Lenitl As Anything

From their website:

PHILOSOPHY

Think inside the box

Lentil as Anything is a unique not for profit community organisation. At our core are the pay as you feel restaurants where customers give what they feel the food is worth and have the opportunity to donate towards the philosophy.

We would love to welcome you as part of our community. We extend our hospitality offering you vegetarian cuisine cooked with love and gratitude. Our unique financial model functions independent of any government funding and we rely on your generosity in order to pay our rent, utilities, wages and stock.

Make an agreement with your conscience on what is reasonable, how much you enjoyed your food, our philosophy and our community. Be part of a unique financial model that is centred on the values of trust, generosity and respect that gives people the opportunity to eat out and be social regardless of their financial situation."

Lentil as anything has a really unique business model and 3 locations in melbourne. They serve all 3 meals, breakfast is to order and lunch and dinner are buffet style. Lentil thirves on community support and volunteer efforts.

I ate there on monday night and it was the first proper meal I'd eaten since I arrived in Melbourne. It was fantastic and warm and wholesome. Lentil (like a lot of Aussie places) allows you to bring your own liquor into the restauraunt. So me and some people from the Nunnery (a highly reccomended hostel, btw) brought some cheap aussie wine and had an awesome meal.

Since I enjoyed the atmosphere and the concept (and the food!) so much I decided to sign up to work a few volunteer shifts this week before I leave Fitzroy.

If you are in Melbourne you should check this place out!

Love love love.

We are too hip to eat meat.

What do you do if you find yourself in Vancouver; hungry, cheap, and way too hip to eat meat?

You whip out your iPhone 4 in it's ironic rubber case that makes it look like a gameboy/poloroid/surrealist man ray photograph and read Vegmaren's guide to way too hip veg eats!!!

I haven't yet figured out how to upload pictures to blogger from my iPhone, so I'm going to have to paint you a picture with my run-on sentences.

Gorilla food

In downtown van, on the border of where people with too much money live, and where people with no money and drug addictions live. Gorilla food is located in a basement next to an adorable used book store.

The dining area is small and all wood and stone. It really feels like you are eating in a giant hollowed out tree.

The menu is literally gorilla food, all vegan, all raw. It includes lots of inventive salads and smoothies as well as a few complication dehydrator dishes.

I asked the vest clad girl at the counter what very best thing was and got that. It was a giant salad with everything you could imagine including two generous scoops of nut pate. I came in starving and left the perfect amount of full.

My friend regan got a smoothie and a kale salad and they were both delicious as well.

The clientele were mostly clean granola people of the just-came-from-yoga variety and an assortment of bike hipsters.

I paid 13$ for mah salad, and it was the most expensive thing on the menu.

The Naam
Located in the already too hip neighborhood of kitslano, the Naam serves the needs of those of us who need access to vegetarian food 24 hrs a day.
I went there with my amigos who go to the university here on a Friday night. It was packed.
We waited in line for a surprisingly short amount of time considering the amount of people outside. From my understanding it is always that busy.

To entertain the mobs of people forced wait outside salivating, they have scribbled some sort of non-sensical bird haiku on a chalkboard.

How thoughtful!

I had a dragon bowl, which is a grains+tofu+veggies+sauce combination. A staple of veganism.
It was awesome, and I had leftovers. The table shared a pot of tea called rainbow happiness, that tasted like the way horses smell but in a good way.

The waiter was moustached and blasé. The clientele seemed to be mostly regular people having dinner before a night out. There was one guy in finger shoes.

I paid 20$ but I bought a slice of chocolate cake to have for breakfast the next day and I had my leftovers for lunch.

The foundation.

I took the bus down to main street with the explicit purpose of eating here.

I'm here right now in fact.

To be continued...

Raincity.

Things I have eaten:

Gorilla salad at gorilla food, vancouver's way too hip raw vegan basement restaurant and catering service.

Awesome gazpacho at Raincity Grill. At raincity everything on the menu comes with a little story about how lovely the farmers are in nanimo where they grew those potatoes. It's really quite charming.

Today I went to shadow my uncle on the set of fringe. Three words: craft service table. If you don't know what that means, google it.

Good food with good company so far. It hasn't rained even once ;)

BEST OF CALGARY

Well guys.

It's coming to my last days in Calgary.

The fall chill is in the air.

Boots and sweaters and filling up the stores.

And to that I say:

 "HAHAHAHA

SUCKERS

I'LL BE HERE"

I am getting a little nostalgic about Calgary though. 

Just a wee little bit. 

Even though this town is generally a year round meat fest, there are a handful of good places to veg out.

So I though I would do a round-up of my favourite locally owned Calgary spots to nosh. 

Cafe Koi

Cafe Koi is located in the Beltline, walking distance from most of the noteworthy clubs. Their menu is incredibly vegan friendly, but has some omnivorous options as well which makes it a good choice for mixed groups! It's asian fusion, so there are naturally a lot of Gluten Free options. Cafe Koi has a small stage and hosts live music, including a weekly open mic night. 

Vegmaren recommends: The Buddha bowl, The buddha burger (ask for vegan modifications), Yam fries. 

Gratitude Cafe 

Gratitude Cafe is located in Kensington and specializes in specialized diets. There is no meat on the menu, and has lots of vegan, raw and gluten free options. If you ask, the kitchen can adjust most of the menu items to accommodate allergies. Gratitude is a really relaxed environment with puzzles and games everywhere for you to get in touch with your inner child. They also leave a bucket of pens in the washroom for you to leave messages of encouragement to random strangers. Their food is fresh and healthy and moderately priced. I've had mixed experience with the friendliness of the staff, however. Gratitude has the best vegan milkshakes in the entire world and you can get them in almost any flavour you can think of.

Vegmaren recommends: VEGAN MILKSHAKE (chocolate/banana/espresso flavour is the best), Raw pasta,  soup/sandwich/salad combo (so many choices!) 

The Coup

Located on the hip part of 17th avenue, the Coup is one of Calgary's best restaurants period, and without a doubt the best vegetarian in the city. The menu is all vegetarian with many vegan and raw options. The chefs use as much seasonal, local and organic as possible which makes their classic dishes different every time you order them. 

The Coup is one of the best parts of Calgary and is beloved by it's hipper inhabitants. There are also only about 10 tables, and they don't take reservations. Come prepared for a pretty long wait any night of the week. Even tuesday. 

You can always go next door to their lounge sarcastically named "Meet" for some appetizers and a creative cocktail or fresh pressed juice. 

Vegmaren recommends: EVERYTHING but mostly; Coconut chai latte, Rabbit Pate, Yam fries (w/tahini miso gravy), Dragon Bowl (w/tahini miso gravy),  Vegan Apple Pie

Honourable Mentions

Cafe beano: 

Beano has great coffee, and you can sub Almond milk for soy or milk in their lattes. They also have good bagels with peanut butter and banana. 

Steeps/Oolong tea houses: 

These sister cafe's located on 17th and in Kensington respectively are a great place to go if you like tea. They also have vegan brownies (sort of lackluster, but vegan brownies amirite?) and vegan curry pies from Simple Simon. I find the staff at steeps to be a little rude, and I much prefer the atmosphere at Oolong. 

What are your favourite Calgary spots to nosh?