Living raw bliss at Organic Lives

I’ve wanted to visit Organic Lives for a long time and especially since food blogger Mijune Pak highly recommended their Coconut Cream Pie… after all, Organic Lives is said to be the city’s best raw vegan restaurant, and desserts recommended by non-vegans are all good in my book.

The main location is at Quebec Street and 2nd Avenue, but I planned out my Chinese New Year to eat with company downtown, so ventured to the brand-spanking new location at the Chopra Yoga Centre on Granville of Hastings.

At the downtown location, it’s more of a take and go. There are seats, but no tables, so unless you’re having a quick bite, it’s probably best to take your meal with you. I ordered the Pecan Sushi, Pad Thai, and Ridiculous dessert to share with my sister. The menu is definitely more limited than the main location’s, but some of the selections are the same. The counterperson was still getting used to the computer payment system and the order took about 10 minutes to make, but good god, was it worth the wait! I wasn’t even going to take photos, but I had to show you how beautiful this stuff looks, even in to-go boxes. Great photos is one reason why people should convert to vegetarianism!

Pecan Sushi: Pecans, alfalfa, cucumber, carrots, mango, tomato, seaweed, wasabi 

There was also a side sauce with the sushi whose flavours I can’t identify, but it was more on the sweet side. The sushi didn’t taste like your average Japanese sushi, as there was no rice. This baby is all good stuff and I was even ok with the dash of wasabi, which I normally don’t like. The mango was also a nice punch of sweetness.

Pad Thai: Noodles, peanut sauce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, parsley, red chili sauce, nuts

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Cocktail Heaven at The Refinery

Photo courtesy vancouverdealsblog.com

I heard a lot of hype about The Refinery and its cocktails in particular, so when Ethical Deal did a deal for half off food I jumped on it. The cocktails are indeed no joke. I had the Gunpowder, which was just the perfect sweetness (more tarte than sweet) without much taste of alcohol.

There are a few vegetarian options, and I’m glad I went for the Fettucine Primavera ($14) because it had a good helping of veggies. And if I hadn’t had pasta, I might have been in serious trouble with my cocktail! As I ate I started to feel a nice buzz.

Fettucine Primavera with seasonal vegetables

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Tiramisu Cheesecake

I had a few bites of my boyfriend’s Heirloom Tomato Salad ($10) which was also very good and cleverly seasoned. We ended off with the Tiramisu Cheesecake ($9), which was the best cheesecake I’ve had in a while. A very subtle taste of cheese, with whipped coffee icing served on the side. If I wasn’t such a lightweight and already buzzed off the one cocktail, I would have had another one with dessert (they do have dessert cocktails on the menu too). The interior deco is very cool and trendy; I see why this place gets talked about & agree with the high ratings. Definitely the best place for professional-level cocktails & a good meal downtown.

Photo courtesy Urbandiner.ca

The Refinery
1115 Granville Street & Helmcken Vancouver BC V6B 2G6
604-687-8001
info@therefineryvancouver.com
therefineryvancouver.com

Hours:
5pm-1am Tuesday to Thursday
5pm-2am Friday & Saturday (good idea to make reservations)
Sunday & Monday for bookings only 

Good books: Kind Diet & Art of Non-Conformity

I’ve never done a book review, and rightly so because I have so little time to read that when I do it’s gotta be a book that I REALLY wanted to read. So I thought I’d share two of my most recent reads that are also both feel-good books.

1) Chris Guillebeau‘s The Art of Non-Conformity

Chris Guillebeau is one of my heroes. He’s a writer that spent four years doing volunteer medical work in Africa, wrote e-books on how to travel the world on air miles and make a living blogging, and someone who will never have to apply for a job again. But while reading his e-books have led me to tuck them away into a “read” folder on my computer, his new book The Art of Non-Conformity is one that can inspire any average person to follow his footsteps to living an extraordinary life, on their own terms.

I must admit, one way to kick me in the ass to buy it was the fact that he came to Vancouver on his book tour. But, I was able to get it signed and take a picture with him, and when he asked me about myself, I proudly told him that I was in my fourth year running my business, knew I was destined for something bigger, and that his book would probably help me to figure out what that was.

I’m still figuring out what THAT is, but in the meantime his book gave me food for thought not only on how to dream BIG but how to ground things into reality. Some of the gems included are:

- Finding the path to doing what you love.

- Getting out of your comfort zone and facing the fear of change.

- Good vs. bad businesses; needing to escape to something, if you take the leap to quit your job.

- Saying no for your own good.

- Leaving a legacy.

If you’re able to have a glimpse at the chapters, it gives you a better idea of the sections of the book. Even if you’re not planning world domination anytime soon, it’s an inspiring read that will hopefully lead you to discover more of what you want to get out of your life.

Me with Chris Guillebeau at Chapters Robson

2) Alicia Silverstone‘s The Kind Diet (www.thekindlife.com)

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