Update: This restaurant has closed.
I must say, Graze Restaurant is making its way up there to becoming one of my top vegetarian restaurant in Vancouver
This would be my second time heading to Graze Restaurant for dinner. I wouldn’t say I was wow-ed the first time, although it really wasn’t bad at all. However, this second time around, I must say I really enjoyed my meal, both visually and gastronomically. I’ll be honest though…it’s probably all in the esthetics this time. The evening we went it was still pretty sunny and fair-weathered. Not too windy and not to hot, it was mild enough for me to actually be okay with having the meal in the patio. I must say it was pretty nice.
These pictures are from my first visit. It was a darker time back then…(Autumn!!). Some selections of food aren’t available anymore, so I won’t blog about those. Besides, the food this time was far more exciting to me. We came to Graze with a coupon in hand which gave us a free appetizer with the order of an entree. We chose the Gaspacho Salad ($10).
GASPACHO SALAD Heirloom tomato, cukes & grilled melon in raspberry vinaigrette, tomato-mint sorbet.
Isn’t it a beaut? It was such a colorful dish. So much so that I felt refreshed just looking at it. The edible flower bunches on top (mustard? chinese broccoli?) just matched the season so well. The components themselves were not much to talk about, but when dipped with a bit of the tomato mint sorbet, everything changed. It instantly refreshes the palate without being too overwhelming. And grilled melons eaten on a patio is always a treat.
TORTA An Italian-style savory pie of leeks, sundried tomatoes, our peppercorn cashew ‘gouda’ and heirloom tomatoes in a red lentil crust, fresh seasonal vegetables.
Hitman had the Torta ($16). This was my favorite plating of the night because of all the beautiful flowers (part of the seasonal vegetables of the dish description). Tastewise though, Hitman thought the red lentil shell was way too hard and I agree. It was hard to cut through. I also thought it was a bit tart (no pun intended!) with the sundried tomatoes. Portion size was also a bit small for his appetite.
MACARONI Brown rice pasta in a smoky coconut cheddar sauce, crispy eggplant & toasted nut crumble over a potato pavé, seasonal vegetables.
Last time I was at Graze, Tdog had the Macaroni ($14) and I remember really liking the bit I tried from her plate, so I knew that that was what I was going to order. The plating is also different from last time. It just screams Spring time (I know I know….it’s almost summer…) and just SO so pretty! I can’t get over it! The dish was just as delicious as I remember. The smoky coconutiness of the cheddar sauce really shown through. I loved the chewiness of the brown rice pasta and the smoked tofu had a slight sweetness to it (adding smoked tofu and tomatoes was an extra $3). I really really enjoyed this. The potato pave however could’ve been served hotter. As for the seasonal vegetables, I assume it’s the greenery on the side. There was a mix of chard and other dark tough leafy bitter greens along with some mint, basil, and of course the beautiful edible flowers. It was pretty to look at but tastewise, we think it would’ve been better if they had given us just a bit more dressing as it was a little dry going down. But for me, the flowers made up for everything =) All in all, I was just so wow-ed by the plating that I really enjoyed the experience here. However I must note that the food comes out quite slow, so be prepared to wait. Lastly, here’s some more pictures of the dishes…I just couldn’t get over how pretty they were!
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