Fresh by Juice for Life
Rich and I hadn’t really intended to go to this popular vegetarian restaurant a few weeks ago. In fact, we had our sights set on stopping at a cafe for a coffee and a snack. However, as we were wandering down Queen West, we noticed the sign for Fresh on Spadina. It only took a few moments for us to both decide we’d rather go there instead, turning our snack into a full lunch.
Upon sitting down we were immediately given a large jug of water with lemon slices in it. After our morning of wandering around Queen West on an unseasonably hot day, we were happy to get it. Once that was settled, we were on to ordering food.
As a former vegetarian who still keeps a mostly vegetarian diet, I was so pleased to be in a restaurant where I can order anything on the menu. As any vegetarian will tell you, it can get frustrating eating out sometimes. There are only so many times you can eat pasta or salad as your main meal, you know? Needless to say, I found myself having a difficult time choosing what to eat at Fresh, because the entire menu sounded delicious!
I ended up ordering the Urban wrap with a side of sweet potato fries. I felt a bit guilty ordering the fries, since most of the rest of the menu is very healthy, balanced choices, and fries are most certainly not one of them. However, one thing I have missed from Ottawa is the sweet potato fries at The Works, so when I spotted them on the menu here, I knew I had to try them. To go with my wrap I chose the antioxidant smoothie.
Rich ordered the kathmandu wrap (with an order of sweet potato fries, of course!) and the date almond smoothie.
Verdict? Delicious on all counts. The wraps were fantastic, flavourful, and filling. The sweet potato fries were crispy and well seasoned, and the perfect replacement for the ones I miss from Ottawa. Truthfully, these fries are even better than the ones from The Works. The smoothies were both great, although Rich noted that his was more of a dessert than a drink to go with his meal.
We’ll be back for sure. In fact, this will probably be one of our go-to spots for a quick meal when we don’t feel like cooking, since the Bloor location isn’t far from our house.
Fresh by Juice for Life. Three locations: Spadina, Bloor, and Crawford (Queen West). Lunch for two with smoothies, tax and tip, $40.