Folke has been making waves since they first opened just over a year ago. This vegan restaurant specializes in share plates that utilize fresh local produce. They pair these delectable dishes with local wines, beers and spirits. One of the key points of this spot is that they are a hospitality included style of service. What that means is that their pricing model includes tipping! Folke encourages you to order a few dishes to share but they also have a tasting menu at $85 per person. Check out my full Folke Restaurant review below!
Folke Restaurant – $85 Tasting Menu
Listed as “Don’t Give a Folke? Lettuce Cook”, this is a multi course chef’s choice dinner. On my visit we received the following dishes:
The menu is always changing to reflect what is seasonal, so what I had may not be available when you go. But rest assured the dishes will always be fantastic and feature the best in local ingredients.
To start the evening off we had “Beets” which is a play on beef tartare. It features finely diced beets with quince, hazelnut and gnocco fritto. The gnocco fritto was so soft and pillowy and the beets really did mimic the texture of beef tartare! A very refreshing start to the meal.
Following that, we had a warm Chickpea Tofu with Za’atar, turnip and zhoug. Zhoug is a spicy cilantro based hot sauce of Yemeni origin. The tofu was crisp on the outside and so creamy on the inside. I really like the tartness of the pickled turnips and the cilantro sauce was just perfection.
The Tapioca Dumplings were next and they had a punchy mushroom XO filling, bok choy and ponzu. The skin was so thin and delicate and you can see the lush mushroom filling on the inside. This was one of my favourite dishes of the night.
A nice hearty bread made with spelt came towards the end of dinner and has a lovely kale butter on the side. It’s served warm and there’s a delicious stuffing on the inside. I love the nuttiness that the seeds and grains give in this bread.
To cap off the savouries we had Cavatelli with walnut arugula and alliums. The pasta was a perfect al dente with a great bite and the walnut sauce was so savoury and full of umami flavours. This was such a great dish and I didn’t miss the dairy at all!
Of course we can have a tasting menu without a sweet finish, so we had a decadent chocolate cake to top of the meal.
Worth a Try?
Yes! This is vegan food made in the best way. Every dish was so unique and flavourful and I got to try a lot of new flavours that I have never had before. I love that the chef presents each dish and explains what goes into everything. The service is very friendly and the vibe is refined without being pretentious. This is a great spot to order a few share plates and enjoy a glass or two of natural wine with friends!
Folke Restaurant
Address: 2585 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2E9
Website: https://www.folkerestaurant.com/