If there is one observation I have made thus far from my time in Toronto, it is that the city is obsessed with the suffix “-licious.”  Seriously, Rawlicious, Veggielicious.  I’m starting to get flashbacks to that awkward period in grade nine when I loved Fergie and that annoying (but admittedly catchy) song Fergielicious.  It’s not good.  Please Toronto, cease and desist with the licious-ing before I am forced to take this online rant to the realms of Twitter and Facebook.

But anyways, the next stop in my culinary adventures was Rawlicious.

The restaurant is Toronto’s only raw dining location, and is also a safe haven for veganites, of which I am not one.  Located a short ten minute walk from my aunt’s house, Rawlicious was the next logical step in my dinner samplings.  My best friend Brittany (who has a new blog, CHECK IT OUT!) almost had a heart attack when I told her about the restaurant.  Apparently this female guitarist who she has the biggest, most unhealthy straight girl crush on always goes to this place.  She had a major fan girl moment.  On top of allowing Britt to vicariously experience a semi-brush with fame, Rawlicious was included in this *sigh* veggielicious festival, meaning that I got a discount on a super meal.

Ah, so what was this super meal you ask?  Well included in the aforementioned special was the following:
– A 16 oz smoothie of choice.  I got a chocolate milkshake made with nutmilk, raw chocolate powder, avocado, agave, and vanilla;
– Taco wrap with seasoned nut-loaf (to replace the ground beef), guacamole, chopped tomatoes, shredded romaine, salsa, and nut cheese; and,
– A mixed greens salad with a tangy lemon dressing.
Total: $15

Not included in the special, but very much necessary was an $8 piece of lemon cashew baked cheesecake on top of an almond crust.  It was drizzled with a tart raspberry syrup that was just lovely.

Even though I was at a raw/vegan specialty restaurant, I still somehow managed to underestimate the amount of green that was going to show up on my plate.  When the waitress brought over my dinner, my jaw dropped (or at least the jaw in my inner mind did).  SO MUCH GREEN.  The Hulk could have easily been chopped up and put on my plate.  Even the tortilla for the taco wrap was a green lettuce leaf.  A year earlier I would have walked right out of that place to the nearest pizza joint.  NOW, I am a brave food warrior.  I shoveled the first fork full of leafy greens into my mouth, bracing myself for my body’s rejection of healthiness.

It didn’t happen.  Raw vegetables were actually yummy.

Now, the salad was good, just as really any salad is.  I’m not too picky with salads.  It was the taco wrap that I was really worried about.  Turns out my fretting was premature (as it almost always is).  The nut loaf meat replacement thinger was AWESOME.  It genuinely tasted like ground beef.  I know this is probably a pretty standard statement, but I could totally go vegan if someone cooked like this for me.  It was great.  Filling, tasty and, of course, super healthy.  Mission veggie accomplished.  Also, the chocolate milkshake tasted kind of weird at first, but I eventually got over the initial “no dairy” thing and embraced the sweet flavour of avocado.

Not only was the food at Rawlivious excellent (albeit a little pricy), but the innards of Rawlicious were great as well.

I sat in the window area where, if the place had been a clothes store, they would have had the creepy mannequins on display.  Instead, there was an area scattered with fancily adorned pillows.  After I finished my meal I stuck around and read for a bit.  It was nice.  I felt hippie-to-the-max, but hey, a girl’s allowed to feel like a flower child once in awhile, right?

Gallery below.