Opinion: Food critic gives new plant-based restaurant a glowing review

Full confession, I’m a massive hypocrite. I almost always roll my eyes at New Year’s resolutions and say they’re dumb, and then I’ll secretly use the New Year as an excuse to try new things and make improvements. So far, I’ve been trying to be more of a “good vegetarian.” So far, this hasn’t been entirely easy since my busy schedule makes takeout and fast food far more appealing than taking time to make my own healthy meals. Any vegan or vegetarian will eagerly complain to you about the lack of good options when it comes to taking out for us. Luckily, this week I learned about a relatively new plant-based restaurant, Plant, located in midtown.

First off, this place was not cheap at all. Nearly everything was around $15, which is a little higher than I would typically spend on one lunch dish, especially given the portion sizes. I know vegan food has a reputation for not being cheap, but I also know you can get a huge bowl of vegan macaroni and cheese from The Loaded Bowl for around $8, just saying.

The menu was pretty short and sweet, with about six different dishes available for lunch and dinner. Most of their offerings were what you would expect to find at any typical vegan restaurant, with options such as salads and quinoa bowls. Near the counter, they had a fridge full of different snacks and quick grab-and-go meals which seemed super convenient. The one thing on the menu which really stood out to me was their tikka masala. Chicken tikka masala was one of my all-time favorite meals before I went vegetarian, and I still crave it often. When I saw they had a vegan dupe for it, I nearly screamed. 

The tikka masala pretty much tasted like tikka masala. There was nothing surprising or ground-breaking about the meal. The creamy tomato and curry sauce tasted just like the traditional thing, and the rice was, well, rice. Nevertheless, it was warm, well-seasoned and all-around perfect for a cold day. Seriously, even if you never set foot in Plant, I strongly recommend you try tikka masala next time you are somewhere where it’s served. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad tikka masala, so I’m super happy the vegan version was just as good as the normal thing. I honestly couldn’t have asked for more.

Overall, Plant was great. Restaurants which are entirely plant-based like this are total havens for people with dietary restrictions. I’m ecstatic to have a little diversity in Oklahoma City’s vegan food scene. I would recommend this place for any vegans, vegetarians or just anybody that’s curious about vegan food. The food here seems tasty, filling and not very different from non-vegan food, so this could be a great introduction to vegan cuisine for anybody who is on the fence about the whole vegan thing.

While I am super grateful to have visited another great restaurant, I’m not going to lie, I’m also disappointed to give another glowing review. I feel like most of my reviews end the exact same way, with me talking about how great a place is. I love good food just as much as the next person, and part of me is grateful I haven’t stumbled across any truly gut-wrenching places yet. Yet, another part of me is worried these reviews are getting boring and repetitive. That weird part of me really wants to visit someplace shocking and gross and then write about it, just for the experience. After all, Gordon Ramsey is at his most entertaining when he’s tearing apart some restaurant on “Kitchen Nightmares,” so maybe this could produce a somewhat more entertaining column. 

Unfortunately, finding bad restaurants is harder than you would imagine. If you search “best restaurants in OKC” dozens of lists pop up. Unsurprisingly, however, not many people are posting lists of their least favorite restaurants online. This is where I need your help. I need people to send me the worst restaurants they’ve visited in the OKC area. My email is always open at ehmelton@my.okcu.edu, and I’m always receptive to messages on Facebook messenger. Thank you so much in advance, and I can’t wait to document my potential food poisoning for everyone to read about.