If someone were to ask you about what comes to mind when picturing a burger, what Image pops into your head first? Something on the grill, in a restaurant, or handed over to you in a drive through? No matter the origin, you almost definitely pictured beef sandwiched between two buns. Less tougher than steak, and almost just as tasty, beef patties are the quintessential filler in hamburgers.
There are mainstream restaurants bucking against this tradition lately, A&W comes to mind with their ‘beyond meat’ burger. Still, it can be difficult to find substitutes that balance out texture, taste, and substance as well as the real thing. Vegans have long-since planted their flag in the territory of ‘substitutes that beat the real thing,’ but its quite difficult to get us ‘normies’ to walk through the door of a place which focuses exclusively on plant-based diets.
Well, we decided step up and walk through the doors of Bliss Kitchen in Waterdown, Ontario. Why would us carnivorous folk give this plant-based restaurant a try? The reviews were high, they were active on SkipTheDishes, and their menu online was honestly quite intriguing! We also frequent Copper Kettle, its neighbour, often and constantly saw a flow of colourful smoothies and sweet treats leaving.
It was obvious that we would have to put Bliss Kitchen to The Taste Test.
Different from previous reviews, we took these meals home to enjoy. Below are our specific experiences.
Chris: I’ll start right off the top by saying that my meat substitutes and vegan food experiences are next-to-nothing. Honestly, limiting my menu options just never seemed too appealing! I would say that I’m aligned with the ethics that they tout but that activist in me has never really kicked in. I hope our vegan readers haven’t just clicked away because, honestly, you’re all onto something here!
So, what did I order? The variety was huge! I could’ve have tacos, veggie bowls, salads, or even buffalo bites. Instead, I went for the Magic Mushroom Burger with a side order of Cheezy Fries. For my pic this week, the fries were a must, in all of their close-up glory!
The patty itself in the Magic Mushroom Burger is smaller than what you’d expect to find and, honestly, I was bracing for a dryness to accompany my first bite. But that’s not what I got! It was possibly assisted by the wonderful flavours and textures mimicking cheese on top but that patty was great! There was no toughness to this concoction at all, it held together nicely and provided so much flavour with every bite. The bun was excellent as well. While relatively small for a burger, the protein packed inside provided enough to make me feel like I ate something twice the size.
As for the cheezy fries… wow! I consider myself a lover of all things Tex-Mex so these were already up my alley. Even having had so many variations of the “real thing” my concept of what ingredients now need to be involved has completely changed. I mean, look at that picture once again! The potato and sweet potato fries were so well done, while the dressing on top elevated the side dish even further.
So my score… well, if this was based on other plant-based diet restaurants then it would be a perfect score! We try to be as objective as possible here, so I am settling on a strong 4/5. Give this place a try!
Candice: Honestly…I truly wasn’t expecting much but we needed to have a quick bite for dinner and I wanted something healthy. To my ABSOLUTE delight this vegan meal blew my mind. I’ve eaten a bunch of vegan in the past (long story, ex-boyfriend was vegan and thus so was I) and I ate everything on the regular. From daiya cheese, vegenaise, tofurkey, various raw slaw, nut milks and movie theater popcorn with butter – yes, it’s vegan! Weird, huh? But nothing really compared to the real deal, especially when you love food as much as me.
So when Chris and I ventured into the online menu for Bliss Kitchen in search for a tasty meal, I was apprehensive and was close to just pulling out some frost-burned meatballs from my freezer instead. The phrase desperate times calls for desperate measures, popped into mind.
Then it happened. Guys. This photo does NOT do this place justice. We got takeout and I decided to try the “I yam what I yam burger.” So basically a simpler way of saying a vegan burger made with a gluten free bun (that tasted like a BUN!) sweet potato and black bean patty with a bunch of fixings – avocado, house made maple garlic bbq sauce, romaine lettuce and tomato.
Those fries you see in the picture, holy goodness, I don’t know what exactly they did to them but they were clearly hand cut, slow roasted and a beautiful blend of sweet potato and white potatoes. They glistened with a dusting of sunflower parmesan and we’re showered with healthy-goodness, hemp seeds and pea-shoots to be exact. I think I could have eaten an entire box full of these bad boys! Yum!
Honestly, I really could go on and on about this burger and fries but instead, I think you should definitely try it out. Plus, how can you fee guilty when you’re eating a rainbow of foods – it’s all good stuff. My ranking for all of that and more is 4/5 stars! Check it out, You wont be disappointed.
Two glowing reviews, doesn’t get much better than that! Honestly, this place should be on anyone’s radar when stopping in Waterdown for a bite. Looking forward to seeing where our adventures take us next!
Cook on the bright side,
Chris & Candice
See Preston Write 
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