Based on reader interest, I spent a week looking for vegan food in Vancouver. The easiest places to find were those that had clearly labeled menus. The Mighty Bowl has a clearly labeled menu that lists ingredient choice for their bowls, burritos and salads. The sauces have symbols next to them indicating whether they contain gluten, dairy, egg, nuts, or soy. Ginger Pop‘s menu has a (v) symbol near all dishes that can be prepared vegan. Their amazing tofu fries aren’t vegan because two of the dipping sauces (the peanut sauce and the cilantro cream) have fish sauce in them. However, the sweet chile sauce is vegan; so, if you only order this sauce this dish is vegan (and highly recommended).
I got a tip on my Couveeats Facebook page that Nonavo Pizza makes its own vegan ricotta. I followed up with Nonavo Pizza co-owner Alder Suttles. She said, “Yes, we make a tasty herbed nut or seed ricotta for our pesto pie. Right now it is made with almonds, garlic, cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and herbs. Our main focus is making delicious food. This often results in vegetable-based cuisine, which also sometimes happens to be vegan. On our menu we have two pizzas and one salad that are vegan.”
I tried the pesto pizza. The herbed almond ricotta had the taste and texture of a white pesto — garlic-y, nutty and rich. Its flavors blended well with the arugula pesto. What makes this dish a success is that it wasn’t created a token gift for vegans (like pizza with Daiya melted on top). This pizza was composed, like all of Nonavo Pizza’s offerings, as a love song to fresh, local produce.
Thai and Vietnamese restaurants may have vegan-seeming dishes but fish sauce is often sprinkled into these dishes. I called Thai Little Home and found out that they can make their curry dishes, noodle dishes, and stir fries (except sweet sour) vegan upon request. If you order online, each item has a special instructions box. In the special instructions box, specify that you want the dish made vegan (no fish sauce or oyster sauce).
