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Café My House- Ottawa, Canada

http://www.cafemyhouse.com/

With the caveat that I have not been to Toronto for several years I will say that this is the best 100% plant-based restaurant in Canada. Chef Briana Kim produces some of the most innovative cooking all while restricting herself to completely gluten-free ingredients. If the server had not told us that the menu was gluten-free I would have been none the wiser.

Fortunately for my wife and I, my cousin’s attempts at getting a reservation at a vegan restaurant in Ottawa were spurned not once but twice, making Café My House the third option. The name sounded boring and the Happy Cow reviews did not convey the awesomeness that is Café My House. From what it sounds like they shifted gears in early 2014 to what they are now.

My wife is a believer in chef tasting menus and requested one for the four of us. I may have mentioned to our server that I don’t eat eggplant but other than that we were keen on seeing what was coming. The amuse bouche set the tone for what Chef Briana is able to accomplish. Her blue cheese incorporated natto, which for anyone who is familiar with natto will say to themselves that it makes perfect sense and ask why they didn’t think about it themselves. The stinkiness of the fermented soybean proved to my omnivorous cousin and his partner that you can imitate even the more challenging cheeses such as blue cheese.

Our vegetable dishes were Kale & Roasted Hazelnut Salad and Sesame Crusted Oyster Mushroom Calamari. The salad featured perfectly cooked kale along with the smart use of seasonal hazelnuts in the pesto sauce. I’m normally not a fan of mushrooms but the expectation of a calamari texture worked well and the chef balanced the aquatic tastes while still allowing her white wine and caper sauce to stand on its own.

The cheese and pickle plate went quickly as everyone fought over the bounty, which included pickled carrots, four different kinds of cheese and a baguette better than many gluten-based baguettes. The diversity of the vegan cheeses is unparalleled in Canada, short of Graze in Vancouver, and each one is a shining individual. Think different children from different mothers not fraternal twins.     

The main was Yam & Sage Gnocchi and featured a rich merlot-reduction sauce that fit perfectly with the chilly Ottawa evening- hearty but still elegant in its presentation and structure.

My only criticism is the tiny beer list. The craft beers they did have were good local options but could certainly be expanded to include beer pairings for the dishes.

Service was impeccable. Our server was attentive but still gave us our space to appreciate the well-conceived tasting menu at a reasonable pace. Her knowledge went unchallenged and genuinely appeared to share in the delights of the restaurant.

-B

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Exile Bistro, Vancouver

http://www.exilebistro.com/

Just when I thought I'd eaten everything vegan in this city we call home, Exile Bistro moved onto our radar, nearly a year after its initial opening in May 2014. Our party consisted of 3 vegans and 1 gluten-free person for a Friday night dinner. The current menu, titled "Wild Kitchen", provided ample selection for us all, which makes sense since the owner of Exile Bistro hails from veg-friendly restaurants like Nuba and Heirloom.

All the dishes come out from the kitchen fresh and as soon as they are ready, which makes sharing the ideal approach to eating here. If you're not the sharing type, you can totally get away with ordering separate dishes of your own choice, just be prepared that courses will not necessarily be served in order or simultaneously. You'll want to order a few different plates for each person to keep everybody eating and nobody waiting. Luckily, there's enough options on the menu to do so.

We started the table off with Mixed Pickled Vegetables. Much of the other larger plates will come with a side of pickles, but this is the best way to sample all the pickles at once and to try the nuts and seeds, which include pickled walnut (very sour and unusual!). We ordered the Cedar Smoked Potatoes (gluten free with a vegan option), the Lentil Paté (already vegan with a gluten-free option), and Late Winter Harvest (vegan and gluten-free). 

My favourite was the Cedar Smoked Potatoes which came out slightly wet and on the softer side, all starchy and delicious- somewhat like mashed or baked potato but with visible pieces. There was a generous side of creme fraiche which offered a nice umami to contrast with the sweet-saltiness of the cedar potatoes. The plate was perfect for flavour. 

The Lentil Paté came topped with 2 chanterelles, a side of pickled onion, juniper mustard, beats, and melba toast (or seed crackers for the gluten-free option). I enjoyed the spiciness of the juniper mustard in contrast to the mellow seasoning of the lentil pate. The pickled onions served this same purpose. 

Late Winter Harvest was probably the most filling of the plates, featuring lemon thyme fava beans and roasted kabocha squash slices with perfectly browned edges. Despite being the most filling plate, it was not my favourite. The wet chanterelles helped tame the dryness of the fava beans and squash, but what it really needed was more pickled cauliflower puree or just more oil. Despite the quality of ingredients and the effort towards uncommon additions (like red rice) the flavours remained somewhat pedestrian and couldn't hold a candle to the simplicity of the Cedar Smoked Potatoes. 

But then again, I'm just coming out of the pukey morning-noon-and-night sickness of my first trimester and basking in the so-called "beige stage" of my pregnancy palette, so I could be a little bias. 

Regrettably we had to skip dessert. And it looks like they rock a vegan French Toast on their brunch menu, so we'll make our way into the West End again soon for sure.

-L