Padmanadi brings vegan options to brunch
Edmonton brunch-munchers generally assume when they sit down at their neighbourhood bistro that most of the ingredients they’ll run into have come from an animal.
Bacon, eggs, sausages, milk and butter are usually on the bill of fare in some form or other — whether in the batter, in the coffee or glistening on the plate in all their fatty glory.
A small but growing number of Edmonton restaurants are seeking to change that approach by taking sentient creatures out of the equation and putting plants on the plate instead.
One of the veterans of the vegan vanguard is Padmanadi, started in Indonesia in the 1970s and opened in Edmonton in 2002 after owner Kasim Kasim moved to Canada.
The big room on 101 Street is bright and airy, a cheery blend of yellow walls and orange ceiling that catches the light coming through the front picture windows.
One corner is dominated by a sitting Buddha statue apparently so heavy it had to be pushed in on rollers the way blocks of stone were moved around when the Egyptian pyramids were built more than 4,000 years ago.
The A-shaped teak chairs are surprisingly comfortable and the room is nicely divided by large strategically placed bamboostalk bouquets.
But the big question for someone without much experience eating vegan food, which in addition to shunning flesh eschews milk, eggs, honey and anything else derived from a living being, is, ‘What’s on the menu?’”
At first blush, the brunch selection looks surprisingly similar to brunches anywhere else. Ham and cheese omelette, various types of benedicts, French toast, pancakes — did I accidentally walk into Smitty’s?
Not to worry. Each of these dishes replaces animal products with vegan-friendly ingredients. I started with a big, delicious glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, which at $5 might be the best juice deal you’ll ever find in the city. Along with the OJ, I chose the spicy eggplant omelette ($15), a wonderful mix of tender eggplant, green beans, chilies and peppers wrapped inside fried bean curd that held everything together like an egg omelette would.
The vegetables were cooked perfectly (I asked for not-sospicy, and got not-really-spicyat-all, close enough when you have to guess what level of heat the customer actually wants), accompanied by fresh fruit and fried root veggies such as potatoes and yam.
I had a pair of sausages on the side ($3.50). Made with soy and wheat gluten, they had a meaty flavour and came with a spicy tomato dipping sauce that would have gone well with spring rolls, although there were bits where what seemed like flour could be tasted.
My sweet-toothed wife was drawn to the banana coconut French toast ($12). She found the three pieces of bread dipped in coconut milk, cooked and topped with banana slices, blueberries and strawberries too soggy for her taste, but it was just my style.
Dabs of crème fraîche, made with the restaurant’s secret recipe, might also have featured coconut milk.
The staff was extremely friendly and happily checked out ingredients for a couple of newbies to the vegan world. If you’re looking for a change in your brunch diet, try skipping the animal bits and taking a walk on the vegetable side.