Greenhouse Canteen of vegan Gold Coast fame has now opened on Manning Street, already converting die hard carnivores to enjoy plant based cuisine. Owner Natalie Evans unveiled the new location earlier this month to a flock of plant based foodies, as the next piece of the 28 year old’s dream comes true. “The aim is to have Greenhouse Canteen & Bar in every capital city nationally,” said Natalie, with venues now open in South Brisbane, Coolangatta and Miami.
Boasting a diverse menu, the ample restaurant on the corner of Manning and Russell was already bustling on a Wednesday night after opening. From Mexican to Italian, Thai, and a mix of cuisines in between, Greenhouse has converted a pool of favourites into delicious vegan fare.
We began our feast with a smattering of small eats, namely the almond feta stuffed zucchini flowers with dill cream, pea and three cheese aranchini balls with cashew parmesan, rice macaroni with cauliflower cheese, and an order of chickpea fries with tomato relish to satisfy a lingering fast food craving. All exceptional, the crunchy aranchini and velvety macaroni and cheese were the crowd favourites, resembling dairy dishes so closely, we doubted any cheese-scoffing carnivore would be able to tell the difference.
Then came the main event, the jack fruit enchilada, a hearty dish piled high. Uncertain of how a fruit was to replace the fatty beef mince we have come to know and love in the centre of our enchiladas, we proceeded with caution. But there was no need, as the smoked jack fruit proved worthy alongside black bean turmeric rice, avocado salsa sour cream and pickled cabbage.
Unassuming from the outskirts, Greenhouse Canteen rose well above our expectations, delivering a banquet that would fool even the most orthodox meat eaters.
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