Toronto or Burst

Nahleen and I started off our culinary adventure on the flight to Toronto Island with Porter Airlines. Not only did they have the cheapest ticket prices but they also offer free wine and beer and choice snacks. Anticipating this snackie would surely break up the short trip but we were pleasantly surprised when we got offered a food box for lunch. Others around us were gingerly taking the worlds smallest chicken wrap and salad that would fit in a dixie cup, but we vegetarians got pitas and hummus and a chocolate mint as well as the requisite lemon nappie which both Nahleen and I confessed to loving the smell of and wondered if all wet naps smell the same? Landing in what I thought was going to be Lake Ontario judging by the size of the runway we glided...read bounced and near lost our heads...onto the island and took the ridiculous 2 minute ferry across a body of water that couldn't have been more than 500 feet across.
We checked into the Sheraton after nabbing a free ride on the Porter bus and then set our to find our first meal Rancho Relaxo, a vegetarian burrito shop. After much turning arounds and phone calls and frantic blackberry google mapping we found it and it was closed. Open 5pm to 12pm. Farrrck. Consulting the BB once again we made our way to Kensington market strolling through Chinatown like two women on a mission. Got lost again and called the restaurant only to find out it was across the street from where we were standing. AHAHHA, elephants we are not. No wait, they don't forget, it's not their sense of direction they're known for right?

Chani's Grain Bowl

The Urban Herbivore was filled with hippies and all the counter girls were wearing a variety of hats, winter, BlueJays and beanies, but it was the buffet table of assorted veg that sucked me in. Sandwiches, salads and what they call grain bowls topped with a massive variety of cooked and fresh veggies and lovely sounding dressing. We both opted for the grain bowls, mine with quinoa and red lentils, heated, carrot tahini dressing, kale, spinach, chimmichuri gluten, tomatoes roasted vegetables...mostly sweet potatoes and mushrooms. To drink we both had the blueberry mint lemonade. Delicious! Nahleens bowl was red and white rice, carrot, napa cabbage, pumpkin seeds, roasted veggies, chimmichuri gluten and carrot tahini dressing. Great minds think alike I guess! We both chewed on the gluten for a long time when Nahleen prounced it to be like chewing on shoes...not leather of course. Mine was underwhelinmg as well, sweet pots not really cooked and all the vegetable were cold, the sauce didn't leak through to the grain and was quite dry and funky tasting like the lentils were off. We sucked back our lemonades and listened to Zeppelin, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, while I thought the same thing to myself. Across the road was another burrito joint and Wandas Pie in thSky with every kind of pie imaginable. Donald would have been in heaven. Writing this first foray off as an okay experience we started to plan our dinner. The Lotus Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant was raved about on every website we could pull up on the BB and after a quick refresher nap we headed back out to Chinatown which is about 14 blocks from where we are downtown. We paced back and forth in front of where the restaurant should be and could only see an asian food market. I popped into the local drugstore of Chinese medicine and was giggled at as they told me " Oh, no, no it close long time". Well shit that was two for two and we were getting desperately hungry. Consulted our map and decided on Karine's Vegan Veggie Cafe and all day breakfast. We found it by accident and then left thinking it coudn't be in a food court and when we finally decided to go back and check again, it was 10 minutes to closing. Faaarckkkk, again. Back to Kensington market where we had passed earlier in the day the Kings Cafe, a sponsor and food tent member of the Vegetarian Food Fair. So glad we did!

Mmmm, spring rolls

 We started with spring rolls, a seitan platter cooked four ways (bbq faux pork style, sweet and sour, curry and five spice) bean curd that looked like an omelet with a backing of nori, black and white fungus which we were assured was great for the joints and skin but looked like brains, black mushrooms, bok choy, creepy baby corn..i hate those things, and carrot and peas.

Bean Curd and Bok Choy

We had chow mein and tofu and more fresh veggies and the best thing I've eaten in a long time! We had small cups of jasmine tea that warmed us up and water with lime. The restaurant was half full and quite loud but everyone was enjoying their grub, us included, and we made plans to come back and bring some home for our poor starving husbands. As a side note the bathrooms smelled like orange poopsicles. Please let your imagination take you where it will!

Chow Mein with brains and other veggies