1829 Quebec Street, Vancouver

Phone: 604-505-4599

Web: www.organiclives.org

Advice: Ask questions and listen to the staffs recommendations of menu offerings.

All about goodness and raw organic foods is the draw here at this very large restaurant/café/store located within minutes from Olympic Village.

Open Sesame

Solar Pear Smoothie

I stopped in for lunch and had the Open Sesame ($7)– sesame onion orange bread, Mediterranean patty, cashew-mustard seed sun-dried tomato sauce, sprouts and veggies and to go along with that I had one of their very filling smoothies, the 16oz Solar Pear Smoothie –($6.99) pear, Ginger, whole ground vanilla, raspberry. I like the prepared food section of entrees that are freshly made and ready to go. If you want to enjoy a more relaxed meal then you can sit on the restaurant side and browse from a full menu of healthy offerings and be served gourmet meals. The menu features gourmet raw food and quite a selection at that, from pizzas to salads to salmon and much more. My friend tells me to try the pizza a vegetable flatbread topped with Pinoli cheese, fresh vegetables, pineapple, Peruvian sun-dried olives and fresh pesto; next time I’ll be having the pizza.

I didn’t have room for one of their luscious desserts, so next time I must try the Caramel Cinnamon Pie or the Chocolate Cashew Cheesecake. There are fresh fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, chai and more beverages.

They also carry a large selection of “super foods” (Goji, Maca, Camu Camu), olives, almonds and other good for you foods to take away.

Review by: Richard Wolak