Frankie We Salute You

“Vegan With Sophisticated Flair”

Nestled around the corner of a building just off Harvey Avenue near the Landmark buildings, Frankie We Salute You is easy to miss; until you are right in front of it that is. The entrance, replete with Hollywood style red carpet, brass stands and velvet rope sends the message “expect to wait”.

I dined here with my adult daughter who was visiting Kelowna. Eden has been vegan for several years and worked at Planta (one of downtown Toronto’s trendiest vegan eateries) for 18 months so I knew she was the perfect lunch date to bring.

Friendly, professional staff greeted us, checked our vaccine docs and had us seated after a mere 8-minute wait. The vibe inside is bright, bustling and vibrant but without the frenzy that bespeaks inefficiency. One has the feeling of being in good hands. Our server was extremely knowledgeable and it was surprising to see so many gluten free menu options.

To start we ordered the sesame fries served with wasabi pea mayo. Oh my goodness! One of my favourite French fries in a long time, thin, crispy and oh so flavourful - highly recommended!

For mains, I had the Grilled Cauliflower Vindaloo beautifully plated and served with pilau rice, crispy turmeric peas, a few puréed root veggies and papadum. The flavours blended beautifully together and the dish was a generous portion. Eden had the Chorizo Ranchero Bowl - “a made from scratch plant-based chorizo” served with roasted beets, potatoes, sweet corn salsa, tofu cotija and chili sauce.

Even though we were full, we were compelled to try the desserts so we opted to share the chocolate truffles (citrus, cinnamon and chocolate hemp) and the cheesecake (campfire s’mores with chocolate chunks, marshmallow, creamy cashew and sweet almond crust) along with our cappuccinos. One word - “Divine” but if you had to choose just one go for the cheesecake.

The menu is almost exclusively vegan but farm pastured eggs are served for brunch (Sat and Sun 11-3); it also changes seasonally so don’t get too attached to any one dish as it will modify or disappear. They also have a wide variety of upscale beverages (both alcoholic and non) and a great wine, beer and cider list of exclusively BC products.

It’s a little on the spendy side but not out of line with the exceptional quality of the ingredients. Our dishes and those I spied leaving the kitchen, were all expertly plated with a sophistication that surprised us. Despite its playful name, Frankie We Salute You is seriously cutting edge vegan cuisine. Now we understand the queues… people will wait to eat here because IT’S WORTH WAITING FOR!