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521 Bloor St. W. (S. side, E. of Bathurst), Toronto, Canada The Veggie Edge Nestled snugly in the heart of the Annex, this latest addition to the Bloor-West restaurant scene is one of the few completely Vegan restaurants in the city. Finding good vegetarian fare can be frustrating and difficult at the best of times. Most vegetarians have to settle for the one sad, lonely item on menus that doesn't have meat, and vegans can forget about eating out at all. Usually, human herbivores have to endure questions such as "You're vegetarian? Well, can you eat chicken then? How about fish?" For those who win small victories and stumble across the vegetarian eateries that exist, disappointment inevitably follows. We're often saddled with warmed-up pay-by-weight buffets where the atmosphere reminds one of highschool cafeterias. And the food is always very expensive. Le Commensal and Earthtones in Toronto are perfect examples. But vegetarians can now breathe a blessedly smoke-free sigh of relief. Juice for Life delivers just what the patient ordered. The Décor sets it apart. Not only are the surroundings pleasant and acceptably trendy, the comfortable booth-style seating gives it a very intimate atmosphere. The giant chalked menu-board is a nothing less than a work of art, the tables are candle-lit, there are no plastic glasses and the bowls, chopsticks and furnishings are the real thing. Even the plants are live. A good indicator of careful attention is that the washrooms are both well-decorated and spotless. The absence of any smoking is sheer delight. The music is exactly what you'd expect from a café-restaurant on Bloor, but better. A tasteful mix of jazz, reggae and light folk sounds helps guarantee a warm, cozy feeling. The menu is mouthwatering. Appetizers include baked spanakopita with warm salsa, casablanca split-pea curry-coconut salad and hempseed bread. For entrées my companion and I had the best Thai noodles I've ever tasted and the "Green Goddess". This last was a tangy medley of mixed greens, roasted garlic, wasabi and lemon-toasted sesame seeds with excellent Basmati rice. Both of them had an invitingly fresh flavour and the high quality of the ingredients was immediately evident. Remarked my companion, "It's like going to the health food store, but the food has flavour." Indeed, the wonderful subtlety and perfectly spiced flavour was refreshing. But it's called "Juice for Life" for a reason. Behind the bar, staff putter about making fresh juices from just about everything that grows. If fresh fruits of limitless descriptions don't tempt the curious, then the other ingredients surely will. They range from beets, spinach, ginger, vanilla, soymilk, echinacea and wheatgrass to cayenne, celery, kale, spirolina and royal jelly. My companion had the "Rejuvenator", made from apples, cucumbers, ginger and lemon, and I had the "Flu Fighter", a mixture of spinach, celery, garlic, ginger, lemon, cayenne and carrot. These drinks probably take some getting used to, but it's worth it. The number of different combinations on the menu is astounding. The black mark on the experience was the service. It wasn't so much bad, as virtually nonexistent. Most of the customers had to work to get the waitress' attention, and many people simply gave up and went to the bar to place orders and pay bills. This may have been due to the busy room, but after a couple of visits it was obvious that the serving staff were very slow and didn't really care. Also, the place seems to be permanently packed. With only one table to accomodate groups, and relatively few booths, the wait for a seat was interminable. The space is obviously far too small for the restaurant's clientele. Still, I'm always on the lookout for a snazzy place to take friends visiting T.O., and this is definitely one of the better choices. It makes eating Vegan food a rewarding experience, and I won't be surprised if it wins many followers. Even for the carnivorous, this restaurant may set a new standard. Prices: most appetizers are in the $3.50-4.00 range, entrées are between $5.oo-8.00 and the juices $3-5. Expect to spend about $15-20 per person. |