discounts

Discount Profile: Parka Food Co.

After a brief closure during COVID-19, Parka is back open again, and even has two cute tables set up on the sidewalk so you have somewhere to sit and enjoy their delicious take-out! At first, I found the menu overwhelming. I wanted all the different items they have that involve potatoes and vegan tartar sauce, but I figured I might as well choose just one potato dish so that I could try a variety of other foods too. I decided to go with the potato burger, which, in addition to the crispy potatoes and tartar sauce I’ve mentioned, also comes with pickles and guacamole on a light and airy bun. No burger would be complete without a side, but since I was already having some potatoes, instead of fries or poutine (which, believe me, were very tempting) I ordered the cauliflower fritters. I loved the crispy, crunchy batter contrasting with the soft cauliflower centre. The portion size was just perfect to go along with the burger, and the creamy dipping sauce was cooling and refreshing. Of course, Parka is famous for its variety of unique mac and cheeses, so how could I leave without trying at least one? I decided… Read More

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Discount Profile: Veggie Planet

The GTA is fortunate to have an abundance of vegan-friendly authentic Indian restaurants. But Veggie Planet stands apart for its unique fusion dishes. Now with two locations (Mississauga and Vaughan), this place has landed a spot on my top favourite restaurant list, surprising me even more every time with how delicious and flavourful everything is. It’s not every day you find pizza on the menu at an Indian restaurant, but imagine having a whole section of the menu full of pizzas! It was almost too much to bear to try and narrow it down to just one to order, but eventually my partner and I settled on the chaat Pizza, which had a sauce flavoured with Indian spices, vegan cheese, and plenty of crunchy pieces of sev. It was a close competition with the Indian masala pizza, we’ll have to try that next time! But first, we started with “appetizers”. I say that in quotations because the portions were very generous, even for someone like me, who has a huge appetite! This was our third time eating at Veggie Planet, and at first I resisted my partner’s suggestion we get the poutine for the third time, arguing that we… Read More

Filed under: Discount profiles elifelines Food and Restaurant News News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Uncategorised

Discount Profile: Sweets from the Earth

Sweets from the Earth is one of the longest standing vegan bakeries in the GTA and is famous for its delicious, well, sweets of course! Since social distancing became the norm in the GTA, they’ve added some savoury and bread items to their online store, and I couldn’t wait to take advantage of the opportunity to try them out! If the incredibly delicious quality of their caramel pecan bars or apple pie squares, that I’ve become accustomed to, was a sign of what to expect from their breads, I knew I was in for a treat. I ordered a sandwich loaf, dinner rolls, hamburger buns, and mini bagels, all of them in whole wheat. The sandwich loaf was surprisingly large, more slices than a typical loaf you’d buy in the grocery store. It had a nice slightly crunchy crust, but the bread itself was very light, soft, and fluffy. The mini bagels were nice and dense and chewy, just like you want a bagel to be. Next time I might give the apple cinnamon version a try! The hamburger buns were also very fresh and soft. In addition to using them as a hamburger bun, I absolutely loved simply toasting… Read More

Filed under: Discount profiles elifelines News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Toronto Veg Blog Uncategorised

Discount Profile: Virtuous Pie

Virtuous Pie has recently added some new items to their menu, along with special deals on certain nights of the week, so we couldn’t resist going back! My partner and I arrived on a cold winter night, so we were very happy when the garlic knots arrived super warm and soft. These were beyond any garlic knots I’ve had in the past! Not simply dusted in a garlic spread, they were so full of fresh herbs and chili flakes that they were actually colourful. We also enjoyed the skillet mac and cheese, which once again was generously topped with extras including veggie bacon, extra parm, and parsley. It was so difficult to decide which pizzas to order. Thank goodness there were two of us so we could pick two and share! We contemplated the Superfunghi, which comes not only with mushrooms but also a potato cream and truffle almond ricotta, and the Stranger Wings, which is topped with spicy buffalo cauliflower, scallions, crispy shallots, and more! But we ultimately settled on two different options. The Street Corn was such a unique twist on pizza. Rather than layered with tomato sauce, it’s crust was topped with a garlic butter sauce and cilantro lime… Read More

Filed under: Discount profiles elifelines Food and Restaurant News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Uncategorised

Discount Profile: Hibiscus Restaurant

Hibiscus is a cozy restaurant tucked into Augusta Street in Kensington Market. While they offer delicious crepes (sweet and savoury!) and house-made ice cream; the item that members get for a discount is the soup and salad combo. The soup arrives in a mug, and it’s super cute! The flavour changes daily and seasonally. The day we visited it was sweet potato coconut. I’m not usually a fan of sweet potato, but I really enjoyed this soup, the coconut gave it a nice creaminess and it was pleasantly thick. The salad comes with a raw cracker, which is delicious on its own, but I also liked dipping it in the soup. Speaking of the salad–it’s gigantic! Hibiscus says that there are 42 ingredients in the salad, and I can definitely say that it’s not an everyday salad. Mine came with no kelp — I don’t like it– but the salad was flavourful, packed, and really more like a bowl than a salad with all the different ingredients. My favourite was the tofu, and the berries–they were so sweet!   We followed up this healthy plant-based lunch with a scoop of their house-made ice cream; the flavour… Read More

Filed under: Discount profiles elifelines Front page post News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Uncategorised Veg Directory Updates

Discount Profile: Flower Lantern Vegetarian Restaurant

For those who still think all the good veg options are only in the downtown core, you obviously have not yet been to Flower Lantern Vegetarian Restaurant at Finch and Islington! I recently visited for the first time and was blown away by how flavourful and delicious everything was, not to mention the generous portions at a very affordable price! We started with two appetizers. The fried wontons came with a delicious, soft filling to contrast with the crispy, fried shell. We also delighted in the shredded mock meat rolls. The shredded mock meat was wrapped in a soft, rice paper roll and stuffed with plenty of lettuce too, which meant that even though it was a “meaty” dish, it tasted fresh and light. My partner and I almost laughed when the two main dishes we ordered came to the table because they were so huge! How were we going to finish so much food? Well, it turns out it was just so tasty we couldn’t stop ourselves and finished every last bite. The Huey-Style Vermicelli Bowl is actually a spicy soup with a wide assortment of veggie meats, vegetables and noodles too. It had a nice,… Read More

Filed under: Discount profiles elifelines Food and Restaurant News News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Uncategorised

Discount Profile: Copper Branch Thornhill and Brooklin Locations

Copper Branch seems to be taking over the world! Originally from Montreal (with several locations there), they started with one location in downtown Toronto and are now invading all the suburbs throughout the GTA so you can get your plant-based fix wherever you are! I had tried their burgers before at various veg fests but when I went for my first sit down meal at their Thornhill location, my jaw dropped. My mom and I started by splitting the spicy buffalo wings. They had a delicious, slightly crispy skin and the aioli to dip them in was so creamy and flavourful. Even the little side of purple coleslaw was a refreshing, crunchy treat (spiced with sriracha! Yes please!). It was too difficult to choose just one entree so we also split two bowls: The General Copper and the Aztec. Both blew our minds when they arrived at the table. The portions were so generous, and the bowls were so colourful with so many different components. In addition to their famous ooey, gooey general tao chicken (made from shitake mushrooms), the General Copper had a bright purple coleslaw, fresh and bright green broccoli, and cubes of creamy avocado. The Aztec was… Read More

Filed under: Discount profiles Eat Veg elifelines News News from the Toronto Vegetarian Association Uncategorised

Discount Profile: Veggie Planet

Veggie Planet takes the idea of fusion cuisine to a whole new level. I knew they put an Indian twist on the American pizza and burger, but I was absolutely blown away by the number of options to choose from on their enormous, unique menu. First we had to choose a pizza, which was no easy task. Would it be the Indian Masala Pizza, the Kawa Topped Pizza, or the Chaat Pizza? We decided to go with the Pav Bhaji, which featured spicy vegetables, chilis, garlic, and vegan cheese, all atop a perfectly thin yet crispy crust. Next we chose a burger, of which we narrowed down to choices like the noodle burger, vada burger, or samosa burger. We decided on the Timi Burger, which had a vegan fish patty topped with more veggies and vegan cheese. But there were too many enticing dishes to stop there. We also ordered the Planet Special Poutine which was out of this world! Imagine warm fries topped with not just the usual vegan cheese and gravy but also masala flavours, crispy onions, olives, and kawa. They were not light on any of the toppings. This was a luscious, gooey mess. Everything we ate was incredibly… Read More

Filed under: Discount profiles Eat Veg elifelines Food and Restaurant News News Uncategorised

Discount Profile: Away Kitchen

If you’re looking for either a sunny, stylish cafe to dine in for lunch, or a nice place to go for date night, Away Kitchen’s new Queen Street location will fit perfectly for either. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the beautiful artwork and living gardens on the walls, and how big the space was with a full dining room. But of course, a restaurant needs to not only look good but serve delicious food, and this place certainly blew me away. I had been to Away’s College Street location before and enjoyed the refreshing sandwiches and soups. I had come to Queen Street to try something unique at this location: their pizza. It was some of the best pizza I’ve had in the city (or ever?!). The crust was light yet crispy, and held up well considering the fact that the pizzas were loaded with their unique toppings. This ain’t your Italian grandma’s pizza. My partner and I shared the Mediterranean which was topped with their own homemade cashew mozarella cheese, a balsamic reduction, and artichokes. The Romana was a burst of different flavours and textures, including a cauliflower… Read More

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Discount Profile: Cinnaholic

It’s no secret that I have a huge sweet tooth. So, of course, the opening of an all-vegan cinnamon bun shop almost right around the corner from home sent me running soon after Cinnaholic opened their first GTA location in the Promenade Mall in Thornhill. Yes, you heard that right. Vegans now have their own version of Cinnabon, but better. Why is it better you ask? Because Cinnaholic goes over the top with creative concoctions well beyond the classic cinnamon bun. The first time I went, my father and I split two flavours. One was The Cookie Monster, which is topped with, among other things, raw cookie dough! On my second trip (yes, there has already been a second trip…) I got the Hot Cocoa, which is topped with chocolate brownies and vegan marshmallows. Choosing just one or two flavours is a very difficult decision. There were flavours such as Blueberry Pie, Nuts About Maple, Strawberry Dream, and so many more. To make things more complicated, you can also choose from 17 flavours of frosting such as cake batter, banana cream, and hazelnut, and 20 toppings such as coconut, pretzels, various fruits, and caramel sauce, to create your… Read More

Filed under: Discount profiles elifelines Food and Restaurant News News Uncategorised