Week 11 - Hibiscus...A Crepe Delight!

Hibiscus - Kensington Market

Welcome back to Week 11 of "The Lazy Vegan Challenge Blog"!!

It saddens me that my blogging days are nearing to an end as Week 12 will be my final post, thus concluding this vegan challenge. But fear not! As I've mentioned in my "Week 7" post, I'm sticking to being a vegan after the challenge is over! I just won't be as lazy as a vegan anymore, because this blog assignment has really made me become a broke vegan. But reviewing vegan restaurants all over Toronto was really quite the adventure, as it enabled me to explore the city in areas that I've never been to and I had a lot of fun doing it! :)

For Week 11's featured restaurant, I visited "Hibiscus" in the Kensington Market area. It's a very tiny cafe that serves soup, salads, and most importantly, CREPES!! They can probably seat at most a total of 12 people in there. I went there on Good Friday and was lucky to even get a table for myself and my date.

Buckwheat Savory Crepe - $9

We both ordered the Savory Crepe that was stuffed with tomato, basil, spinach and mushrooms, wrapped in a buckwheat crepe. Sounds simple, right? But yet was it soooo amazing!

The entire time we were stuffing our faces, we didn't speak to each other at all. We just kept nodding in approval after each bite at the simple deliciousness.

Not everything on their menu is vegan though, as each non-vegan item would be labelled as so.

Mango Soy Smoothie - $4.50

The weather on Good Friday was a nice warm spring weather, which resulted in a nice spring-like smoothie!

Here, I got a Mango Soy Smoothie, which went very well with the savory crepe. A glass of red wine probably would've also been an excellent choice as well...but unfortunately that was not an option.

Banana & Nutella Sweet Crepe - $8

Normally when one goes to a crepe place, they either have a crepe as a meal or dessert. Well that day we had it as both! How could we not when there are not many vegan crepe options in the city!

So my date and I each got a Sweet Crepe with bananas, dark chocolate and roasted hazelnut topped with chocolate brownie ice-cream and strawberries. 

I have to admit, this was the healthiest tasting crepe dessert that I had ever tasted, even with the brownie ice cream smothered on top. I can't wait to go back to try their Apple & Cinnamon Sweet Crepe.

 I give Hibiscus a 5/5. Their options on the menu aren't much but it's still a treat to have a vegan crepe resto in the city. Plus their staff is super friendly (even though they close at 6, they let us stay until 7. That was very nice of them).


**All photo's are taken by me from my iPhone :)


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Week 10 - Bunner's Bakeshop...the Vegan Indulgence!!

Bunner's Bakeshop - Dundas St W & High Park

Welcome back to Week 10 of the Lazy Vegan Challenge Blog!!!

This week is a vegan review special, because I didn't do the ordinary traditional vegan restaurant....I did a bakery! "Bunner's Bakeshop", which is one of Toronto's sweetest, most delicious bakery's for that matter!

Now when I originally created this blog, I told myself that this would strictly be a vegan restaurant review blog featuring photo's of vegan dishes and desserts only. Absolutely no human beings or faces! However, with only 4 cupcakes being the featured food for this week's review, I've decided to make the exception of including TMFM along with my cupcakes (The Many Faces of Melànie). TMFM goes back a long way...way back in social media history. But this is more of a modern version and well, I'm not the focus of this topic, the cupcakes are! So I hope you enjoy the visual indulgence of this sweet delectable cupcake phenomena.

Since Week 1, when I first decided to make the topic of my blog about Toronto's best vegan restaurants, I immediately was given a ton of suggestions from friends as to which restaurants I should try out, and Bunner's Bakeshop was one of the first few. Ever since being on the challenge and being the extreme sweet-tooth type of gal that I am, I had been dying for some vegan sweet goodness.

So with all that being said, you can see how excited I really was when I finally got my hands (or teeth in this image) on a bakery box of cupcakes, brownies, and other sinful treats. I couldn't help but share this photo, because I think I actually look like a bunny here.

Cherry Chocolate Cupcake

The first indulgence....

The first cupcake I tried was a Cherry Chocolate Cupcake. I was reluctant to try this at first because I usually stay away from anything cherry flavoured, thanks to Tylenol for ruining that for me. But normally when it comes to sweets or desserts, I will usually tolerate the flavour. And boy was I happy I made the exception for this cupcake!

The Cherry Chocolate flavour is not a usual on their menu so I was glad that I gave it a shot. The cupcake was topped with vanilla icing and the inside was filled with cherry goodness. Every bite melted in my mouth...

Lemon Cupcake

This cupcake here on the right was a Lemon Cupcake. I was also reluctant to try this one as well, afraid of it being too sweet for me (I know I know...after all that talk about being an extreme sweet-tooth). But I was sure glad I did try it.

It wasn't too sweet at all. The base was vanilla and the lemon icing just added the right amount of zing to it....if that even makes sense. Definitely loved it!

Red Velvet Cupcake

Here, I am purposely trying to seduce you with this Red Velvet Cupcake in the photo on the left. Everybody loves red velvet.

This is their most requested cupcake, which I am not surprised. There's not much I can really tell here except that if you also love red velvet, then you should really just get them from Bunner's considering how much healthier it is with it being milk, egg and gluten free!

Mmm....red velvet.

Double Chocolate Cupcake

I saved my favourite for last, which was their Double Chocolate Cupcake.

I had to keep myself from buying 10 of these because I tried one before visiting Bunner's and at the time I almost shoved the entire cupcake in my mouth like a 3-year-old who wouldn't have known any better because that's how good it was.

The bottom base is chocolate topped with rich organic cocoa frosting sprinkled with chocolate bits on top. What more could a chocolate lover ask for?!

You can guess that I've already rated Bunner's Bakeshop a 5/5, although the only thing that saddens me about this bakery is how far it is located from me. If you live in the Junction area, then you are one lucky Torontonian. Though if I lived in the Junction area, then I'd probably be changing my name from "Lazy Vegan" to "Fat Vegan" because I'd eat cupcakes and sweets day and night!

Oh, and just to clarify, I did NOT eat all these cupcakes in one sitting! Cheers!


**All photo's are taken by me from my iPhone :)


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Week 9 - Green Earth Vegetarian Cuisine

Green Earth Vegetarian Cuisine - Broadview & Gerrard St E

Welcome back to Week 9 of The Lazy Vegan Challenge Blog!

On a very snowy day....my featured vegan restaurant for this week's lazy dine-in was at "Green Earth Vegetarian Cuisine" which is on Broadview & Gerrard St East. It was a bit of a travel to get to but definitely worth it (although I did accidentally put in the wrong address on my phone in Google Maps and ended up walking half a kilometre before arriving there)! The location is more of in a residential area so I didn't expect it to be as busy as my previous vegan dine-in experiences. That didn't change the sweet, warm welcoming greeting by the staff when my vegan date and I entered the restaurant!

Crispy Wonton - $4.25

We literally had the entire restaurant to ourselves but it's a small space and I'm sure all the locals were fine staying in at home on that blizzardy day.

We started with an appetizer ; the Crispy Wontons came with a side of sweet chili sauce. They were delicious!  I'm usually resistant  when it comes to anything with the word "chili" in it, just because I can't take anything spicy, but this sauce was more sweet than anything and really added flavour to the wontons.

Buddha Burger $8.95 / Conchiglie Ripiene $9.95

After our starter, we had a hard time deciding what to order for our main entrées. They had a lot of options! My date decided to go with the Buddha Burger which included green peppered flavoured soy protein patty served with onions, tomato, pickle, cucumber dressing ketchup and mustard. The burger was very flavourful and is perfect if you're opting for the "comfort food" kind of taste or craving.

For myself, I got the Conchiglie Ripiene which are pasta shells that were filled with spinach, tofu, textured vegetable proteins served with marinara sauce. It was definitely different for me since this was the first vegan pasta dish I've ever ordered (as a vegan) but I was definitely most pleased with the taste! The portion didn't look like much but those pasta shells were actually pretty big and were quite stuffed. After the third shell, I was full.

Almond Chocolate Cake - $4.75

And of course, we had dessert after, just because the selection looked enticing on the menu. We settled with a simple Almond Chocolate Cake, which tasted like pure chocolate heaven.

Based on the friendly staff, decently priced menu, and the taste and portion of their food, I rate Green Earth a 5/5. It probably helped that my date and I were the only customers in their restaurant that day but hey, what can you really complain about when you enter smiling and leave smiling? :)






**All photo's are taken by me from my iPhone :)


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Week 8 - The Lazy Vegan eats at Vegetarian Haven

Vegetarian Haven - Baldwin Village

Welcome back to Week 8 of the Lazy Vegan Challenge Blog!!!

I had always been hearing all this hype about this specific vegan restaurant, so I couldn't wait to try it out. For this week's review I visited the "Vegetarian Haven" that's located in the Baldwin Village (closest to University & Dundas St West). It was a Friday evening when my date and I dined in, so I had to make reservations in advanced. Yep, they're a fancier resto. The moment you walk in, you can feel that it's more of an upscale restaurant than the other traditional "chill and relaxed" vegan restaurants I had visited so far. 

When we entered, we were kindly greeted by the hostess who introduced us to a lovely display of their "main special" for the evening. I thought the display looked fantastic. 

Singapore Seitan - $13.49 / Salmon & King Prawn Special

So the fabulous two dishes that you see in the photo on the right, starting with the entrée in the far back, is the Singapore Seitan and "Special Of The Day". The Singapore Seitan had tender slices of their succulent seitan cooked in a sweet and spicy pineapple peaunut sauce, served with purple rice and vegetables.

I had the Special Of The Day which was their famous 'salmon and king prawn' (made with soya protein and konnyaku root flour) served with their fresh rice noodles and mix of vegetables in their house-made Szechuan sauce. The Singapore Seitan was amazing but the special entrée that I ordered was 10x better! I kept saying after every bite "Oh my gosh...this is sooooo good!"

Matcha Green Tea Latte - $4.50

Our server was excellent. She was super enthusiastic, more than I would normally expect from a waitress at any restaurant these days. She was very knowledgeable about the particular ingredients we asked about and was honest about her preferred dishes.

I honestly cannot wait to come back here to try out their other selections. Their portions are massive and every plate that I saw pass by ordered from other tables smelled incredibly delicious and looked absolutely mouth-watering.

However, we did have an unfortunate exit experience. A different server had brought our bill to us without asking first. I had a Veg.ca discount card which should have been applied to the bill, so I took it out and just as I was about to apologize for not mentioning the discount card sooner, I was rudely interrupted with the question of whether I was paying by card or cash. My date and I exchanged glances as we hadn't yet decided and when we didn't give an immediate response, she impatiently repeated herself. Rude!!! At that point, we couldn't wait to leave, which was really disappointing because the evening was going so pleasantly well until the bill was brought to us.

I really wish I could give Vegetarian Haven a 5/5, but because of the end experience, I rate them a 4/5. Like I said, I cannot wait to come back to try out the rest of their menu but my advice to my readers: do not expect a consistent level "excellent service".

**All photo's are taken by me from my iPhone :)


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Week 7 - Fresh on Bloor + TLVC Progress Update!

Welcome back to Week 7 of The Lazy Vegan Challenge Blog!!! 

So just to quickly update you on the progress of this challenge for me thus far...

I'm rounding into my 11th week of the challenge (I began TLVC blog on my 3rd week and then had a school break...and shamefully I'm playing catch up on my blogs now). I have to admit that it is really starting to become a challenge. It's not like I miss eating meat or seafood or any of the other food elements that I had been used to eating prior to the challenge. It's actually just managing the proper healthy daily consumption and making it work with my busy time schedule. I don't know how y'all vegans do it! I know I can't be a "lazy vegan" forever...and I'm going to let you in on an exciting secret....I plan on sticking to being a vegan after the challenge is over! I know, I know. That means I have to change my lazy attitude if I want to keep up and eat the proper foods and maintain a proper diet....and maybe exercise for once, eh?

Fresh on Bloor - Bloor & Spadina

Anyhow, on to the good stuff! So for this week's featured restaurant, I'll be reviewing "Fresh", which has become another one of my faves. They've got three locations in Toronto with a fourth one opening this summer! This just shows how well they're doing and I'm excited to share this fantastic news! I had made the location on Bloor and Spadina my "regular spot", as it is the most convenient one to travel to in the downtown area, especially if you're commuting by the subway or TTC (Toronto's public transportation). The other two locations are on Spadina and Richmond St. W and Crawford and Queen St. W, and the fourth one opening this summer will be in the Yonge and Eglinton area.

Their atmosphere is pretty chilled, and no, not in the hipster kind of way. It's relaxing, a place where you can enjoy dinner with friends or lunch by yourself. As corny as this may sound, they actually do give off that "fresh" vibe.

Mushroom Onion Burger  - $10 / Jerusalem Bowl - $16

They have a great selection on their menu, with their entrée's ranging from burgers to wraps to fresh bowls.

At the top right of this photo is the Mushroom Onion Burger but on a bed of lettuce instead of a bun. It includes their high-protein, house-made vegan patty burger with sautéed mushrooms and onions, tomato, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts and their house mayo with a side of marinated kale slaw. Two words: soooo tasty!!! It's the kind of burger where after your first bite, you just close your eyes and say "Mmm..." Did I set the expectation too high? Guess you'll have to visit and find out for yourself ;P

At the bottom right of the photo is their Jerusalem Bowl (and no, I did not order two main dishes for myself...I was on another vegan date). My friend had decided to get it with the soba noodles which is a couple of bucks more (usually comes with brown basmati rice for $14). This dish was also really delicious. It had flax hummus, grilled spinach, cucumber, tomato, parsley, red onion, sunflower sprouts, olive oil, tamari, mixed herbs, lemon and chili powder. Normally I'm not one who can take anything spicy nor do I favour the flavour, but in this mix of veggie goodness, it was definitely acceptable and tolerable. Both dishes tasted "fresh" and light, yet delightfully satisfying.

Blue Lagoon - $4.50 - 12oz / Chocolate Cupcake - $3.25

I had always heard good things about their fruit smoothies (what vegan restaurants won't you hear good things about their fruit smoothies...) so I got their Blue Lagoon which was a mix of blueberry, mango and banana. It was very tropical tasting and went well with the meal.

I also decided to try one of their delectable Chocolate Cupcakes. You can never go wrong with delectable cupcakes. It was sweet and delicious but I was so full from the burger meal that I was only able to take a few bites and boxed the remainder to munch on for later.

It was actually over a month ago since this specific vegan date at Fresh, but I remember the experience very well. Our server was very pleasant and informative and gave suggestions to our meals that we probably would've never considered if she didn't. I definitely believe they deserve a 5/5 and I am sure any Torontonian vegan will assure you the same! :)



**All photo's are taken by me from my iPhone :)


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Week 6 - Loving Hut

Loving Hut - Queen & Spadina

 Welcome back to Week 6 of The Lazy Vegan Challenge Blog!!!

It's actually been a few weeks since I've posted anything but I'm finally back from hiatus! Because I fell a bit behind, I'll also be posting Week 6 and Week 7 in the next few days since I've been to a few vegan restaurants in between that time lol. So for the next few days I'll have a few awesome reviews lined up for you! :)

Anyhow, for Week 5, I dined in with a few other fellow vegan friends at the "Loving Hut", which is on Queen and Spadina. It's a super cute restaurant that I felt gave off a bright and cheery feeling once you entered. The staff was friendly, patient and most importantly, they did not look at me like a weirdo when I went around taking a bunch of photo's of the restaurant such as their walls and table decor. 

Their menu had a wide variety of options to choose from. There were choices that ranged from burgers, to wraps, to Vietnamese AND Chinese cuisine! We started off with a couple of the appetizers: Fried Wontons and the Spring Rolls. They tasted exactly how I expected them to...like fried wontons and asian spring rolls! That's not necessarily a bad thing. Usually when dining in a restaurant of typical asian cuisine, when ordering familiar dishes, you would usually have an expectation of what certain dishes should taste like. I was quite happy to have experienced that familiar taste. The appetizers were just the beginning!

I also decided to get a mango smoothie which was just extremely refreshing and also just seemed perfect for all the dishes that were ordered. 

I was privileged to be dining with my buds because that meant I was allowed to freely help myself to their plates to sample what they each ordered :)

For myself, I ordered the BBQ and Spring Roll Noodle (top left of the photo) under the Main Dish section on their menu. It's a Vietnamese inspired dish that included soy protein grilled with organic BBQ sauce, herbs, carrots, spring onion, cucumbers, lettuce, rice noodles (or otherwise known as vermicelli) and a spring roll cut in half. I was extremely happy and satisfied with this. If there's any particular taste that I miss prior to this vegan challenge, it's a good ol' bowl of vermicelli with the simple mixed greens and crunchy spring rolls!       

At the top right corner of this photo is the Joy & Happiness Sandwich which included scrambled tofu with organic onion, celery, seaweed, creamy sauce, seasoning and lettuce, served with a side of organic fries. I have to admit, the moment I had a bite, it really did offer happiness. It had such a light yet delectable taste! 

The bottom left photo is the Golden Burst Fried Rice. This had organic tofu, soy protein, broccoli, peas, carrots, and turmeric, which gave it that "golden burst". I had always been fan of asian fried rice. This was another particular taste that I've missed since becoming vegan. Since this night, I had gone back to Loving Hut a couple of times for the fried rice, either to eat it on the side with another dish, or to just take it to go. 

The bottom right photo is the Pad Thai. This consisted of rice noodle, organic tofu, tempeh, soy protein, napa/cabbage, and bell pepper, stir fried in their homemade organic Thai sauce sprinkled with tempeh. It was a bit spicy for me but still very tasty. Honestly everything there was just delightful and tasty. 

And let's not forget about desserts! How happy was I when I realized that not only did I enjoy every dish that we ordered, but to have the option of amazing sweet treats awaiting for us afterwards! Mind you, I've been to a lot of Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants in this Chinatown area, but I would never usually consider having dessert after chowing down a bowl of Pho. 

Anyway, on the left is the Wild Blueberry Cheesecake and on the right is the Chocolate Cheesecake. Since these two were being shared by 4 people, it was alright but if you come here by yourself, it may be a bit bizarre to order two slices of different desserts, but I highly recommend this combination! They were both delicious, but when you mixed them together, they were amazing! I'm a cheesecake lover so having more than one cheesecake flavoured option gave these guys extra points. 

I don't know why I have never been here before but I give them a 5/5 and can definitely mark them as one of my top faves! :)

**All photo's are taken by me from my iPhone :)


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Week 5 - Live Organic Food Bar

Live Organic Food Bar - Dupont & Spadina

Welcome back to Week 5 of The Lazy Vegan Challenge Blog!!!

For this week's lazy dine-in, my featured vegan restaurant was "Live Organic Food Bar", in which I was accompanied by a good old high school friend of mine. She's a vegetarian who isn't quite part of TLVC that I'm partaking in, but is doing a vegan challenge of her own! Live was her choice which was perfect because neither of us had been there before.

It's a cute small restaurant, very much like the previous ones I've visited so far, with a bit more of an urban feel to it. I thought it was a perfect spot for my friend and I to just sit, reconnect and catch up on with our oh-so-busy "lives" (no pun intended).

The environment was quite relaxing. It had a nice subtle tone to it and may even be what some with lustrous personas would call "romantic".  Or maybe I just felt that way because I was on a vegan date, late in the evening. I can imagine they have a more upbeat and "lively" feeling during the day (again...no pun intended).

At the far back of the restaurant is where their actual food bar is located, in which they have a wide range of their line of Live Organic Raw products. Across from their food shelf is their dessert section, which I'll get in to after the main course.

Teriyaki Stirfry - $15

We both ordered the same dish under the Hot Main section of the menu which was the Teriyaki Stirfry. If there's anything you can't go wrong with when it comes to food, it's anything teriyaki....or stir fry for that matter! This delicious hot bowl consisted of mushrooms, zucchini, mixed peppers, broccoli, onions, and fennel in their sweet teriyaki BBQ sauce. I had the choice of having it served on a bed of brown rice or kelp noodles along with either the choice of tofu or tempeh thrown in the mix. I knew what brown rice was and what tofu was. But I've never had kelp noodles or tempeh before. Luckily my vegan date was a vegan expert because if she hadn't explained to me what those were, I would have been more reluctant to try it.

Water - $0!

So naturally I chose the kelp noodles along with the tempeh instead of the brown rice and tofu (even though I love tofu). However I'm glad I did! If I could eat everything on a bed of kelp noodles, I would! It went so well with the rest if the stir fry veggies in the bowl! Before trying the tempeh, I asked my friend what it tasted like. She explained that I might not like it and that it had an "acquired" taste. She was right about it having an acquired taste alright. I liked it! It had kind of a dry taste to it, but eaten with the right mix of other organic ingredients and my tummy is definitely smiling. Mind you, I must repeat my friend's advice about the tempeh having an "acquired" taste if you've never tried it before. If you're usually open-minded when it comes to trying new things, then you just might like it too!

Then came my favourite part of the meal.... dessert! At first we told our server that we were ready to order for desserts but we were then told that desserts from the menu was only served for brunch and that we had to go up to the food bar and just tell her which one we would like to get.

It was exciting. We had our hands pressed against the glass display like little kids looking into a candy store. It was an interesting concept because we could then see all the selections and decide which one looked more appealing to satisfy our sweet buds. This also made it more difficult for us to make the final decision because they ALL look so delicious!

Almond Nut Bar, Chocolate Avocado, Chocolate Nut Bar

Alas! We went with an almond nut bar, chocolate avocado pie, and chocolate nut bar. One word to describe all three: AMAZING!!! Especially the chocolate avocado! It just melted in my mouth with it's delicacy and heavenly taste! They all had just the right amount of sweetness to it! We began mixing all three of the bars together to blend the flavours and it just tasted like a fantastic vegan dessert party in my mouth.

I have to rate them a 4.5/5. I was really quite pleased with the choices on the menu and the service, however my friend and I both agreed that the prices were just a bit too high for the portion received. I'd definitely come back but most likely on a more formal occasion, unless I'm with-going an urgent desired craving for that chocolate avocado pie :)


**All photo's are taken by me from my iPhone :)



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Week 4 - Hogtown Vegan

The Hogtown Vegan - Bloor & Ossington

Welcome to Week 4 of The Lazy Vegan Challenge Blog! I apologize for the late entry as I got really sick last week and had to postpone my blog :(

However this past Sunday of January 27th, I had the privilege of dining in at my featured vegan restaurant with a few of my peers who are also doing the challenge with me!

It was great because everyone ordered a different dish so there were different tastes and opinions going around the table.

The restaurant we ate at was at "The Hogtown Vegan"  which is on Bloor and Ossington. Their menu is particularly famous for their uniquely prepared entrées in which vegans would ultimately describe as "vegan comfort food". In other words, nostalgically satisfying your taste buds with the flavour of meat. So ironically, their menu includes a "Burger Section" with the unthinkable creative suggestions such as Hogtown Burger, Pulled Unpork Sandwich, Unchicken Burger, and much more.

Southern Combo - $13

The restaurant is small and always packed. We had to wait almost over half an hour to get in. Even late on a Sunday night! The environment felt more of like a super casual "hangout joint", which obviously works with the successful amount of traffic they get.

Once seated. I decided to let my colleagues place their orders first so that I wouldn't get the same dish as anyone else. The waitress had suggested for me to try the Unchicken and Waffles as it was one of their most popular entrées and generally received good ratings. I decided to go for it until one of my colleagues made another suggestion and said to try the Southern Combo if I liked "sweet". The unexpected suggestion from him caused me to agree under pressure and impulse that I didn't even know what I had just ordered.

The Southern Combo was basically the mimic of "chicken strips", really made with breaded, deep-fried soy chicken served with a side of sautéed garlic collard greens, along with their famous mac 'n' "cheese" and their house-made BBQ sauce for the strips. It was good. It definitely tasted like chicken strips. Their mac 'n' "cheese" was good too. That's really all I can say to describe it. I guess I'm not much of one for "comfort food". 

If you had been a meat-eater before becoming vegan and had once enjoyed the taste of chicken meat and mac 'n' (real) cheese and missed that taste, then you definitely would have appreciated this dish more than I did. Or anything else on their menu for that matter. 

Philly "Cheese" Burger with Fries - $12

The photo to the left here is the Philly "Cheese" Burger with a side of their fresh-cut fries. I'll have to admit that I really enjoyed the fries. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it were smothered in their house-made mushroom gravy. If there's any comfort food that I would always appreciate as a vegan, it's "poutine" (fries topped with gravy and curd cheese for the wondering non-Canadians reading this). 

However, if you're one to appreciate the healthier lifestyle, perfectly happy living on greens, and the type to cringe at the thought of meat, then this restaurant is definitely not for you. You really and literally have to miss and appreciate the taste of meat in order to even consider The Hogtown Vegan, as the majority of their entire menu is based on the idea of mimicking that common yet distinct taste. 

Shroom Burger & Side Caesar Salad - $12

There's always the typical healthy option that they offer such as salads and...well just salads. It's nice that they're still considerate for true hard-core vegans (which I am seriously slowly becoming). 

But based on my personal views as a vegan and my personal reason for not being nostalgic for meat, I give them a 4/5, mainly because the dishes weren't that bad and the service was decent enough.

**All photo's are taken by me from my iPhone :)



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Week 3 - Rawlicious

Rawlicious - Bloor West Village

As I sit here munching on my kettle cooked potato chips (so healthy...NOT), trying to recall my recent trip to my second vegan restaurant, I just have to pause and update you with my vegan challenge progress so far...and well so far it's been a real piece of cake! Preferably vegan cake (womp womp).

Anyhow, welcome to Week 3 of The Lazy Vegan Challenge Blog!

I'm excited to share with you yet another satisfying trip of delicious vegan goodness. Today I had lunch at "Rawlicious" which is located in the Bloor West Village. The moment I stepped inside the restaurant, I felt as if I walked into a calm and collected atmosphere, my mood suddenly feeling light and pleasant. The environment was more of like a small elegant cafe with sofa's by the window and a grand piano all the way in the far back. I was greeted by a pretty waitress who invited me to sit wherever I pleased. Everything inside was squeaky clean.

They had a fairly simple menu. I took the liberty of peaking at their menu online while I was on my way there so I felt like I kind of cheated by already knowing what I wanted to order. All their entrées are raw (hence the name of their restaurant) with a small variety of different combinations and options from wraps, to pizza, to pad thai.

While the one side of the menu was dedicated to the salads, entrées and desserts, the other side was entirely just for beverages, with a wide selection of smoothies and juices, with the price ranging between $7-$9. Guessing they're not your ordinary booster juice.

Soft Tacos with Side Salad - $13

I ordered the Soft Tacos with Side Salad. It was an excellent choice. The side salad was a mix of greens with diced bell peppers also topped with I'm guessing hemp seeds with a light drizzle of their balsamic vinaigrette. Such a pleasant taste! I had to try my best to eat slowly and not to scarf the entire plate in two bites!

When it came to the tacos, I really had to control my urge to savage everything whole. The corn taco was made of buckwheat and flax seed and was stuffed with salsa, guacamole, refried beans, shredded romaine and sour cream. I know right???? The whole entrée was like the Gods of gardens partying in my mouth....but delightfully and elegantly.

Cheesecake - $9

The party didn't stop there though. Naturally, I had to try something from their dessert menu. The waiter was kind enough to take the time to give me his honest opinion on all the dessert items. It was a good thing he did though because the majority of their dessert selection included some sort of coconut in it which I am not a huge fan of.

So I decided to play it safe and go with their Cheesecake. The word "cheese" got me baffled the moment I ordered it but the waiter ensured that everything they served was 100% vegan. Just what I wanted to hear! Two minutes later he placed a plate of delectable cashew based cake on top of an almond and date crust.

Beautiful Foolishness  White Tea - $3

The cheesecake was divine. Again, I had to refrain from shoving the whole slice into my mouth in one sitting. It was a good thing I got a hot beverage to go with the meal to let everything settle nicely in my stomach. I was tempted to try one of their vegan smoothies or juices but I decided to save that adventure for another day. Instead, to keep the elegance going, I got what was labelled on the menu their Beautiful Foolishness - White Tea. After ordering it, I expected the tea to come in a fancy gold chalace with some crazy whipped swirls surfacing the top....but no. I can see why they included the word "foolishness" in the name. I sure felt like a fool when I was given regular tea in a plain white mug. But nonetheless, it had a sweet delicious scent that you can taste before the cup even reaches your lips!

I can definitely say with confidence that they deserve a 5/5. The entire experience was completely satisfying and I know I will definitely be back to try their other entrées and most definitely one of their smoothies/juices.


**All photo's are taken by me from my iPhone :)



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