on your plate at ATLA. The added price for Farmer's Market veggies in place of monoculture grown crops, packs in added minerals, nutrients, and, of course, flavor. It's why you can't really criticize fourteen dollar radishes. In each dish, the flavors mingle decadently. You can attain luscious taste without relying on the conventional salt and fat found in dairy; the herb-rich sauces Soto-Innes weaves into each dish add to a satisfying crunch that is sure to incite new cravings in the days to come.

SOHO-NOLITA, NYCTracy GieszOctober 22, 2018NEW-YORK, PATIO, CASUAL, LUNCH, FARM-TO-TABLE, COMFORT-FOOD, VEGETARIAN, WIFI

KOKOMO

Kokomo is a winsome new addition to the Chinatown/Strathcona neighbourhood. The area has had a significant influx of new cafés and eateries sprouting up over the past couple of years, but none quite as vibrant and refreshing as Kokomo. We’d like to get you excited about Kokomo for two reasons: their robust vegan food (the whole menu is “gluten-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, and largely nut-free”) and that they are open for lunch. Serving up bowls and smoothies from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm Kokomo offers early birds the opportunity of a nourishing breakfast on their dash to work.

CHINATOWNTracy GieszAugust 4, 2017VANCOUVER, VEGAN, VEGETARIAN, CASUAL, LUNCHComment

Restaurant and café reviews