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REVIEWS - Fressen

Phone: (416)504-5127
478 Queen St. W., Toronto,ON

Vegetarian restaurants are not always known for their atmosphere, usually being more concerned with their food than with their ::groovy:: factor.

Fressen on the other hand, is able to serve up very good food with lots of vegan options in an atmosphere that is Queen St. enough to be interesting, but elegant at the same time.

The de rigueur salads are interesting and bright with fresh ingredients that burst off the plate. Unique combinations of vegetables, and fruit lead to many raised eyebrows when tasting the surprising results.

The Gluten Roast is a substantial helping of this buddhist favourite. It has a dark, sweet flavour that is blended well with in-season vegetables.

Smoothies and Juices are a big part of the menu and we enjoyed Fressen Sugar mountain (beets carrot ginger lemon) and a strawberry breeze (soy banana strawberries cinnamon).

Stopping by for lunch one weekend afternoon, we sampled French Toast - flax soymilk batter w/ fruit and maple syrup which was surprisingly eggy like the real thing, while not tasting too "beany".

Curried Coconut Mushroom Wrap with assorted mixed mushrooms ,tomatoes, onion, lettuce, sprouts with home fries was rich enough to be satisfying but not too heavy as some coconut dishes can be. A couple of free, freshly baked muffins were offered as they wanted some "feedback" on how they were coming out...(very good!).

Our favourite dessert, is a Chocolate Terrine with Raspberry Coulis which makes interesting use of avocado to lend some 'mmmmm' factor to the dish. Using a cashew base with bittersweet (non-dairy) chocolate makes it substantial at the same time.

The wine list at Fressen is more adventurous than the usual "happy granola" type restaurants, and the staff are knowledgeable and accomodating. They make bold suggestions on wines and food, but not with the intent to belittle the diner, or upsell the bill.

The prices are a bit heavy compared to other restaurants in their 'atmosphere' category, but with the food being so well prepared and thoughtfully designed, the fee becomes inconsequential.

groovegan rating: *****

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