Worldwide plant-centered cuisine at Cafe Sunflower enriches Atlanta’s vegan foodstuff scene

Situated just 17 minutes by vehicle from Emory University, Cafe Sunflower presents a stellar vegan delicacies with a huge array of meals from all all over the planet. No matter if you are a plant-centered eater, seeking to dip your toes into veganism or are just hoping to accommodate your vegan or vegetarian good friends, this cafe is the perfect area to go for a memorable dining encounter.

I went to Cafe Sunflower with my father on Feb. 23, a birthday custom that started off a couple of months in advance of the pandemic commenced in 2020. For a Wednesday evening, the cafe was shockingly crowded, with pretty much each table occupied. The dining space itself was informal and relaxed, with simple picket decor. The hanging lights and modern day artwork around the restaurant brightened the inside noticeably, offering it a charming atmosphere.

For our appetizers, we ordered the Buffalo Lollipops and Steamed Dumplings. The lollipops were being my most loved component of this dinner. These soy chicken drumsticks were being coated in a abundant buffalo sauce with a vegan blue cheese dip on the aspect along with a couple refreshing sticks of celery. 

The drumsticks had been so tender and succulent, and their bold flavors ended up complemented very well by the light and creamy dip. My only complaint was that there weren’t adequate of them!

The steamed dumplings were being extremely flavorful, as nicely, loaded with a colorful blend of Asian cabbage, carrots, tofu, black mushrooms and spinach and accompanied by a piquant soy-ginger dipping sauce. This appetizer is a wonderful preference for any individual who enjoys Asian meals but prefers a milder spice level.

From shrimp tacos to orzo eggplant lasagna, Cafe Sunflower provides delectable most important courses from many global cuisines. We resolved to get the Pesto Pasta and Spicy Pad Thai Noodles, old favorites of ours that we wished to experience at the Cafe Sunflower. 

The pesto pasta was mouthwatering, with a walnut pesto sauce that could very easily go for traditional pesto. The dish was topped with broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, artichoke and capers, with two pieces of garlic bread on the facet to make for a perfectly-well balanced and filling food. 

When the pesto pasta was a address, the spicy pad thai noodles were being a little bit disappointing. Not due to the fact the dish was not delicious,  but somewhat simply because the noodles had been a very Americanized variation of this vibrant, zesty Thai dish, coming across more as a bowl of pasta than noodles simply because of the creamy sauce.

A very good preference for individuals who abide by a gluten-absolutely free food plan, these rice noodles were being garnished with zucchini, environmentally friendly beans, crimson bell peppers, mushrooms, baked tofu, kale, carrots and crushed peanuts with a prosperous coconut-tahini sauce. The sauce reminded me of alfredo sauce, apart from that it was strongly infused with coconut essence. 

It was a far cry from conventional pad thai, which is sweet, savory and tangy, and it did not stay up to its spicy ad. Nonetheless, this entree was comforting and the assortment of veggies created it healthier and eye-catching.

We chose to skip dessert, as the restaurant only delivers a choice of vegan cakes that we did not want at the second. From former activities, the cakes are scrumptious, with my most loved getting their carrot cake.

Skipping dessert gave us time to glimpse at the numerous plaques at the entrance of the cafe that are devoted to Lin and Edward Sunlight, the cooks and homeowners of this nationally recognized and award-winning cafe.

While their Sandy Springs cafe, launched in 1994, shut after 25 years of staying in business, the Buckhead cafe, established 3 years later, is open and thriving. The chefs founded Cafe Sunflower immediately after understanding about holistic overall health and getting vegetarians in the early 1990s. 

Previously in the restaurant business, the entrepreneurs sold their existing restaurants to identified Cafe Sunflower, hoping to make vegetarianism a lot more obtainable and to alter a prevalent notion of vegetarian fare as flavorless and unexciting. 

The cooks attained this mission, as the global cuisine presented at this restaurant is delectable. Cafe Sunflower has revolutionized the plant-centered culinary scene in Atlanta, and I would really recommend it to all people, vegan or normally! 

Over-all: 4.5/5