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Buddha-Full dishes out plant-based goodness

Taking it all in naturally to kick off a new year
Buddha
Andrew Warner chops greens for a plate at the new Buddha-Full location at Northwoods Village off Dollarton Highway.

It has become a habit of mine to drop into Buddha-Full following periods of heavy indulgence, such as when my review lineup has a few rich meals back to back or, with more immediate relevance, the sluggish, bloated spell immediately after the December holiday.

My eyeballs are still swimming in eggnog, gravy, and rare seasonal craft beers and the thought of another gingerbread anything sends a shudder down my now-straining spine. When I popped by the new Buddha-Full location at Northwoods Village off Old Dollarton Highway, it was high time for some raw fruit, whole grains and non-dairy fare.

With daughter Blondie in tow, I was on a mission to ingest as many naturally derived vitamins as I could in a single sitting and had my heart set on one of Buddha-Full’s signature smoothies, the hugely portioned, creative drinks that are made to order and are so thickly packed with fruit and greens that they typically take me more than 20 minutes to finish. If $11 seems like a lot for a smoothie, consider what you would expect to pay for a sit-down meal that would take you this long to finish and would likely not contain half the variety of ingredients.

Upon entering the plant-based food purveyor’s second location, which opened late in the summer of 2017, I was taken aback by the outstanding interior design. Blondie and I surveyed the airy, welcoming space, fresh and vibrant with its hanging plants and off-white, slightly imperfect French farmhouse esthetic, and both noticed the novel seating at the central service bar at exactly the same moment: swings! Polished wooden planks suspended from the ceiling by thick rope traverse the bar, providing a playful and unique space for guests to while away some time over a light meal and a juice. Blondie made a B-line for the swings and I had to remind her that they provided restaurant seating and were not playground versions designed for “underducks” and “twisters.” The pale light of the snowy weekend morning filtered in through the giant windows that line the entire space and the scent of freshly made soup and blended herbs filled the air. Buddha-Full has truly done a fantastic job with its design in its newest space and I would wholeheartedly recommend a visit for the comfort and novelty of the room alone.

Buddha-Full also hosts a plant-based cooking channel on YouTube, called Buddha-Full TV. Episodes focus largely on how to prepare meals using responsible, healthy ingredients without sacrificing the comforting flavours we so often associate with meat and dairy. While new posts are relatively infrequent, it’s still an interesting channel to browse and a testament to the philosophy of the business, one that suggests the owners would rather promote healthier eating than maintain tight ownership over their recipes. Perhaps this is why Buddha-Full’s tasty avocado toast, an open-faced sandwich with grainy bread, ripe avocado, thinly-shaved and lightly seasoned watermelon radish, and sunflower sprouts, also appeared, with clone-like identity, on the menu of a certain big-box, multi-outlet venue I visited with a large party a few days later.

The mild radish, with its pretty purple striations, was a welcome addition to the de rigueur avocado toast, adding a subtle bit of pepperiness and crunch. The toast would make an adequate lunch on its own and is reasonably priced at $10.95.

For her lunch, Blondie chose the most accessible smoothie on the menu, The Buddha-licious, comprised of cold-pressed apple juice, blueberries, raspberries (the fresh tartness of which dominates on the palate), strawberries, banana and dates for added texture and sweetness. As previously stated, Buddha-Full smoothies are thick as can be and require diligence to finish, but when you do, you feel the righteous glow of a smart meal. I opted for the Peaceful Warrior smoothie, this one with the professed potent antioxidant power of acai (pronounced like “a sigh”) in addition to banana, dates, blueberries and cold-pressed apple juice. The smoothie had a pronounced puckering sourness that was nicely balanced by the sweet dates and round banana. Bolder forays into healthful ingredients delivered through other smoothies, bowls, soups, sandwiches, and house made, cold pressed juices, include sprouted almond mylk, spirulina, spinach, matcha, kimchi, cashew pesto, hemp protein, raw cocoa, chia seeds, bee pollen, goji berries and much more. Smoothies are all priced around $11.

We rounded out our lunch with a leafy, principally kale based salad called the Mahalo, which delivered a massive hit of green vegetable nutrients and also featured purple cabbage, chickpeas, desiccated mango strips, and tomato in a tangy, creamy and frankly delicious coconut, lime and cilantro dressing.

Our lunch was $47 before gratuity.

Buddha–Full, 201-2120 Dollarton Highway. Buddha-full.ca. 604–770–1032.