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Gorilla Food: Raw & vegan dining in Vancouver
By Claire Minns
If you think the title is unique, wait until you try the food.
Gorilla Food is one of the few restaurants in Vancouver that offers an entire menu of uncooked eats, serving up foods you won’t believe could possibly be prepared without any cooking involved.
Apart from the green, leafy sign reading GORILLA FOOD in bright yellow lettering, you’d never know to walk down the thin staircase leading to this health-seekers haven unless you were tipped off by someone in the know.
The menu is filled with fun surprises, such as: Ahimsa Alfredo, with noodles made from zucchini with cashew cream sauce; Pesto Pizza, with a sprouted sunflower seed, buckwheat, carrot and flax seed crust and walnut “cheez;" and Leaf Wraps, with “sesame garlic goo," olive tapenade and raisin chutney.
And I couldn’t possibly leave out the most shocking but delightful surprise, which comes during the final course: the uncooked vegan desserts.
Fresh apple pie, chocolate hempseed pie, maca-choco-roons, carrot cake... the list goes on. If you don’t normally order dessert, it’s worth it to do so here, if for nothing more than to discover the possibilities that lie beyond an oven.
The raw/vegan/organic requirement creates a fascinating mix of flavors, sending your taste buds into an unexplored place where seaweed compliments cashews, ketchup is made from ginger and almonds become pizza toppings.
If you’ve become accustomed to thinking that raw food lacks flavour, think again. Gorilla Food will prove to you that with a little creativity, a lot of amazing dishes can be invented using only raw and vegan products.
When the food arrives, you might find yourself already feeling a little bit healthier just from looking at what you're about to eat. Immediately, bright colors and fresh smells overpower your senses, and as you curiously take your first bite, you can’t help but feel a slight sense of self-satisfaction for treating your body so well.
If you’ve got a big appetite, try one of their creamy almond shakes—such as Choco-Gorilla, Blueberry Blaze or Hempstar Delight—to accompany your meal, made with superfoods such as almonds, dates, hempseed, ginger and coconut oil.
But be prepared: these things are so full of good stuff, you may end up struggling to finish the last of your sunflower ginger pate!
Each dish is fairly small, so the best thing to do is order a few dishes between a couple of people. But just don’t forget to save room for the desserts!
The cozy ambiance, bright decor and warm and friendly staff make Gorilla Food a place you’ll look forward to returning to.
Gorilla Food is located at 101-436 Richards St. Vancouver, BC V6B 2Z4.
Hours of Operation: Monday to Saturday 11am – 7pm and Sunday 11am – 5pm
Email: gorillafood@gmail.com
Phone: 1.604.684.3663
- Photos & text by Claire Minns©
