Crudessence Montreal

Cooked Quinoa Wrapped in Nori and Rice Sheets, Garnished With Lettuce, Sprouts and Vegetables WIth Coconut Feta, Apple and Arugula

Located immediately next to Le Panthere Verte, Crudessence is in tied in tough competition with its neighbor, pulling vegans and vegetarians and those who have a craving for something a little healthier for lunch this way and that. Just by rough comparison, Crudessence seems to be a bit more trendy in style – walking in you’ve got a long row of wooden banquettes and stained glass windows in the back bouncing beautiful rays of color all over the wooden floors, giving the whole place an organic feel. Flipping through the menu, I was surprised and delighted to find so many interesting sandwiches, salads and cakes that used unconventional ingredients to spice up standard dishes. Places like these are bound to arouse curiosity and shock – how can something so healthy taste so good? It’s almost an oxymoron.

I saw kombucha on the menu – I decided to try it. Finally! I’ve heard so much about it and a friend of mine even tried to grow a kombucha plant at home! So, I ordered the kombu mojito which was very tasty. Bubbly sweet pineapple juice with just a touch of mint, the drink was a treat. We had the cooked quinoa wrap in nori and rice sheets along with coconut feta, apple and arugula. While the color of the wrap may be off putting to some (how often do you see food colored black?), rest assured the wrap is quite delicious. The freshness of the apple, the creaminess of the avocado with the added taste and texture of the coconut cheese, the wrap is definitely one to be remembered. We also had a pesto sandwich which came on sprouted buckwheat and sundried tomato bread with pistachio pesto (who knew?), apple, cashew cheese avocado and sprouts. Good stuff. Definitely tastes as healthy as it sounds but better than you probably think.

We finished off with two slices of pie – one pumpkin pie and one lime pie. Both are not what they seem! Big surprise. The pumpkin was really made of sweet potatoes and flavored with ginger and nutmeg and tasted surprisingly similar to what the name suggests. But of course, nothing can compare to the real thing (coming from a pumpkin fanatic). The lime pie was an avocado-coco-lime mixture with a macadamia mousse. Again, interesting to say the least but not something I would order on the regular.

Creativity in this kind of cuisine is essential – the chefs here have done a great job in coming up with organic dishes that taste good even to the non-vegan. Check it out for some great vegan eats!

Kombu Mojito With Pineapple, Mint, Lemon and Kombucha

Cooked Quinoa Wrapped in Nori and Rice Sheets, Garnished With Lettuce, Sprouts and Vegetables WIth Coconut Feta, Apple and Arugula

Pesto Sandwich With Pistachio Pesto, Apple, Cashew Cheese, Avocado and Sprouts

Lime Pie – Avocado-Coco-Lime With a Macadamia Mousse.

Pumpkin Pie – Cream of Sweet Potato Flavored With Ginger and Nutmeg on a Crisp Almond Crust