Review: Lotus-Heart-Blossoms

When Steve and I lived downtown on Queen street, an adorable little restaurant called Lotus-Heart-Blossoms appeared kitty corner to our place that we kept on meaning to try but for some reason never did.  I can't honestly say one of the main reasons we never made it had nothing to do with the fact that it's vegetarian and not licensed.  Truth be told I love the idea of vegetarianism and/or non-alcoholism, but when it comes down to it I want some meat and a glass of wine with my meal thank you very much.

As logic would have it, our first visit to Lotus-Heart-Blossoms occurred on Thursday night (8 months after we moved out of our old neighbourhood and into the boonies, so to speak, a 20 minute drive from the restaurant).  It is impossible to review this restaurant without commenting on the decor.  They are two dining rooms, each with cheerful yellow walls and clean, shiny hard wood.  The walls are adorned with quirky yet fitting paintings by local artists and clear, beautiful photos of mountains, hikers, and children in what I think must be India and/or Thailand.  It's obvious the restaurant used to be a house, but they still managed to create a clean, open concept by use of clean design and appropriate colours.  Being inside makes you feel excited about the fact that you're about to be good to your body by putting into it only the best natural ingredients.  

I ordered the ricotta and spinach crepes topped with swiss and nutmeg, and when our adorable sari-sporting waitress brought brought the meal out it was so beautifully presented it seemed a shame to dig in.  Of course I did, though, and I'm happy to say I was not in any way disappointed.  I hadn't had crepes since Paris two years ago, and had completely forgotten how much I like them.  They were warm, soft, and full of flavourful, and the swiss nutmeg sauce was a perfect complement.  Even the side salad was amazing - it had this wonderful soy-sesame sort of dressing that made it light and fresh (as opposed to the heavy, limp lettuce topped with cheese and croutons you get at so many places).  To drink I ordered coconut water, a delectable liquid that claims to contain "the highest known sources of electrolytes" in addition to "purifying the blood and reducing stress".  It was pleasantly sweet, low in calories, and despite not having any alcohol really did seem to make me less stressful.  Steve had the chili with corn bread, which he enjoyed very much.  Usually I don't particularly like chili (there's some spice in it I find off-putting), but from what I could tell from my sampling, this chili did not contain that particular spice and was hence very tasty.  

Overall dining at L-H-B was an extremely positive experience.  It appealed to the hippy dippy side of me, which I think is quite a bit more prominent than I sometimes like to admit.  If I could eat vegetarian food that great every day, I honestly don't think I'd have much of a problem giving up meat.  And the best thing?  They even have takeout!!!