Nourish Bistro - Delicious Vegetarian

After consulting with TripAdvisor for a place in Banff that serves a good and reasonably priced dinner, I decided on one of the top-ranked restaurants called Nourish. I was a bit apprehensive at first, because the restaurant was advertised as having a fully vegetarian/vegan menu, but the sheer number of glowing reviews put my mind at ease. And the timing of our visit couldn't be better because the place was scheduled for relocation just a few short weeks after. (Nourish opened the doors to its new location at #110 Bison Courtyard, 211 Bear Street on July 26, 2013.) When we arrived shortly after 6 pm, the place was completely packed and the woman at the door told us the next table would be available at 7 pm. We decided to wait since none of the other dining options in Sundance Mall looked as interesting, and the food here was definitely worth waiting for! As we placed our orders, our waitress kindly informed us that the plates are meant for sharing, tapa style, so the portions would be quite big. She saved us from over-ordering; we got one full-sized and one half-sized entree to share between 3 people and it was just the right amount. Our first dish, the wild mushroom ravioli (half: $15), was served with herbed bread, a little bit of fruit garnish, and an extremely tasty cream sauce spiced up with garlic, roasted red pepper and lavender. The durum wheat ravioli was stuffed with marinated wild mushrooms, and it was delicious! I almost couldn't believe it was all vegetarian. And that's saying something considering I really dislike mushrooms. Oh, and the bread was perfect for soaking up the last bit of creamy sauce.

I was initially worried that the King Kong noodles (full: $24) would be a mediocre knock-off of traditional Asian style soup noodles. Well it was, dare I say it, even better than most Asian style soup noodles I've had. The soup was very reminiscent of Thai, Malaysian or Singaporean cuisine with its coconut flavour, crushed chili, and peanut topping. But there were also some fusion twists like the addition of juicy organic orange slices and refreshing cucumber and lettuce.

I really wish this restaurant has a location in Edmonton. We could all do with more healthy and tasty food. If you ever find yourself in Banff, please pay Nourish a visit. You won't be disappointed.