Clever Rabbit, learning to love "bacon".

I have to admit that I have been to Clever Rabbit a number of times before (actually more than I would like to admit) and when it comes to the food I have never been disappointed! I figured that now would be a pretty excellent time to throw out a review of one of the small handful of vegan restaurants in Edmonton! 

Clever Rabbit is located on 124st and (approx) 108ave, it is nestled between a couple of other locally owned shops and cafes. For years prior to hearing about the restaurant I would walk/drive past totally unaware of its location since it is quite small in comparison to some of the establishments on 124st!

My most recent visit was this Saturday around lunch time, and I was surprised to find the restaurant must busier than it usually is and we were forced to sit at a small table surrounded by couches because all of the dining room tables were full. However, I was not deterred since I knew the food would be delicious. We sat at the small table and sipped our beverages until a table opened up and we quickly moved our belongings so we didn't lose a prime spot. 

The waitress we had was clearly new and a little bit overwhelmed as she seemed a little bit frazzled and we couldn't help but smile as she flitted from one table to another trying her best to keep up with all of the tables demands, granted it is a small place hosting only 6 tables at a time it can get a little overwhelming! She was incredibly friendly, and to be honest she gave us the best service that I have ever received at Clever Rabbit. That being said, the majority of the times I have been to Clever Rabbit it is a total ghost town but the server is nowhere to be found, and our meals take an extremely long time to reach the table. It was very pleasant to have such a different experience, even though it was as busy as it was! 

I have to admit that I usually get the Walnut and Chickpea Burger when I go, but I felt like I should branch out this time and give something else on their menu a little bit of a whirl! After some contemplation I decided to try the BLT, I was a bit concerned because vegan bacon is not usually something that is well done and it ends up being a tough piece of tofu that doesn't have much of a taste at all. However, the menu boasted that it was handmade seitan maple smoked "bacon". As soon as I read maple I was pretty close to sold! They have a number of sides to choose from, and this time I opted for fresh salsa and tortilla chips.

Our food made it to the table pretty promptly (this time), and I was starving so I dug right in before I thought I should take a picture of my meal. 

I have to say, I am super pleased that I broke out of my comfort zone and decided to try something new because it was a delicious flavour explosion!

Everything right down to the bread it claimed to be homemade, and I admit that I believe it for sure! The bread was so soft and fresh that would melt in my mouth, it was sweet yet hearty enough to hold together the sandwich! The maple seitan bacon tasted incredible, however it was a little bit tough and I found that I was not able to bite through it and it ended up pulling out of the sandwich with each bite I took. The tomato was fresh and I found that it was not to soft and was nestled between the bacon and lettuce which kept it from soaking through the bread, the lettuce however was shredded and honestly I found it to be a little bit strange. I don't usually find shredded lettuce to effective in a sandwich and subsequently spent a large amount of time trying to shove the lettuce back into the sandwich in order to take my next bite. Finally to round out the sandwich they handmade some mayonnaise, and from what I could tell it was an almond mayo (similar to the one that I had at Pangaea). I felt like the mayonnaise was a great addition to the BLT, but I would have appreciated it more if it was a little bit less sour tasting. 

To accompany my sandwich I had some homemade fresh salsa with tortilla chips, which is never disappointing to me! They usually put a little bit to much cilantro in it, but this time it was a perfect combination of tomato, onion and cilantro!

All in all, I think it was a very successful visit to Clever Rabbit, and this time around the food quality matched the quality of service! I still have my reservations about that restaurant, since the level of service is not guaranteed but I am open to attempting it again on a weekday!

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate the support! I am still getting used to restaurant blogging, and I feel like I will grow in this very soon but I am open to suggestions and support as always! 

Be well. 

Becki