Restaurant Review: The Moth Cafe

THE MOTH CAFE 9449 Jasper Avenue | mosaicsandmotharchive.com/themothcafe/ Instagram: @themothcafe Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

Seasonal, plant-based food is only getting more popular these days and with good reason. My old favourite restaurant to enjoy this type of cuisine used to be Noorish Conscious Eatery but since their closing there wasn't anything that quite compared... Until I discovered The Moth. Owned by the same people behind vegetarian mainstay Cafe Mosaics, The Moth opened in The Quarters area of Boyle Street in late 2017. EDify Magazine named them Best Vegan Restaurant 2023 and it was high time for me to experience everything that this beautiful restaurant has to offer on a recent Saturday evening. Did I mention that the restaurant is beautiful? Because this place might be the most gorgeous restaurant in all of Edmonton. The dusty rose coloured façade is only the beginning and you'll soon notice the vine-covered patio. Inside, you will not believe your eyes. The exposed wooden ceiling beams are positively draped with tangles of pothos vines and the space is exploding with greenery. There are beautiful macramé wall hangings, gorgeous pendant lighting and tile work, plus a feature wall of sage green wall paper with copper metallic birch trees on it. (I love this wall paper - I used the exact same wall paper to decorate my son's bedroom when he was a baby.) The space is light and bright and breezy. It's an urban hippy's paradise, a rustic bohemian sanctuary. I don't know about you, but this room is entirely my esthetic. You have to see it for yourself. I find it really special that a restaurant of this beauty exists in an area of Edmonton that is often viewed as "less desirable." It's an important reminder that there are gems to be found in every corner of this city if you are willing to find them. Our upbeat and friendly server took us to a bright table by a window and I was excited to begin exploring the menu. There is an entire page dedicated to beverages that range from coffee, tea lattes, medicinal tea, cold drinks, and alcohol. It all sounds wonderful and I'd really like to buy some of their teas to take home, if possible. All of the mushroom-based drinks sound like magic potions and of course they've got kombucha on tap. I was happy to find Dieu du Ciel! beer on the menu, my favourite craft brewery in Montreal. In the end I decided to try the Iced Cashew Chai ($8.00) because it seemed ideal for a hot and sunny day.

Decadent and rich, yet cool and refreshing, I loved everything about this beverage! Not only did it taste like an amazing chai but the creaminess from the cashew really took the enjoyment to the next level. The topping with bits of dried rose petal was an excellent touch. Almost too good to not be considered dessert, this drink could easily become a not-so-guilty pleasure. The food menu features all-day breakfast and an entire section dedicated to broth. Broth (especially bone broth) is really trendy right now and The Moth is going to capitalize! (Except that all of the broths at The Moth are vegan, of course.) Every dish on the menu is plant-based and does not contain dairy, eggs, or animal products. There's also a decidedly Asian vibe to much of the menu which I always welcome. I thought that the Banh Mi + Broth was especially cute - the perfect vegan version of soup and a sandwich. I decided to try the Coconut Lime Laksa ($22.00) because I'm a huge fan of laksa, a spicy noodle soup from Singapore.

Admittedly different than the laksas I've had in the past, this one had it's own special story to tell. Delicate and skillfully prepared, the broth was creamy with coconut and packed a big, clean flavour. I enjoyed the level of spicy heat, which wasn't overdone. The vegetables were bright and crisp - I loved the use of brussels sprouts. I especially formed a love affair with the shiitake mushrooms within the broth. They were so flavourful and meaty and they became a big highlight. I almost found the vermicelli noodles unnecessary, as they added little value or flavour to the dish. Overall, this take on laksa was quite lovely and unexpectedly big on aromatic flavours. I couldn't leave without trying some dessert and the PB Chocolate Cupcake ($6.00) was speaking my language. It seemed that many of the desserts were already sold out so I was very happy to hear that this one was still available.

Chocolate and peanut butter? Two of my most favourite all-time flavour combos! I really liked the fluffy peanut butter topping with a hardened chocolate drizzle a lot. The chocolate cupcake itself was decent but I did find the edges a bit dry. At the end of the day, I'm never going to be mad about a peanut butter and chocolate anything. The Moth has a really cool waste-reducing program where they will only let you do take-out (or take home leftovers from your meal) if you bring your own reusable containers (BYORe). I think that this is an excellent idea because all of those to-go containers create so much garbage. The Moth is a supremely beautiful space and worth visiting for the atmosphere alone, however the food is very good and the drinks are even more special. I'm an omnivore myself, but I absolutely adore when plant-based is done well. Who doesn't want to eat healthier? The Moth is a wonderful place to start.