Naked tofu and bland beans need not apply at ZenKitchen. This is a vegan rarity that serves up large portions of surprisingly inventive meatless and dairy-free fantastic fare.

Voted Ottawa’s New Restaurant of the Year by The Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association in February 2010, ZenKitchen is red brick on the outside and earthy shades of burnt burgundy and muted mustard on the inside.

Local art hangs on the walls, rotating through for several months at a time, giving artists a chance to sell their creations and giving repeat customers—and there are many—something new to look at in between delicious plates of some of the most creative food in the city. Let’s eat already!

The Sizeable Starter

Being vegetarian in Ottawa usually makes ordering from the menu a cinch—the salad, please, hold the bacon bits. So when you face an entire menu of veggie-friendly concoctions, you might feel slightly daunted.

Look for the Buddha-like owner, David Loan. Doubling as an attentive server and certified sommelier, he’ll be happy to calm your virgin vegan nerves by suggesting something from the excellent wine list. There are even some organic varieties in the mix, including Ontario’s vegan Frogpond Farm’s whites and reds, and even closer to Ottawa, local brews such as nearby Vankleek Hill’s yummy Beau’s Lugtread Lagered Ale.

When in doubt, go with something that has zen in the description, so my food adventure partner and I started with a tapas plate for two. For $16, the plate is loaded with the Zen summer salad rolls, with Thai peanut sauce, dengaku tofu skewers, house-made pickles and kale chips.

The salad rolls are so fresh they almost talk back and the kale chips are hip and good for you so just eat them and bask in your newly acquired healthy vegan-glow.

If the plentiful mentions of zen don’t tip you off that executive chef Caroline Ishii bases a lot of her kitchen’s cuisine on the Japanese cooking she learned from her mother, the dengaku tofu skewers certainly will.

Thanks to Ishii’s own tasty individual twists, a lot of the items are, or can be prepared, gluten-free, making the ZenKitchen a great spot for those with special dietary concerns, vegan or not.

The Succulent Main

Feeling brave after the safe “zen-in-the-title” order, my friend and I take a leap of faith and order up a plate of panko-crusted seitan medallions with a cranberry-teriyaki sauce, ancient grain pilaf and Asian slaw ($21). We also go for the sesame-crusted Le Coprin exotic mushrooms with seasonal vegetables, tamarind-star anise reduction and sweet chile sauce ($10).

The latter is admittedly an appetizer but the Buddha doesn’t judge and neither should you. But covering the Buddha’s eyes for a minute, I’d judge these two food-laden plates a 10.

Knowing I should probably ask the server what panko and seitan meant—as my editor might want to know (update: she did! Panko, it turns out, are Japanese breadcrumbs, while seitan is veggie meat made from wheat). But I’m too busy stuffing my face to come up for air and details. All I know is that everything tastes so very, very good.

Will I be able to fit in dessert? Oh ye of little faith.

The Sweet Finale

Being a person of the female persuasion, I consider myself a bit of an expert on chocolate. Believe me, I train. And I only have three words for the Mexican chocolate cake with warm chocolate sauce and fresh fruit for $8: Olé Olé Olé!

When chile meets chocolate in the kitchen of Zen, it is like the stars aligning and suddenly, all past hurts fade away.

For instance, I can now forget that someone with better shoulders wore the same prom dress as me several years ago.

She has probably never eaten at the ZenKitchen. I have.

And thus, I win.

ZenKitchen is open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are recommended.