Zen Kitchen Vegan Restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada).
On my most recent trip to Ottawa, Ontatrio I spent five days touring the city searching for my favourite things. Along the way, of course, I had to try out many restaurants.
My favourite Ottawa restaurant was definitely Zen Kitchen. Owners Caroline Ishii and Dave Loan have a TV show on the W Network (The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline and Dave- 9:00 pm EST on Wednesdays) and they’re the only purely full service vegan restaurant in Ottawa. I don’t eat meat, so it was a natural choice for me to dine here, but I’m sceptical of eateries that purport they can make vegan food as good as non-vegan food.
I was in heaven, then, when I walked up to the restaurant, located in a heritage house in a neighbourhood filled with neat Asian eateries and gorgeous houses, and was completely swept off my feet. Every dish was so creatively thought up that the flavours had me pausing to try and figure out how Chef Caroline could have concocted them.
The Thai-style lemongrass curry with assorted vegetables, edamame and kafir-scented jasmine rice ($21) had this wonderful mix of warm apples, yams, carrots and red peppers all lightly swimming in green curry. Even the bread to start was impressive, sourced from a bakery around the corner.
Thai Curry at Zen Kitchen, a vegan restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada).
The “new” Caesar salad ($9) I had as an appetizer was interesting. How do you make a Caesar salad vegan? Well, Caroline uses things like garlic and maple syrup for the dressing (which isn’t the typical white creamy sauce), roasted garlic polenta croutons and “bacon bits” that are actually tempeh.
As Caroline tells me, “It’s a dressing that’s good for your body.”
I sat beside a couple from Ottawa who were also dining here for the first time. They ordered the Four Course Chef’s Tasting Menu ($48), which is a surprise menu that Caroline makes up for them. I ended up letting them taste a sample of dengaku skewers (also with sweet maple syrup) and they indulged me in their cannelloni.
Caroline and Dave hope that people will feel comfortable enough to do things like that in Zen Kitchen and the middle table in the small dining room is actually a long communal table (that can also be used for groups).
Oh, and I can’t forget to tell you about the wine. The list is long and most of the choices are vegan as well. I tried the Norman Hardie “County” Pinot Noir from 2008 (it is usually only sold by the bottle at $52). This light, fresh wine was perfect for a vegan meal of salad and curry. I’ve marked it down as one to watch out for during my travels.
The "New" Caesar Salad at Zen Kitchen, a Vegan Restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada).
And how did the desserts fare? I decided to try something that I would never otherwise choose, but Dave assured me that the lime mousse pie in an almond cookie crust with vanilla bean cream ($8) was a new addition to the menu that has proved extremely popular.
No wonder. The refreshingly light pie was sweet enough to quench my after-meal sweet tooth, yet wasn’t sugary. The almond cookie crust was a crumbly delight, as were the almonds sprinkled on top.
What I Liked:
- What a fantastic atmosphere. Opening the door to Zen Kitchen is like opening the front door of a house, probably because it is. The heritage house sits along West Somerset Street in a funky little neighbourhood with many other cute but unpretentious eateries and shops. When you step inside, it’s all warm and cozy brick walls and friendly colours.
- Caroline has come up with an imaginative menu that caters to those who have special dietary needs and for those who are just looking for food that is infused with taste.
- I’m told most vegan eateries are cafeteria-style in Ottawa, but Zen Kitchen is casually upscale and doesn’t push the vegan angle any more than the fact that the ingredients are “local, organic and gourmet.” I’m won over
UPDATE: I just finished watching The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline & Dave on the W Channel. Fantastic show! It was so exciting to see the shape the place was in a few weeks before I actually dined there (of course, the show is behind “real time”).
![[Reuse options]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.png){kind=small}
I enjoyed your story, Lori. This restaurant sounds great even for someone who eats meat!
Exactly- that’s what I thought, too. For someone who is actually a vegan, this must be heaven, but for those who aren’t, it doesn’t taste like “vegan” food (ie. “ew… is that tofu?!”). They market themselves well without having to emphasize that it’s a 100% vegan menu.