The Great Vege-Adventure

Today was a momentous day - it did not rain, which permitted cycling. Twas a most excellent adventure. I was accompanied by Paw and the Hyper one.
So at one point we decided to make a food stop at a restaurant called Crudessence (on Rachel near St Urbain). It's a raw vegan place (they don't cook anything - sounded interesting) that I've been meaning to try for a little while. So we decided to go.
I had a lasagna which used layers of marinated zucchini with some kinda tomato sauce. It was accompanied by a bit of salad. Paw had a spring roll (vietnamese style) with a sauce she said was quite tasty. The Hyper one snacked on her energy balls and purchased a smoothie.

Overall the food was pretty good, though I would say a little expensive (especially their smoothies). My meal was 7$ - Plat Solo. If I upgraded to a choice of salads, it'd be 11$. Smoothies are about 4.50$ for a small (250 ml cup) and 7 for a large. Granted everything is organic and fresh, but I can make smoothie for cheaper and in larger quantities. I wouldn't mind going back though :) the place is rather cozy, with a soothing green color.

Anyways, the point of this whole story - we stumbled upon a little pamphlet called Restos - Petit Guide des Restaurants Vegetariens a Montreal - 2008.
It lists most of the restos and their locations. Not surprisingly a good chunk of them are in the plateau/mile-end region. But what's also pretty interesting is I've been to half of those listed. So now I must embark on the great vege-adventure. I am determined to try them all! The time span however, is unknown :P

Here's the list (and I will say whether I've been there, along with whether it's good or poopy and pricey):

Aux Vivres: Been there at least 5 times. Entirely Vegan and tasty. It has a mix of all cuisines (Indian, Thai-ish, etc) and really tasty desserts. If you just get a main, it'll cost you 10$. Add dessert/appetizers/juice - 15-20$. Favorite - Mumbai

Bonny's: Been there 3 times (2X old location, 1 X new). Food is alright and people are friendly. About 10-15$. Favorite - their Dish of that day - Rice with peanut butter sauce and some other things...it was a while ago >_>.

Burritoville: Quest required!

Cafe Dervish: Quest required!

Cafe le Cagibi: Quest Required!

Cafe Lola Rosa: Quest Required!

Casa del Popolo: Okay, dude man. This is a premium chill place. You can hang around for hours and not notice the time go by, while listening to sometimes strange music. Their food is really inexpensive. Tea/coffee is 1.50$. Tortilla chips with home made salsa is $2.00. Sandwiches are $7.00, but they are not tiny things and come with a hefty portion of tortilla chips with salsa. Their soups are also quite good. My favorite sandwich is the Spicy Tofu one.

Chuch(less formal)/Chuchai(more formal): So far, this is probably the best "meat imitation" place I've been to. It simulates the flavor as well as the texture of the thing to be imitated haha. I've been there 3 times. Their chicken is quite chickeny, as is their shrimp. I'm a fan of their peanut butter chicken with crispy spinach. I also like their tapioca pudding because it's warm and makes small kittens happy. Budget 15-20$ ish

Le Commensal: I have tried le Commensal on Cote des Neiges (now closed :( ), McGill College and in Toronto. Haven't tried the St-Denis one yet. Out of all of them, CDN tasted the best, in my opinion. But since it is no more, McGil college wins. Vegetarian buffet and they weigh your food. Go there when you're not dying of hunger :P 10-15$ ish I like their poppyseed cake :o


Cuisines Tibet Libre: Quest Required!


Crudessence: See above :D


Le Divan Orange: Quest Required! - They have shows there from what I hear :D


L'escalier: Another premium chill place with strange paintings all over the place. It looks like an apartment with I guess 6 rooms. They took the doors off and painted funky colors on the walls. People are super friendly...they'll usually walk around and say Hi. A teapot is $3.00 (lucky dragon tea is awesome). Their sandwiches are also alright (though Casa's are better I think). Another place where you could just pass the time. There are performances on occasion :)


La Faim du Monde: Quest required!


Fuschia: Quest Required!


Ming Tao Xuan: Quest Required!


Paradis Vegetarien: Quest Required!


Pushap: Yummy, awesome indian food and cheap! You can get full of off 7$ and roll home. I love eggplant.


Spirite Lounge: It's an entirely Vegan restaurant with ultra funky decor, which serves a fixed menu everyday. It costs 15$ for soup, main, dessert + tea and their rule is no wasting of food, so you must eat it all. (He didn't tell me what happens if you don't...). In anycase, there are two portion sizes - reduced and regular. The food was delicious! They combine things that I wouldn't normally think of combining, but they make it work :) I would go back again for sure.


Tiende et Sante Vegetarien: I haven't eaten here, but I went to buy things here. I got their "tuna" roll and made a lemon, ginger and black pepper "fish". It tasted pretty good, though the texture wasn't too fishy. It cost about 10$ for it I think...in anycase, I haven't been back there, but I might at some time. I stumbled there by accident anyways haha.


Yuan: Another resto that has "fake meat" stuff. It tastes pretty good and they give you LARGE portions. Paw's vegetable tempura looked like a mountain. Table d'hote is about 16-17$. You get an entree of soup, salad, dumplings or sushi, a main, dessert and tea. I had bbq "eel"...and the sauce was sooo good. I'll have to go back to try some more things and some more of their tea. They also have a little store in the back with all kindsa goodies.

So that's 11/21. 10 more to go! (At least for vegetarian restos :P)

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We had to go out into the hottest, driest desert in North America to have a vision of the ultimate chip in the quest for hot pepper perfection. A smoky blend of chili pepper, cayenne, chipotle, habanero and jalapeno, with subtle spice accents, this chip will have you seeing visions and leave you thirsty for more. With heat that’s slow to burn and full of flavor, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to the sweltering, expansive plains of the desert.

1 bag of 240 g is 2.49$ and it's a bright orange bag!