Rawlicious

I was looking for somewhere that would not only allow me to have a snack, but to eat well. You see, I am a vegetarian looking for alternatives to soy and starchy foods. Well, I was so pleasantly surprised by this gem of a restaurant that the server and the owner had to laugh. I sat enjoying my food… savouring my food… I was left with the need to find this restaurant closer to home (Toronto). What a great menu and good satisfying, food! Try it! Even if you are not a vegetarian, or a vegan… there is something yummy on the menu for you!

The brownies here are amazing! I usually get the taco wrap; they look small, but they’re pretty filling and healthy as can be.

I’ve been enjoying the other raw vegan place just down the block from this one, so I was excited to see a second option open up. Raw vegan is not only a healthy way for me to pamper myself, but also a great choice in hot summer weather. It can be tough to review a raw vegan place if you’ve never tried that kind of food before, but I’m not new to it so I feel well prepared to share my thoughts.
In an organic nutshell: go eat at the other place, it’s much better.
We went for dinner on the second day they were open, so I won’t hold the very slow, confused service against them. The fact that the drinks took 20+ minutes to arrive after being ordered can be chalked up to a new business, too. Nor did I take into consideration the waitress’s lack of knowledge about the menu or that we had to ask for silver wear. This low rating is based purely on the boring, unappetizing food and drink.
We ordered:
— spring rolls
— lemonade, cookie smoothie
— tacos with added nut loaf
— fake chicken sandwich
Total: almost $ 50
Spring rolls were shredded salad in a clear rice wrap served with sauce. The sauce was yummy but the rolls were bland with no creativity of texture, taste, seasoning, or anything else. Seriously, it was just shredded table salad inside, that’s it. It appeared that the cook was new to folding rice wraps, too. I paid $ 6 for two of these?
The lemonade was described as being made with lemon juice and agave. It was the most tart, unpleasant lemonade I’ve ever had. I sent it back for more sweetener and it was somewhat better. They need to perfect how they make these.
The cookie smoothie was chalky and bland for this type of offering. It should have a yummy desert quality, but it was just disappointing.
The tacos were served with a side salad. Some bitter greens give nice variety to the flavour, but this tasted like every bite was bitter. The tacos were a thin, crisp wrap stuffed with more shredded salad and lots of guac. There was supposed to be salsa, sour cream, and «walnut refried beans» in there but we couldn’t find them. We asked them to add nut loaf when we ordered, since that was part of a different dish called the taco wrap and sounded like a good idea. Without the nut loaf bits this just would have been salad and guac in a shell. That’s a taco?! The nut loaf added no improvement. It just contributed some bland, confusing lumps to the mess. Raw food isn’t known for being terribly filling — raw foodists often graze throughout the day. However we returned this plate with less than half eaten. It was just crappy.
Where was the fake chicken promised in the menu’s description of this sandwich? Did they forget to include it?
The flat bread for this item was downright yummy, and the sprouts and filling was enjoyable. But the menu said «sunflower seed mock chicken salad». Were the seeds the mock chicken? I don’t know. Although the taste was ok for the filling, it had no texture. It was just squishy. So if the seeds were there I couldn’t tell. This would have been better described as a faux mayo and sprouts sandwich. Also note that the dish is small and served without any kind of side salad or anything — so don’t count on it as a meal by itself, even though it costs $ 12.
Who cares if the inside looks cute? I have no interest in knowing if their deserts are any good. The dishes and drinks tastes like the efforts of some kid experimenting in the kitchen for his very first time trying to eat/​cook raw food. Raw, vegan food should offer luscious, fresh textures and tastes. It should make the diner appreciate the deliciousness of the earth’s bounty. I left feeling ripped off and disappointed, and felt the need to apologize to my date for suggesting we go here. On the walk back I stopped in at the other raw place and confessed that I had cheating on them. No worries, though. I’ll won’t be tempted to stray to Rawlicious again.