I can thank my 3-hour visit to the dentist for bringing me to One Love Vegetarian on Bathurst just north of Bloor Street. Steps from my dentist’s office I found a four-year-old restaurant that serves “vegan food with a Caribbean twist,” as described by owner, Ikeila Wright.
Some complain that vegan food is lacking in flavour, or that it’s always raw vegetables. There are plenty of restaurants in Toronto that will prove this theory wrong and One Love Vegetarian is not afraid to add some Caribbean spice and flavour to their simple vegan menu.
Rotis ($5.50/$8.99) come with your choice of three different shells (paratha, whole wheat paratha, or whole wheat dahl puri) and three different filling options (chickpeans and potatoes, curried TVP, or seasoned Jamaican pumpkin).
Ikeila cooks vegan because she is vegan and serves only food she would serve her family. A stay at home mother for twenty-years raising five vegan children, she found it challenging to take her family out for food that was healthy, tasty and affordable.
There’s no jerk chicken, oxtail or salted cod fish on this menu. But there are tasty meals ($10.99) including a popular BBQ Tofu stirfry served with basmati rice and peas, fried plantain and slices of ripe avocado.
The Callaloo greens come from Jamaica as do the pumpkin for the roti. Ikeila won’t use anything in a can and shops local when possible. Hearty curries are ready as meals with your choice of chickpeas and potatoes, TVP or beancurd and lima beans.
I was told by my server that the next time I return I have to try their famous One Love Corn Soup ($3/$5). It’s so popular that a modified version of the recipe was provided to the Food Network.
If you feasted on turkey this Thanksgiving weekend and want to go meatless for your next meal, One Love Vegetarian will take care of you.
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