Ingredients made in-house combined with a lively dish presentation makes any dish a delight at Eve Olive. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

gluten free, flavour full

Signature Dish: Eve Olive’s greek goddess plate

Mar 12, 2022 | 12:13 PM

NANAIMO — A local vegan restaurant is reimagining a typically meat-heavy Greek favourite with plant-based options.

Eve Olive’s greek goddess plate combines hummus, a Greek salad with their house-made feta, lemon rosemary roasted potatoes, house made pita, with the option of a chicken-less skewer or their gluten-free beer-battered oyster mushroom calamari.

Front of the house supervisor Adrienne Ramsingh said the oyster mushroom calamari is really the star of this dish.

“It’s from BC Organic, and what we do is drudge it in a beer batter with gluten free beer, and then deep fry it our gluten free deep fryer.”

Ramsingh added their in-house, tofu-based feta is a hit with customers, giving the plate a creamy and salty finish while staying within the vegan boundaries.

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The dish also includes their signature dips hummus and tzatziki, which are made from scratch.

“It’s a lot of hard work, and our chef does it all by hand. It is made fresh every day.”

Ramsingh said the amount of work put into every dish is not only evident in the kitchen, but also in the way the dish is presented.

“We work really hard on presentation, we try to make all of our dishes look really beautiful and pleasing to the eye. We assemble everything so you have this nice big variety and a lot of vibrant colours on your plate.”

While all of their offerings are vegan, the majority of their dishes can also be converted into gluten-free.

Ramsingh said they have an entire half of their kitchen dedicated to gluten-free cooking in order to limit cross-contamination.

“Because we are already dairy-free, there are a lot of people in the vegan and dairy-free community who are also looking for gluten-free options, so it’s important to us to provide some really delicious options for them.”

The business itself came into new ownership in April 2021, with new owners EJ and KJ Jang keeping the original owners passions about veganism and activism in the community alive.

Ramsingh said the community has really embraced those goals especially those with dietary restrictions who are looking for a wider variety.

“The people who are vegan and vegetarian are grateful to have a place where they can look at the menu and have more than a salad or an impossible burger to choose from. There are lots of vegan options and they can trust that everything we make in-house is going to be 100 per cent vegan.”

Their menu also features a new feature dish every month, based on ingredients they can find locally, or whatever is inspiring them at the time.

“It gives the chefs an opportunity to come up with something creative and new and challenging.”

Eve Olive also strives to make sure their bar is also stocked with locally sourced liquor. Beers on tap are from nearby Longwood Brewery while the wine list features several from Vancouver Island.

“And our cocktails are made from craft liquor from Arbutus Distillery in Nanaimo,” Ramsingh added.”

Eve Olive is open Tuesday through Saturday until 9 p.m. each night at their location at the top of Rutherford Rd.

For more information on Eve Olive, you can visit their website.

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