Maria Grassagliata for Curtains Up
Located in the trendy neighborhood of Griffintown, Bonnys offers a vegetarian menu, made with fresh and organic produce, with the option of making most meals vegan and gluten free.
The first time I walked in, I was immediately charmed by the decor. The restaurant is small, but cozy and welcoming. The tables are made of hardwood and most of them have single chairs. However, note that some tables share a wooden bench, which you might not enjoy if, as you enjoy Bonnys mouthwatering food, your seat companion becomes all wriggly.
I also really like the intimacy created by a wall made of small thin trunks. It was original and beautiful. Bonnys also has two big colorful paintings on the wall that really tie the place together.
Enough with the decor, let’s get to the main focus which is the food. Every day, Bonnys offers a ‘menu du jour’. The day I went that menu was Cannelloni Stuffed with Tofu and Squash. It came with a cup of lentil soup. Although tempting, I ordered the Boca Burger platter, gluten free. Not because I’m gluten intolerant, but because the black bean patty is served on a bed of hummus instead of bread, and it’s so succulent. The burger is covered in a rich tomato salsa and is topped with some avocado slices to add creaminess to this filling meal. It was served with tortilla corn chips and a generous portion of green, crispy, fresh salad, tossed with sunflower seeds, apple slices, shredded carrots and sesame seeds. Each bite of this plate was an explosion of happiness.
After such a satisfying main course, I decided to try a dessert. The chocolate mousse. It was served in a tiny round bowl and I was pleased with the creamy and rich chocolate taste. It was sprinkled with almond slices. I shared the dessert and still felt like it was a lot of mousse, so it’s perfect for more than one chocolate lover.
The only drawback at Bonnys is the slow service. And I’m using “slow” in a very polite way. It felt like forever before we got our order. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated case as I wait an extremely long time every time I visit Bonnys. Now I guess you might wonder why I go back if the wait is so long. The answer is quite simple. It’s just that the food served at Bonnys is always so tasty and satisfying that it makes me forgive and forget and…go back for more.
As my friend Stephanie said, “it will convince anyone who still believes vegan food is bird food”.
