麻豆传媒映画

We just love animals and try our best to reduce our consumption of animal products while encouraging others to explore veganism too.When it comes to food, we are unwilling to sacrifice on flavour. We've paid our dues in fries and salad. When we eat out, we are determined to get a satisfying meal that is just as good as the rest of the menu. And if there's no veggie option, we'll make one! We've been living on the "vegan block" in 麻豆传媒映画for a while now so we're very excited to be documenting our dining experiences as we review vegan cuisine in beautiful Vancouver, BC.

For us. For them. For the planet.

		We're The Vegan Project. Our mantra? We're The Vegan "Project," not perfect.

Restaurant: Cuchillo, 261 Powell Street,

Eaters:

Bridget Burns: Vegan. Food enthusiast.聽 Always an optimistic diner. Can scan a menu & put together a vegan meal in less than 12 seconds.

Samantha Shorkey: Vegan. Resident fitness freak/bland & healthy dessert addict. Showed up drunk after a messy business lunch. Irritated everyone.

Zoe Peled: Vegan. Just completed an entire month of eating only raw food. Came ready to hog out!

Cousin Paula: Carnivore (but likes to think she's "pescotarian.")聽 The least annoying person at the table.

We were very excited to have dinner at Cuchillo.聽 Although it is not a vegan restaurant (or even vegetarian for that matter) we knew there would be plenty of options given co-owner John Cooper IS vegan!聽 He started the restaurant earlier this year with business partner Stu Irving (also famous in the vegan community for introducing a vegan chili dog on the new menu at the .)

Some of what we ate:

Grilled Baby Husk Corn (prepared specially for us with olive oil)

Sweet baby corn, still in its husk, grilled to perfection and drizzled with olive oil.聽 These were such a treat!聽 They literally could've been dessert.

Ecuadorian Quinoa & Wild Greens (with roasted walnuts & narandja dressing)

Quinoa is a staple in the vegan diet so it's always nice to find it on a menu.聽 This gluten-free, ancient grain is so versatile and tastes great as a base in both savoury and sweet dishes. Cuchillo's Ecuador-inspired dish did not disappoint.聽 It combines quinoa with a perfect balance of greens, almonds and fruit, topped with a refreshing Narandja (orange) dressing.

Pan Roasted Hearts of Palm

Though the Baby Husk Corn comes in at a close second, the highlight of the meal had to be the Hearts of Palm: a cactus paddle and kale saute served with toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), heirloom tomato, and piquillo piperade. Perfectly cooked and flavoured with fresh ingredients, the Hearts of Palm is also the main vegan entree at Cuchillo.聽 Both unique and satisfying, this dish does vegan cuisine proud.

The Consensus:

We love Cooper's philosophy about veggie options not being an afterthought and given as much attention as the other dishes. Though John is an "in-the-closet vegan," he's gained much respect from the vegan community with the addition of tempeh on its omnivorous menu served with the Wild Mushroom Tacos.聽 The tacos were another crowd favourite.

"I knew our people (vegans) would be pleased and know that we know what's up," he said.聽 We sure did notice, John! And we are very pleased :)

The decor in Cuchillo is eye-catching and edgy, and the corner banquet where we sat, watching Chef Stu work his magic was a real treat.

Meat Eater Mention:

Cousin Paula: "I let the vegans take over the ordering but did get one non-veggie dish for myself. I was secretly happy that I didn鈥檛 have to share the Corn Bread Azul with guajillo chili butter. I鈥檒l be back for that loaf. It had some kick to it with the chili butter and was super-moist and delicious."

Veggie Verdict:

Zoe: "I'll be back for one of everything.聽 My only qualm (and it's minor) is the lack of a vegan dessert option."

Sam: "I was at Cuchillo?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Bridget: I like the vibe in there and know that my meat eating friends would too.聽 I'd come back for those tempeh mushroom tacos in a heartbeat."

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