World plant-centered delicacies at Cafe Sunflower enriches Atlanta’s vegan food stuff scene

Found just 17 minutes by vehicle from Emory University, Cafe Sunflower supplies a stellar vegan delicacies with a vast array of meals from all all over the world. Irrespective of whether you are a plant-centered eater, looking to dip your toes into veganism or are just hoping to accommodate your vegan or vegetarian mates, this cafe is the best area to go for a unforgettable dining encounter.

I went to Cafe Sunflower with my father on Feb. 23, a birthday tradition that started off a couple months ahead of the pandemic commenced in 2020. For a Wednesday night, the cafe was astonishingly crowded, with pretty much each desk occupied. The dining place by itself was casual and calm, with very simple wooden decor. The hanging lights and modern day artwork all-around the restaurant brightened the interior substantially, giving it a charming atmosphere.

(Krithika Shrinivas / The Emory Wheel.)

For our appetizers, we ordered the Buffalo Lollipops and Steamed Dumplings. The lollipops had been my preferred portion of this evening meal. These soy rooster drumsticks had been coated in a prosperous buffalo sauce with a vegan blue cheese dip on the facet together with a few refreshing sticks of celery. 

The drumsticks have been so tender and succulent, and their daring flavors were complemented properly by the light-weight and creamy dip. My only criticism was that there weren’t more than enough of them!

The steamed dumplings were being pretty flavorful, as nicely, filled 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 choice for any person who enjoys Asian foods but prefers a milder spice degree.

(Krithika Shrinivas / The Emory Wheel.)

From shrimp tacos to orzo eggplant lasagna, Cafe Sunflower delivers delectable key programs from various global cuisines. We determined to get the Pesto Pasta and Spicy Pad Thai Noodles, aged favorites of ours that we wished to practical experience at the Cafe Sunflower. 

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

Even though the pesto pasta was a take care of, the spicy pad thai noodles have been a bit disappointing. Not because the dish was not tasty,  but alternatively simply because the noodles have been a very Americanized model of this vivid, zesty Thai dish, coming throughout extra as a bowl of pasta than noodles due to the fact of the creamy sauce.

(Krithika Shrinivas / The Emory Wheel.)

A great option for individuals who observe a gluten-free diet plan, these rice noodles ended up garnished with zucchini, green beans, red bell peppers, mushrooms, baked tofu, kale, carrots and crushed peanuts with a rich coconut-tahini sauce. The sauce reminded me of alfredo sauce, apart from that it was strongly infused with coconut essence. 

It was a much cry from classic pad thai, which is sweet, savory and tangy, and it didn’t live up to its spicy ad. Even so, this entree was comforting and the assortment of veggies created it balanced and eye-catching.

We selected to skip dessert, as the cafe only provides a choice of vegan cakes that we did not want at the minute. From former experiences, the cakes are delicious, with my favourite being their carrot cake.

Skipping dessert gave us time to glance at the a lot of plaques at the entrance of the restaurant that are committed to Lin and Edward Sun, the chefs and house owners of this nationally regarded and award-successful cafe.

While their Sandy Springs cafe, started in 1994, closed after 25 several years of getting in business enterprise, the Buckhead restaurant, started 3 yrs later on, is open up and flourishing. The cooks established Cafe Sunflower just after finding out about holistic health and fitness and becoming vegetarians in the early 1990s. 

By now in the restaurant business enterprise, the owners marketed their existing eating places to identified Cafe Sunflower, hoping to make vegetarianism more accessible and to change a frequent notion of vegetarian fare as flavorless and tedious. 

The cooks completed this mission, as the international delicacies provided at this restaurant is delectable. Cafe Sunflower has revolutionized the plant-centered culinary scene in Atlanta, and I would really suggest it to everyone, vegan or if not! 

All round: 4.5/5