Restaurant Review: Padmanadi
PADMANADI 10740 101st Street ~ padmanadi.com Instagram: @padmanadi ~ Twitter: @Padmanadi Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
Padmanadi is a restaurant that you'll hear rave reviews about constantly, to the point where you'll just have to check it out for yourself. Open for many years and a fixture of Central McDougall, it's almost impossible that you haven't paid them a visit at least once. Padmanadi has even recently opened a second southside location, which only makes their delicious food more accessible. VUE Weekly named them #1 Best Vegetarian 2018 and #1 Best Vegan 2018, while Edmonton Journal called Padmanadi the Best Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant 2020. This should come as no surprise because they have practically been dominating the vegan/vegetarian scene since the day that their doors first opened. So what's the deal at Padmanadi? What is the food all about? Owned and operated by Indonesian immigrants, they serve Indonesian, Chinese, Thai, and Indian plant-based dishes. Everything is vegan. But let me assure you that this food will completely change the way that you think about the vegan experience. As an omnivore myself, you will always hear me say "if all vegan food was this delicious, I would never eat meat again" when I visit Padmanadi. The original restaurant is not situated in the greatest area of the city, north east of downtown. But don't make the mistake of letting the location deter you - everything else more than makes up for it! The vibrant and bright restaurant lights up the street and welcomes you inside. I've always adored their beautiful and fresh space, and it's big too! Every aspect is well thought out and perfectly appropriate, combining the feelings of Southeast Asia and veganism to a tee. The gorgeous bamboo wood, pops of colour, and the centerpiece of the dining room; a massive Buddha statue adorned with flowers. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming, making it quite apparent that this is the type of place that really cares about its' people - staff and customers alike. The menu is extensive and you almost have to remind yourself that none of the dishes contain animal products - especially when you find yourself face to face with the "vegetarian meat dishes" section. Confusing? Just keep reminding yourself that there is no actual meat within the restaurant and let them show you their wizardry. I have personally visited the restaurant many times in the past, in fact you'll find them listed in the Worldwide Faves section of this website. However, it had been many years since my last visit and I was very excited to revisit some of my favourite flavours. Seated at a comfortable table, I looked over the familiar menu and didn't notice too many changes. It was a relief! I ordered all of my old stand-bys and even tried something new. First, always, had to be the Crispy Chicken Strips ($10.95). My absolute favourite thing on the menu.
How I had missed these! An instant craving, you might never guess in a million years that you aren't eating real chicken. Except that it's better than chicken. Every piece is moist and impossibly tender on the inside. The outside is coated in the most wonderfully crispy, crunchy and salty batter. The sweet and spicy chili sauce has a great zing to it, an ideal accompaniment. There is only one word to describe these magic morsels: ADDICTIVE. You have to try these just so that you can be in on the amazingness. Next, our main courses arrived and I had to stick to more of my old favourites, starting with the Ginger Beef ($15.95). We also grabbed an order of Coconut Rice ($2.75) to go along with everything because rice is life. I especially love the sweetness of coconut rice and was happy to see it as an option on the menu.
It looks just like ginger beef... But it's not. The crispy pieces of not-beef are tossed in a thick glaze that actually tastes like real, fresh ginger. The vegetables are bright and full of flavour. And you'll find yourself wondering why you would ever bother ordering "real" ginger beef when you could just enjoy this instead (and feel less like trash afterwards). We also ordered the Curry Chicken ($16.95), which I truthfully don't think I'd ever tried before. I was glad to get something new into the mix and this seemed like the exact right dish to bring into the fold.
This dish packs a spicy kick but boy is it delicious! The curry itself is velvety smooth, full of sweet and spicy flavour. The potatoes are incredibly tender. But it's the not-chicken that is the real star. All we kept saying is that it tasted better than real chicken! The main reason for this is because each piece is so incredibly tender, boasting a consistently uniform texture that you don't get from real chicken. It's like they were able to take all of best things about chicken, harness that power, and got rid of all of the less good parts. This is a perfect dish and everyone must try it. Lastly, we chose another old classic, the Spicy Eggplant ($12.95).
This one is a straight-up vegetable dish and they manage to turn a bowl of veggies into something truly special. The eggplant becomes almost buttery and absorbs all of the amazing sweet and spicy flavours around it. Everything is bright and alive and impossibly fresh. For something that seems so simple, this dish really manages to elevate the vegetables and delivers. I have loved Padmanadi for a long time and I will continue to love them. Eating at this restaurant makes me feel like I've done something good for myself. The food is prepared so well and I never get that unpleasant feeling of eating fat and grease, something that I don't miss one bit. I loved getting up from my meal and feeling full but good. Padmanadi can give you that. You will crave this food, which might surprise you. Give in to it!