Tasty Vegan

It is natural for an omnivore like me to wonder exactly how good vegan cooking can be. It seems severely handicapped, not using dairy or eggs. A visit to a vegan neighbourhood pearl of a restaurant put that notion to rest.

My main dish was a sauce on top of a bed of rice, with a flavor clearly inspired by Italian cuisine, and a caesar salad, one of the best I ever had. Though the lettuce itself was smothered in dressing, it did not have a heavy feeling at all. On the side, we had wonderful treats like simulated fried fish and a veggie-patty. My favorites was a little white marinated turnip, and a root-plant double-decker with some millet filling. The plainness of the ingredients belies the quality of flavor and texture. Every bite was delicious and cooked to perfection. For instance, the turnips had a flavor a bit like a high-quality truffle, but with the texture of a fresh apple.

We also had two dishes for desert. One was a cake with a cream filling and a special sauce. I say 'cream filling,' though the ingredients were all vegetables, grains, or extracts thereof. For instance, my friend tells me there are up to 18 different kind of millet grains they use. The other was a fruit-compot with a vegan custard that was actually creamy and sweet like a custard is supposed to be. It was magic.

In my case, it probably helps that although I am not a vegetarian, I am a veggievore.