Continuing on with our quest to find healthy and affordable downtown restaurants, we came upon another unique dining experience. If you’re interested in really branching out and trying something new, Live Organic Food Bar definitely provides an adventure, with a constantly changing menu that offers a wide variety of healthy meal options.
One word of caution that will make your visit more enjoyable: avoid entering with expectations of traditional fare. If you order the harvest pizza, for example, do not expect your usual doughy crust topped with cheese. You will instead be presented with an intriguing dish that bears no resemblance to “normal” pizza whatsoever, but is actually quite delicious if you just enjoy it as a completely new creation.
Conveniently located just outside Dupont Station at 264 Dupont, Live is easily accessible from campus. The bright-coloured walls and furniture create a cheery and inviting atmosphere, as do the warm smiles and pleasant service from the wait staff.
Unlike other vegetarian restaurants, Live does not simply aim to replace “real” meat and dairy with soy. Instead, this restaurant strives to create exciting original dishes.
The drinks are definitely the highlight of the menu. For smoothies, the choice of milk ranges from rice and almond to hempseed and soy. A perfect blend of sweet and sour makes Pink Cheeks Juice (pear, lemon, apple, and beet for $5.50) a refreshing afternoon snack or appetizer. And a visit is not complete without Live’s famous Kombucha tea. You’d never guess how good this fruity, carbonated cold tea is for you.
Our meals were good and for the most part well-prepared, but much of it depends on individual tastes, as most people are not accustomed to these kinds of. The Lentil Tomato Roti ($11), a mixture of spices in a spelt roti, was quite interesting, but not bursting with flavour. The RAW Combo ($14) included samples of four different mains. The bite-size pecan burgers, consisting of carrot, mushroom and pecan, were quite tasty, with scrumptious date curry chutney on top making the dish. The turnip ravioli (turnip noodles stuffed with cashew, black olive, and ricotta ‘cheese,’ with sundried tomato marinara and basil pesto) was fun, but don’t expect the ‘noodles’ to taste like your regular pasta.
The Mediterranean Dolmas won out as the best sample: parsnip, pine nut herb ‘rice’ stuffed in grape leaf, topped with a cashew lemon yogurt sauce. Delicious.
Of course, we had to try dessert. Being full, we went with a small sesame ball for $1.25. It was a delectable finish to the meal-coconut, sesame oil, and heaven all rolled into one.
Live is absolutely worth trying if you are looking for an exciting and exotic change in healthy meal options. While it is a little more expensive than your average eateries, you do get what you pay for: fresh, quality ingredients and impressive preparation. Because of the cost, it might not be a place you’ll want to visit regularly, but it is a fun treat once in a while.
