The Workshop Vegetarian Cafe – East Vancouver
The Workshop Vegetarian Cafe (East Vancouver) – This was a random find out of the whim when the place we wanted to go to was closed on that day. I was very thrown off by the interior decor since it looked like a small farmhouse style cafe/market that focuses on sustainable vegan/vegetarian foods. Yet, the twist was their food/menu is Japanese dishes but focuses all their dishes are vegan and vegetarians. I was a little surprised and intrigued by this concept since it’s the first time I’ve heard of a cafe like this before. Their menu choice of savory food is very limited yet each of their dishes sound very delicious and interesting to try. The photos that showed each dish made it even more tantalizing to try. I decided to try their Spicy Tan Tan Ramen. Even without any meat to build the umami flavours, the combination of using mushrooms, the squash, miso and chickpea helps provide that creamy and thick broth. The flavours provided a huge punch especially when you add the spicy oil. Taking the first bite – I felt the broth was a bit too salty yet as I continue on taking more bites along with the hand made noodles – it felt like it was the right level of flavours. It got to be pretty addictive after a while….I had fully enjoyed the noodles very much. I definitely did not miss the idea of needing meat to enjoy the broth. It was done very well. I would definitely their other dishes to see how well they compete with the ramen. I also had to try out their unique Japanese Coffee selection. I decided on a Yuzu Ginger Latte. The latte was very nice and light – the yuzu was definitely noted in the drink. I would have liked more of the ginger to come out to provide a light punch. Verdict – YES! I would definitely recommend in coming back here for lunch or just for nice coffee. Also they have some pretty cute merchandise!
