Natural Restaurant Guide: 2011

Fresh has three locations in Toronto (336 Bloor Street West, 147 Spadina Avenue, 894 Queen Street West). I heard about this restaurant from a friend who said this is Toronto's version of Vancouver's "The Naam" (which is another post to come). I do not agree with that statement but I do see how someone could think so, it has high quality ingredients, a trendy atmosphere & vegetarian. I would say you need to come to this restaurant a couple times in order to figure out what your "dish" is, and once you fall in love with one, you will return over and over for it. I found mine, and it's called "Italian Raw Bowl" - featured below.

I was not impressed with the dessert selection, I did not see any options (when I've been there) that were egg, wheat or cane sugar free. However, their juices and tea's definitely make up for that if you are looking for something to have after your meal.

The restaurant itself is very clean & hip looking, fabulous for a lunch date or casual dinner with friends. Any Being Erica fans out recognize Fresh on Crawford as a location!

Italian Raw Bowl

Ingredients: zucchini noodles tossed with basil pesto
garnished with kale chips, grape tomatoes, Fresh Protein Boost, and sun-dried tomatoes. I added two tofu steaks & avacado on the side.

soup, salad & cornbread combo

sweet-potato fries (wheat free) and quinoa onion rings (the batter does have bread crumbs)

Beach bowl

Dragon Bowl

Live Organic Food Bar ( 264 Dupont Street, Toronto, Ontario) definitely lives up to it's name. I actually heard of it because I purchased some amazing "almond butter bars" from my local health food store. They were so good, I kept going back to buy more of this delicious dessert. I noticed the name and website were on the package, then discovered it has it's own restaurant!
It is such a charming little restaurant, with amazing options on the menu for gluten-free, wheat-free, egg-free, sugar-free, and very vegan friendly.

My FAVORITE meal they offer is the black bean burrito. This dish can really do no wrong. It gets messy, so if your on a date trying to impress someone, I wouldn't attempt it. Otherwise; dig in!

Black Bean Burrito

Ingredients: black bean hummus, brown rice, guacamole, salsa, marinated greens, chipotle aioli on gluten free brown wrap, option to add cashew cream.

Protein Salad

Ingredients: field greens, kale, arugula, micro greens, chickpeas, black beans, cooked quinoa, tomatoes, mixed seeds, cranberries

Raw Combo

Ingredients:
Pizza: thin walnut crust, red pepper marinara, marinated greens, olives, basil oil, cashew herb chevre, micro greens
Curry Noodles: zucchini and kelp noodles, tomatoes, peas, carrots, basil, cilantro, spicy almonds, green coconut curry
Ravioli: marinated celery root, sunflower sage ricotta, red pepper marinara, basil oil, balsamic reduction, almond parmesan
Tostadas: corn tortillas, tomato corn salsa, sunflower, refried beans, guacamole, cashew sour cream, spiced ground walnuts

Out of all the fresh juices in my opinion, The Green Kick is the best. It isn't an overwhelming taste of one specific ingredient, and tastes very balanced in terms of bitter & sweet. The pear on the glass is like it's own little dessert.

The Green Kick

Ingredients: pear, kale, ginger, dandelion, lemon.

Posing with my Green Kick Juice

There is a wide range of desserts here - quite possibly my favorite quality of this restaurant. For those who are avoiding refined sugar, brown sugar,ect. this is the dessert capitol for you. Everything is sweetened with either agave nectar or honey. When you go in - make sure you look at the dessert case first. It can determine how much room you need to leave in your stomach! (and yes - I ate all of these)

Banana Pie Pudding