Ottawa Xpress

April 5th, 2007
by Riva Soucie

Meditation Lessons Not Included

Happily, food is the focus at this "divine enterprise"

Formerly the Painted Potato, Perfection-Satisfaction-Promise is actually the same restaurant, but with a longer name…

… This is unquestionably some of the best vegetarian food in the city…the focus is on the food in this brightly painted café where you'll have to jockey for a seat at peak times.

Meat enthusiasts might be surprised to discover two things about PSP: flavour and comfort. Think rich spice blends and warm, hearty stews and sauces. You won't need a nap afterwards either, since even the most decadent options are packed with colourful steamed veggies and fibre-rich legumes.

…Not to be missed is a cute little plate called Rainbow Salad. I wouldn't call it green, exactly, and it's certainly not tossed. Rather, the Rainbow consists of tasty little mounds of tamari-marinated tofu, raw sunflower seeds, raisins, chopped green pepper and tomato, and shredded beets.

PSP also offers specials like curried cauliflower and chickpeas served with fresh veggies and yogurt. I recently tried the gado-gado, a Southeast Asian noodle dish that comes with lightly stir-fried cauliflower, snow peas and sliced zucchini, all mixed with a warm coconut peanut sauce.

Of course, lots of people come for the promise... of potatoes, that is. Each PEI spud is slow-baked and then topped with your choice of sauce. If you don't like plain old jacket potatoes, you can change the carrier to creamy mashed, sweet potato or brown rice. I went straight for the pesto and sour cream and broccoli and cheese (ask for half and half if you want to try two different toppings). Both were creamy without being cloying, though incredibly rich. I also tried the avocatofu, which is a lovely green-coloured blend of silken tofu, ripe avocado, and a squeeze of fresh lemon; its size, though, definitely qualifies it as a biggie.

But I couldn't pass up on dessert, especially with something so intriguing as vegan chocolate cheesecake, which turned out to be quite smooth and believably tasted like cream cheese and sweet cocoa.

Despite being fairly unknown, PSP is one of the best places to eat. Course if word gets around, the lineups will be even longer. Trust me though, it's worth a wait.