[Review] Edmonton, AB - Cafe Mosaic

10844 82 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 2B3

I thoroughly enjoy spending time with people who are opened to trying new things and exploring new ideas. I recently had a reunion dinner with one of my friends, whom I haven't seen for maybe 5 years, but we knew each other since we were kids. It was nice being able to see each other and catch up like nothing had changed. It's nice seeing a familiar face in a city where you're still trying to figure out. He asked me to go out for dinner and had let me choose the restaurant. When I made the suggestion of going to vegan food, I was fairly surprised that he agreed to it, especially for a guy. Not to be sexist, but most of the guy friends I talk to usually opt out of a meal if it doesn't include any meat, even if it was only chicken. I told him I have been to this place a couple of times and fairly enjoyed the service and the food! The fact that it was vegan was bonus, mainly because I find vegan food incorporates more vegetables into their dishes due to their limited ingredient choices.

From the outside, Cafe Mosaic looks like any ordinary coffee shop, and you would never expect them to have some of the best vegan food in Edmonton! They're very creative in terms of using ethnic based dishes and making them a fun meatless Monday idea! My friend continued to trust my decision-making abilities so I took the reigns and ordered us three different dishes to share!

TOONA WONTON TACOS:

• Rating: 4/5 starfishes

• Pricing: $10 for 5 tacos

• With avocado chili lime sauce on the side.

• Toona is made from soy protein, tofu, oats, veggies and nutritional yeast.

• It is possible to make this dish full vegan for substituting the taco shells for lettuce wraps.

• Squeezing the lime over the tacos add an extra kick of acidity to the dishes.

• The tofu isn't too chewy like some tofu scrambles can be.

• Crunch from the taco shell makes this dish difficult to eat but adds a crispy texture alongside the coleslaw to balance out the softness of the protein.

AGAINST ALL GRAIN BENNY:

• Rating: 3/5 starfishes

• Pricing: $15

• Hashbrowns made from pumpkin, yams and sweet potato

• Topped with 2 poached eggs

• The hollandaise sauce is vegan friendly & it also comes with a side of asparagus and grapefruit.

• Hashbrowns were a little soft for my taste, mainly because I am biased towards crunchier potatoes and starchy vegetables.

• The vegan hollandaise was not as creamy as a normal hollandaise sauce and the flavour was more subtle.

TOFU SCRAMBLE:

• Rating: 3.5/5 starfishes

• Pricing: $15

• You have the option of ordering scrambled eggs or scrambled tofu, but we opt for the tofu instead since we already had poached eggs on our benny.

• Included onion bits, tomatoes, bell pepper, zucchini and spinach.

• The vegan sausage was interesting - the shell was not as chewy as a real sausage is. It looked as if it might have crumbled and fell apart, but it cut quite nicely without falling to pieces.

• Vegan sausage was not as tough as real meat sausages, but it did not have the same chewy texture as tofu meat.

• Fresh fruit chia jam was actually delicious! It wasn't as sweet as a lot of other jams and the chia seeds added texture that was similar to strawberry seeds. It imitated berry jam very well.

• Hashbrowns this time around were a little bit better, but were still a bit too soft for my taste.

With the end of my third trip to cafe mosaic, the items I ordered this time around were not what i preferred. If you are looking for crispier potatoes, maybe try asking them to fry it a bit more. Out of all three dishes, my highest recommendation would come from the tacos because of the flavours and the texture! Actually, this was my second time I ordered it because it was just so amazing the first time! I also enjoy how the dipping sauce isn't too creamy or heavy because I find that with those type of sauces, it can take over the taste of the rest of the food. Well done, Cafe Mosaic! Be sure that I will definitely be back. I will be posting the rest of my reviews for Cafe Mosaic at a later time, so keep your eyes out!