VeganMoFo: Birthday Lunch & Dinner

Okay, today was my birthday, and we went out to eaten at my place of choice, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to blog about it for the second last day of VeganMoFo!

First though, there was lunch. Today was one of the very rare days that I had work. I'm an exam proctor for an international English college located in downtown Vancouver, and I work anywhere from 0-2 times a month. Anyway, since I was going to be in the area, I decided to treat myself to a raw meal at Gorilla Food.

The entrance to the restaurant was half-hidden from the view of the street, but it wasn't difficult to find. Entering the slightly subterraneous restaurant, I immediately felt the friendliness of the cafe. The kitchen workspace is big and open, and though the tables were small and few, there were already a number of customers. It seemed like a calm oasis, its raw earthy energy a nice constrast (and a good break) from the concrete city beyond its doors.

After studying the interesting menu, I decided on the Maui Waui pizza and a Choco Gorilla shake. You know, one thing I think I really like about a raw food restaurant - at least this one - is how fast food comes, since most of the menu items are easily prepared. The pizza slice was delivered immediately, and the shake came soon after. May I add now that the people there were super nice! Everyone had a genuinely friendly smile.

The Maui Waui pizza had pineapples, a marinara sauce, seasoned tenderized kale, mixed veggies, and a walnut/pine nut "cheez" topping, served on a sprouted buckwheat, sunflower seed, and flax seed crust. My general impression of this very first raw meal: pretty much awesome! The crust was amazing. I might even love it more than traditional pizza crusts. Also, I've never had raw kale - I wasn't sure whether I'd like it raw, but boy, do I like it tenderized! Whatever that means. However, I love my pineapples on pizza, so I wished there were more. On the other hand, there was too much of the nut "cheez" topping, and the nut pieces were bigger than I would have liked. Still, two thumbs up.

The Choco Gorilla shake was the owner's self-professsed favourite. It had raw cocoa, banana, dates, coconut oil, and almonds. The consistency of the shake was perfect: thick, creamy - just the way I like it. I also liked how it wasn't overly sweet and chocolatey. Also, the glass was massive. I wish I had a picture of it to show off how awesome it was. Definitely something I'll get again.

I left with a very positive feeling about raw food. I was a little nervous before, unsure of what to expect, but I was really impressed with Gorilla Food and I'll surely go back and support them again. I told my sister about it, and I must have sounded super excited because now even my sister, usually skeptical about vegetarian and vegan food, wanted to try the restaurant next time. Other things that caught my eye in Gorilla Food: the Thai wraps (collard leaves filled with seed and veggie pate, and served with raisin chutney!) and the row of raw desserts to choose from.

This post turned out longer than I expected. Part II of my birthday/end of VeganMoFo post will come tomorrow, with details about my first experience at Radha!