We’re carnivores but once a year I try to checkout one of the many vegetarian restaurants in Toronto. Why? Simply because my mom is a vegetarian and on her birthday, I feel like we should make an effort to hunt down a spot with numerous options for her to enjoy. At all other times during the year she dines at spots we want and more often than not, she only has one or two options (god forbid anyone mention pasta!!) available and so this is our chance to experience vegetarian cuisine as she would enjoy. Couple years ago we dined at Vegetarian Haven and we nearly went back there but opted to try a new (to us!) spot on Queen street called Cafe 668. An hour before we planned to head out on a Tuesday evening (right before Little Monkey’s first day of school!) I gave the restaurant a ring and was told that our group of 8 can walk in whenever we wanted and that there’s a table for us. As you may recall, we are still struggling with Baby Boy’s behaviour so I wasn’t really looking forward to this outing. Rules are meant to be broken for special occasions so off we went with a back pack filled with toys, colouring sheets and everything else I could think of!
On arrival the place was empty and the owner greeted and ushered us to our seats. I was expecting a hole in the wall with good food and was surprised by the white “leather” chairs, wooden finishes and a kick ass fish tank! The space looked much swankier than I had expected. We were 6 adults and 2 kids and they even had a high chair (which Baby wanted nothing to do with… our high chair days are sadly over!!). Since we had the space to ourselves I didn’t mind that Baby Boy was being a bit noisy and rambunctious! The menu selection at Cafe 668 is INSANE!! I’ve never seen a vegetarian menu with that many options!! My mom was happy indeed!!
We quickly ordered a couple dishes from the Asian (mix of Chinese and Vietnamese predominantly) menu and assumed that things would take a while to come out. Luckily the owner had help in the kitchen and our dishes started rolling out pretty quickly. In hindsight if we do go back, we’ll have to ensure he makes everything a bit more spicy for us. The dishes had great flavour and while there’s always danger in all dishes looking and tasting the same (especially when it comes to mock meat dishes), these guy really ensure that each dish is unique. I loved the various textures and taste profiles. The hubs on the other hand isn’t a fan of tofu so he wasn’t thrilled with some of the dishes but dug into most of them, passing the tofu my way! Most dishes were supposed to replicate the meat versions but I wouldn’t say that it replaced the meat textures to perfection. I think that’s pretty difficult! All that said, dishes like their famous Veggie Duck really was delicious!! King Mushroom with veggie beef was another favourite. Also you cannot go wrong with any of their noodle soups!
Cafe 668 in Toronto is definitely a go-to spot for vegetarians and I get the feeling that those who know about this spot, frequent it often. As we were winding down our meal, a group of students walked in and they definitely seemed to know the menu well. It’s still very difficult to dine out with Baby Boy who insists on climbing over me, is easily distracted and clingy. At least when we dine out in a large group, I have extra hands who will take him for a walk or to watch the fish tank! That boy is exhausting!
