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Rawlicious Restaurant Review
July 2008
Articles
Rawlicious
3092 Dundas St. West
(416) 551-3161
www.rawlicious.ca
Another raw food and vegan restaurant has recently opened, bringing the count to a total of two raw food restos in the city of Toronto. Conceived and designed by owners Tracy Mulvihill and Angus Crawford, Rawlicious is a cozy, small takeout/café located in the west end. On a recent visit, my friend and I were greeted by a welcoming staff from their open-concept kitchen.
For such a small space, Rawlicious manages to incorporate four different types of seating. There is the standard square table and chairs, the barstool seating facing the kitchen (allowing you to chitchat with the employees), and also what I like to describe as the fireplace seating (sans fireplace) with two large comfy chairs facing a small coffee table. My favourite is the Moroccan-style low seating with large throw pillows and a long table facing the window, great for small families or a group of friends.
Since it was raining that day, we started with a Rawlicious Chai tea that was soothingly warm without killing the vital enzymes of raw food cuisine. I suggest you skip the juices and go directly to the smoothies ($6). The Mono Blanco vanilla shake is my absolute favourite, with a heavenly combination of vanilla nutmilk, banana, almond butter, Medjool dates, and vanilla. I could hear the angels sing with every sip.
My friend could not stop raving about the Choco Monkey chocolate shake – a blend of nutmilk, banana, raw chocolate, almond butter, dates, and cinnamon. There is also the Creamsicle, which took me back to my childhood days of the creamsicle Popsicle. Mango and orange are the basis of this raw version. It is not too sweet but refreshing. The ingredients used are organic.
There are three choices for appetizers: the nori rolls ($6), spring rolls ($5) and a dip platter of Mexican and Herb & Onion crackers with your choice of three dips ($10). The nori rolls are filled with a sunflower paté and sprouts. I found the flavour of the sprouts overpowering. The spring rolls, wrapped in rice paper (not raw), were fresh and scrumptious. They are served with an addictive tamarind dipping sauce.
For the dip platter my friend and I tried the olive tapenade, a simple yet flavourful combination of olives, olive oil, lemon and garlic. It was light and complemented the Herb & Onion crackers perfectly. The mango chutney also tasted wonderful with the Mexican crackers, as did the sun-dried tomato paté and the tomato salsa.
The soup of the day ($6) was a generous bowl of Tomato Thai Soup – a creamy concoction of sweet tomatoes and coconut milk with a spicy kick that tickles your throat in a pleasant way. There are a variety of salads ($7-8) with fantastic dressings to accompany them. The poppy seed and ginger-date dressing are divine. I had to restrain myself from finger-licking the bowl. The Caesar salad is lighter than the common heavy-dressing version found in most restaurants and is topped with a Parmesan dressing made out of pine nuts.
Rawlicious currently has two lip-smacking wraps ($8): The Nut-loaf Patty Wrap and the Taco Wrap. The Nut-loaf wrap is a combination of a savoury, chewy loaf with a spinach/walnut pesto, red onions, tomatoes and lettuce and a pine nut sauce wrapped in a collard green leaf. The taco wrap is filled with a soft, mildly flavoured nutmeat (almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds), garnished with guacamole, salsa, red onion, tomatoes, lettuce and a nut cheese.
For the entrees, we tried the Pasta and the Pizza. The pasta dish ($8) is a plate of long spiral zucchini noodles served with your choice of sauces: basil-spinach, Alfredo, tomato marinara or the olive-coconut-curry sauce. I recommend the latter two sauces. I expected the basil-spinach and the Alfredo to be more flavourful. The tomato marinara sauce, however, is rich and savoury, yet mild. Rawlicious employees do not seem to be afraid to play with flavours. The combination of Italy and India in the olive-coconut-curry sauce is surprisingly delicious with a slight tartness. I never thought one could mix the flavours of olives and curry. It was risky but it works in this dish.
The pièce-de-résistance is the pizza ($9). It is fantastic! My friend and I were extremely impressed. The menu describes the pizza as a selection of fresh vegetables on a Veggie-Seed Crust with a special tomato sauce and miso-ginger-garlic nut cheese. We had Hawaiian toppings of red onions, red peppers and pineapple. This raw pizza tastes better than the standard cooked version. Its tomato sauce has a lovely sweetness without being sugary. The “cheese” is the exact taste replica of melted mozzarella. It was a gastronomical delight and I managed to grab the last piece before my friend did.
At Rawlicious, not everything has to be a replica of cooked food; the raw version may be simply inspired by the original such as Jamaican rice and peas. It wasn’t on the menu but my friend and I were fortunate to have tried a sample. Instead of kidney beans, rice and coconut milk, we enjoyed a raw version of green peas and shredded coconut. It was creative and delicious.
The dessert menu has a yummy cashew-based cheesecake with a sweet blueberry topping ($8), and a dense mild-flavoured apple pie for those who don’t have a sweet tooth ($7). There are also luscious chocolate truffles, mouth-watering macaroons and hearty cookies that make for a great energy snack (prices vary).
For the most part, ingredients used in all Rawlicious recipes are organic, unless the ingredient is unavailable. Rawlicious aspires to be more than just a raw food café, with plans to become a haven of health. There is a Zen Den to hold infrared sauna sessions, plus Magnetic Resonance Stimulation and various products for sale. Rawlicious will also be a place to hold events on the topics of food, health and politics. I recommend you stop by and enjoy the raw vegan experience. Open seven days a week.
Review by Natalie Campbell-Djedje
Rawlicious3092 Dundas St. West
(416) 551-3161
www.rawlicious.ca
Another raw food and vegan restaurant has recently opened, bringing the count to a total of two raw food restos in the city of Toronto. Conceived and designed by owners Tracy Mulvihill and Angus Crawford, Rawlicious is a cozy, small takeout/café located in the west end. On a recent visit, my friend and I were greeted by a welcoming staff from their open-concept kitchen.
For such a small space, Rawlicious manages to incorporate four different types of seating. There is the standard square table and chairs, the barstool seating facing the kitchen (allowing you to chitchat with the employees), and also what I like to describe as the fireplace seating (sans fireplace) with two large comfy chairs facing a small coffee table. My favourite is the Moroccan-style low seating with large throw pillows and a long table facing the window, great for small families or a group of friends.
Since it was raining that day, we started with a Rawlicious Chai tea that was soothingly warm without killing the vital enzymes of raw food cuisine. I suggest you skip the juices and go directly to the smoothies ($6). The Mono Blanco vanilla shake is my absolute favourite, with a heavenly combination of vanilla nutmilk, banana, almond butter, Medjool dates, and vanilla. I could hear the angels sing with every sip.
My friend could not stop raving about the Choco Monkey chocolate shake – a blend of nutmilk, banana, raw chocolate, almond butter, dates, and cinnamon. There is also the Creamsicle, which took me back to my childhood days of the creamsicle Popsicle. Mango and orange are the basis of this raw version. It is not too sweet but refreshing. The ingredients used are organic.
There are three choices for appetizers: the nori rolls ($6), spring rolls ($5) and a dip platter of Mexican and Herb & Onion crackers with your choice of three dips ($10). The nori rolls are filled with a sunflower paté and sprouts. I found the flavour of the sprouts overpowering. The spring rolls, wrapped in rice paper (not raw), were fresh and scrumptious. They are served with an addictive tamarind dipping sauce.
For the dip platter my friend and I tried the olive tapenade, a simple yet flavourful combination of olives, olive oil, lemon and garlic. It was light and complemented the Herb & Onion crackers perfectly. The mango chutney also tasted wonderful with the Mexican crackers, as did the sun-dried tomato paté and the tomato salsa.
The soup of the day ($6) was a generous bowl of Tomato Thai Soup – a creamy concoction of sweet tomatoes and coconut milk with a spicy kick that tickles your throat in a pleasant way. There are a variety of salads ($7-8) with fantastic dressings to accompany them. The poppy seed and ginger-date dressing are divine. I had to restrain myself from finger-licking the bowl. The Caesar salad is lighter than the common heavy-dressing version found in most restaurants and is topped with a Parmesan dressing made out of pine nuts.
Rawlicious currently has two lip-smacking wraps ($8): The Nut-loaf Patty Wrap and the Taco Wrap. The Nut-loaf wrap is a combination of a savoury, chewy loaf with a spinach/walnut pesto, red onions, tomatoes and lettuce and a pine nut sauce wrapped in a collard green leaf. The taco wrap is filled with a soft, mildly flavoured nutmeat (almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds), garnished with guacamole, salsa, red onion, tomatoes, lettuce and a nut cheese.
For the entrees, we tried the Pasta and the Pizza. The pasta dish ($8) is a plate of long spiral zucchini noodles served with your choice of sauces: basil-spinach, Alfredo, tomato marinara or the olive-coconut-curry sauce. I recommend the latter two sauces. I expected the basil-spinach and the Alfredo to be more flavourful. The tomato marinara sauce, however, is rich and savoury, yet mild. Rawlicious employees do not seem to be afraid to play with flavours. The combination of Italy and India in the olive-coconut-curry sauce is surprisingly delicious with a slight tartness. I never thought one could mix the flavours of olives and curry. It was risky but it works in this dish.
The pièce-de-résistance is the pizza ($9). It is fantastic! My friend and I were extremely impressed. The menu describes the pizza as a selection of fresh vegetables on a Veggie-Seed Crust with a special tomato sauce and miso-ginger-garlic nut cheese. We had Hawaiian toppings of red onions, red peppers and pineapple. This raw pizza tastes better than the standard cooked version. Its tomato sauce has a lovely sweetness without being sugary. The “cheese” is the exact taste replica of melted mozzarella. It was a gastronomical delight and I managed to grab the last piece before my friend did.
At Rawlicious, not everything has to be a replica of cooked food; the raw version may be simply inspired by the original such as Jamaican rice and peas. It wasn’t on the menu but my friend and I were fortunate to have tried a sample. Instead of kidney beans, rice and coconut milk, we enjoyed a raw version of green peas and shredded coconut. It was creative and delicious.
The dessert menu has a yummy cashew-based cheesecake with a sweet blueberry topping ($8), and a dense mild-flavoured apple pie for those who don’t have a sweet tooth ($7). There are also luscious chocolate truffles, mouth-watering macaroons and hearty cookies that make for a great energy snack (prices vary).
For the most part, ingredients used in all Rawlicious recipes are organic, unless the ingredient is unavailable. Rawlicious aspires to be more than just a raw food café, with plans to become a haven of health. There is a Zen Den to hold infrared sauna sessions, plus Magnetic Resonance Stimulation and various products for sale. Rawlicious will also be a place to hold events on the topics of food, health and politics. I recommend you stop by and enjoy the raw vegan experience. Open seven days a week.
Review by Natalie Campbell-Djedje