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Gratitude Cafe

I am enjoying these vegetarian dishes. I am giving this restaurant a glowing review. I am a hell of a writer. I am….

As far as menu gimmicks go, Gratitude Café’s is cheery. A vegetarian restaurant in Kensington-Sunnyside, each and every menu item (from pancakes to vegetarian sushi, lasagna to burritos) is titled with a positive self-affirmation; for example, I am Admirable, a.k.a. the soup of the day. Each is served with its corresponding declaration: “You are Admirable.”

This brings to mind an old Late Night with David Letterman episode that featured Stephen Yan, CBC-TV chef and host of Wok With Yan. As he cooked, he pelted the host with his trademark wok puns; “Let your fingers do the wokking!” Letterman quipped, “OK, I’m gonna give you two more of those.”

The “I Ams” may be a wee bit OTT, and make the menu hard to read on first glance, but it’s forgivable. The restaurant’s attention to good service and good food is as earnest and exacting as this tick suggests. Gratitude even accommodates those with exacting dietary requirements; select items can be ordered vegan-friendly or wheat and gluten free.

A nice big bottle of reverse osmosis water hits our table as my wife and I sit down. The place is done in canary yellow with dark accents and black ceiling, and its big glass windows provide plenty of natural light during the day. The interior is as sunny as our server who answers questions and makes a couple of suggestions.

We start by sharing an I Am Wholesome raw smoothie ($5). As advertised, it’s a thick, wholesome and filling drink. Red and green fruit and veggies take on a vibrant, flecked brown. I’m not complaining; I’ll drink a chocolate milkshake any day, and they’re much browner. And while I’m on the topic of drinks, the café notably offers a selection of organic wines.

Next, we also share the I Am Appealing cilantro pasta salad and chipotle shortbread ($7) — a simple dish of cold orzo and chopped vegetables (snap peas, tomato, cucumber), it’s light, tangy and refreshing, a credit to the chef. The dish comes with spicy, heart-shaped shortbread and a dip made of sour cream and cream cheese with chopped green onion on top. This is a pleasingly inventive combination. The dip, again, is simple and lovely. The cookies have a subtle, faintly sweet heat not hidden by the dip.

From the “I am very hungry” section of the menu, we choose the I Am Sharing pizza ($16). This portion of the menu directs the eater to a small toppings board on which one checks off ingredient choices. We choose artichoke, mushrooms, peppers, fresh herbs and tomato. From a choice of pizza sauce or pesto we go with the latter as our crust topper and opt for a combo of Jack and Gorgonzola cheeses.

Our pizza arrives looking great. A rustic, hand-pinched whole-grain crust is a tight balance of moist and crisp, cheese and dough. The crust and the pesto give it a pleasing velvety graininess. Unprompted, our waitress brings a take-home box for leftovers. We stow the pie and order dessert.

I Am Angelic ($6) consists of an espresso blend drizzled over vanilla sorbetto. My wife comments that it’s like drinking a latte and eating ice cream at the same time. Rich and tasty, it’s a coffee-drinker’s desert. I am not giddy, however, over the I Am Treasured vegan cheesecake ($7). Though the dessert is attractive — a dense wedge of cake topped with sliced strawberries — it’s not cheesy but rather waxy and overly heavy on the chopped almonds that form the crust.

The city’s small vegetarian restaurant circuit is now one the richer. However, I am certain that carnivores will also enjoy Gratitude Café’s uplifting atmosphere and wholesome cuisine. Really, I am.