Eatdrink #67 September/October 2017 "The Decade Issue"

20 | September/October 2017
Restaurants
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
A Root-to-Stalk Revolution
Ten Plant-Focused London Hotspots
By BRYAN LAVERY
It has been a year since I wrote about the rise
of plant-based cuisine. In that time the scene
has exploded. Besides exclusively
vegan and vegetarian restaurants,
many establishments
(especially the hybrid, part
coffee shop, part bakery)
now offer an innovative
array of plant-based and
dairy-free options. Until
recently vegans, vegetarians,
and patrons adopting
quasi-vegetarian diets
in an effort to eat more
healthily, routinely faced
uninspiring,
predictable
meat-free
dishes. We
all remember
restaurants
Plant Matter Kitchen Deluxe
Thin-Crust Pizza with mushrooms,
tomatoes, baby spinach, sweet
potatoes & pesto, on flatbread finished
with truffle oil & balsamic reduction.
serving the ubiquitous, poorly-executed mushroom
risotto, token vegetable pasta or baked Portobello
mushroom stack. The “V” symbol seldom, if ever,
appeared on a menu, and more often than not you
had to make do with a salad that was nothing more
than a listless afterthought. Today you can frequent
almost any respectable independent restaurant or
café and find a menu adorned with those helpful “V”
symbols that denote vegan.
As the market for non-dairy products increases, so
does the diversity of options, including a variety of
innovative non-dairy cheeses, ice creams and yogurts,
along with a selection of nut and plant-based milks that
are used to make them. Hazelnut, macadamia, cashew,
hemp, flax, oat and quinoa varieties have joined the
ranks of soy, almond and coconut milks. Fortunately,
non-dairy cheese has made tremendous strides in terms
of texture, taste and the ability to be melted. Good local
examples of food artisans making vegan cheese are
Helen Drummond of Main Vegan Deli in Glencoe, Nuts
for Cheese founder Margaret Coon at the Farmers’ and
Artisans’ Market at Western Fair, and Amarjit Singh at
Local Dairy in Ingersoll. Speaking of culinary innovation
check out zen’Za Pizzeria (formerly
Rico’s Pizzeria Downtown). It’s known
for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free
thin-crust pizzas. In no particular
order, here are the ten plantfocused
hotspots that deserve
your attention.
The Boombox
Bakeshop, with its
bright pink facade and
entry doors flanked by
two decorative lions, is
situated in new premises
at the corner of Adelaide
Street and Princess Avenue.
The bakeshop is a popular
veg-friendly bakery and café
specializing in vegan and gluten-free
goods. The offerings include delicious
(and stunning) pies, tarts, cupcakes,
popovers, mini pies and other mouthwatering
seasonal treats. There is a
deluxe state-of-the-art Elektra espresso
machine, a selection of teas, kombucha,
The Boombox Bakeshop on Adelaide at Princess