The weather was perfect when I met my friend on the patio of Veg Out, taking over Jambalaya’s spot on Richmond Row1. After a bit of awkward standing around while the staff (or were they customers? It was hard to tell) shared anecdotes and hugged each other, a server finally acknowledged us and showed us to our seats.
I settled on the Thai Peanut Power Bowl while my friend chose the Pate Sandwich. The sauce in my Thai Peanut Power Bowl was more like a red curry sauce than a peanut sauce. In fact, I don’t think I tasted or saw any hint of peanuts in the bowl. The chickpeas and sweat potatoes gave a nice texture to the sloppy mess, which rested on a bed of quinoa. The dish certainly could have used more kick, the sauce was bland and most of the flavour was from the sweet potatoes. I was disappointed to realize that this restaurant perpetuated the vegan reputation: blandness2. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I thought that perhaps they did not want to put in too much sodium – you know, being health-conscious and all.
On the side, I had ordered a sweet potato cornbread, which turned out to be dry and tough and tasted nothing like sweet potato. I took half of it home in a paper bag, and when I got home, the paper bag was soaked through with oil. So much for the health-conscious defense.
For dessert, we shared a velvet chocolate cake. It was slightly more dry and crumbly than I’d have preferred. It was not too sweet, like the cakes of the “good ol’ days.”
Service was hit and miss. Sometimes the server would check on us twice in ten minutes, other times she wouldn’t come by for a stretch of 30 to 40 minutes. The washroom was small and cramped, but not anymore cramped than the rest of the restaurant. It has a homey feel, and the staff are certainly very welcoming. Unfortunately, I suspect the chef of this restaurant is also a family cook.
Rating: 