ottawa foodies

I had the vegetarian lasagne currently on the menu (without the cheese). I was layers of grilled veggies, wild rice pancake, tomato sauce and something crispy (pasta perhaps?). That night, the butternut squash and apple soup was vegan, so I had that to start. I certainly didn't have the problem that I sometimes have when there aren't many veggie options on the menu where I come away hungry! I was offered a fruit plate for dessert (since none of the desserts were vegan). It was definitely plentiful and interesting in presentation with lots of variety of fruit. The raspberries were incredibly fresh and flavourful for this time of year.

In the two different menus I've seen, Allium has had at least one creative vegetarian main; I tried one (with tofu served like a risotto layered with various vegetables). Appetizers, however, showed less creativity -- last time I went, only the soup and salad were vegetarian.

Spinach & mango salad. Looks fantastic. Look forward to dropping in to try it.

This is a general comment on veg options here: this is gourmet food at mid-range restaurant prices. Every time I've got the veg main here, my expectations have been surpassed. Taste and texture are first and foremost, presentation is always fun and there is guarunteed to be a lovely wine or beer pairing with the meal. It's different every day, which is also neat, and usually utilizing seasonal and local ingredients. Try it sometime!

I love going to OZ because I know that there are going to be several tasty, creative vegetarian/vegan options on the menu, and they're willing to make minor changes so that some others become veg. Last night, the veg offerings were the BC salad, edamame, the mushroom Seoul Food and the vegetable bento box. Yum!

The salted soybean appetizers are absolutely amazing. They are the starter to any meal we eat there. Very reasonably priced as well.

I am not a fan of this style of eatery.

Paying by weight should be a crime.

It's a friggin buffet! So how is it freshly made to order?

Bland seasoning. Places like this give vegan\vegetarian food a bad rap.

Won't recommend it, won't go back.

It's no wonder that the Boomers love the place. They're retired and have the money to eat there, and their taste buds aren't developed enough to appreciate flavour.

which is better - The Green Door or the Table?

I vote for the Green Door on Main Street. It has been around even before i was born- 1988. The Table is the copycat. I believe The Table started in in the late 90's.

I spoke with the people at the Green Door and I am impressed with their effort to use local, seasonal, and organic vegetables.

Once, I had the opportunity to help out in a fundraising event for Sierra Club, which was held at the Green Door.I had a peek at the kitchen and I noticed all the basic ingredients are of quality like the organic extra virgin olive oil, San-J wheat free tamari (i.e soy sauce), French Sea salt, Umeboshi (Japanese Plum) Vinegar and all organic flour, milled locally.

I shop at health food store for my grocery. If you check out the prices for those ingredients, boy, you would think how do they make money. I use San-J tamari at home and it costs me $6.00 for a 375ml bottle.

They also take pride in making all the food( all hot food, salads, desserts, chai tea, bread etc) from scratch everyday.

My mother is celiac and they have lots of gluten free desserts, main dishes and salads. It is always good to ask the staff because sometimes I can't read all the signs because there are so many of them.

The only thing I don't like about the Green Door is the waiting in line that makes my food cold. But then again, I know there are no cheap fillers!

I love the food at The Green Door, and the overall selection. Regarding the desserts, the Banana Chocolate Chip cake was amazing. It's also a good place to take kids.

I have gone here once on the recommendation of a vegetarian and both Veg dishes I tried were excellent. One of them was noodle stirfy with a peanut sauce and a variety of vegetables in there, high in protein and nicely spiced. The second was the pepper salt fried tofu which was honestly the best tofu I have ever eaten.

Granted, my vegetarian friend is a spice fiend, but everything I tried there was excellent. I heartily reccomend the place.

How can anyone who's menu is that vast make anything well?

Anyways.

It's cheap and it is actually pretty good. I've had much better chinese, but for the price and if you are in a bit of a rush, So Good hits the spot.

The So Good Sauce is surprisingly good.

Extensive menu of vegetarian items here, and those hoping for the Szechwan style will be particularly pleased (i.e., no shortage of tasty sauce). Their Buddha's delight is a favourite of mine -- lots of mushrooms!

Girlfriend used to live upstairs in the same building. Undoubtedly one of my favorite restaurants ever. We used to go at least 3 times per month and still go. Always great. Vegetarian and vegan selection...you MUST try the Soya Tofu dish.

I agree that there are lots of vegetarian options in the buffet and usually 2 or 3 are vegan. The staff is knowledgeable and go to the kitchen to double check ingredients if they're not sure. I always ask for a "tour" of the vegan options in the buffet when we arrive. The best thing is that the naan is vegan! Just be sure to ask to have it brushed with oil instead of butter.

The lunch buffet here is a good one for vegetarians -- lots of choice (even more than meat choices).

There are several vegetarian choices -- not the best vegetarian list I've seen at a Thai restaurant, but not bad. The eggplant, incidentally, is fantastic!