ORENDA: Beyond Just Vegan Cuisine  

    photo courtesy of Orenda's Instagram @orendla.lb 

    There is much more to Orenda, a trendy and hip restaurant tucked in a Mar Mikhael alleyway, than its vegan cuisine. You step into a relaxing space of pastel walls adorned with abstract art, and stylized wildflower arrangements at the center of tables. A downright go-to for an afternoon rendezvous, weekend drinks with friends, or an intimate dinner date. 

    Strings of fluorescent bulbs, neon-lit signs, and bamboo bird cages, make for an eclectic and whimsical approach to lighting. Inventive seasonal dishes make for an exciting choice for committed vegans that go beyond your hum-drum vegetarian Mediterranean options. 

    Co-owner Mirna Harb or Huwaida Rajab will be there to greet you or your pets with big smiles and a welcoming demeanor. The rest of the staff is just as friendly and casual, always attentive and eager to put guests at ease.

    The menu offers a cornucopia of selections that cater to every taste or palate. Orenda’s chef adapts Lebanese, Italian, Thai, Japanese, and Mexican, as well as some American-diner style options, to vegan standards. Every time you think you have hit the jackpot with the ultimate plant-based version, you discover another surprise.

    The restaurant has mastered the art of mixology. The chic and bohemian-styled bar invites you to rejoice in a variety of drinks and cocktails. On a hot summer day and for 148,000 Lebanese Pounds, around 5 USD, Orenda’s signature Coconut Mojito is a must. If you opt for non-alcoholic beverages, their lemonade is a heavenly balance of sweet and zest. 

    Although Orenda hosts a relatively small space, you and your party can saunter through their mini art gallery while sipping on drinks. In an incentive to boost local art, owners allow Lebanese creatives to exhibit their work, with the condition that part of the proceeds goes to an organization of the artist’s choice. One can pick from a variety of artisanal crafts, paintings, and clothes, to take home.

    Even so, Orenda’s food remains the star of the show. Fermented carrots and watermelon can fool any sushi connoisseur into thinking they have been bitten into salmon or tuna rolls. Although not fulfilling, such options change the dull and ongoing narrative around veganism. Orenda proves that using no animal products whatsoever does not necessarily equate to boring and un-enthralling recipes. 

    A deconstructed taco bowl of pureed black beans, mild pico de gallo, and home ground cashew labneh is a heavenly dip to scoop with tortilla chips and an interesting contrast of hot and cold, creamy and sour tastes and textures. Longing for an even more gratifying bite? A bean-based hamburger patty, with an order of sweet potato fries and a sweet beetroot mayo, is a burst of crispy, juicy, and unctuous experience.

    Except for the generous Buddha Bowls, helpings are on the small side, and the plating could do with some artistry or titillating flourish. The burger is a lonely bun in the middle of a big plate that will make your heart sink if you are a big eater. To eat your fill, you will have to order more than one main dish.  

    I found myself in a dilemma when perusing Orenda’s price list. At first glance, the rates make you do a double-take. However, the foods and their modes of preparation wholeheartedly justify each price point. Tofu instead of eggs, costly nuts instead of dairy, and hours of devising ingredients, are some examples of the due diligence Orenda puts effort into. 

    When visiting, however, it is recommended to try dishes you generally do not find in other places, or at home. A simple white sauce truffle-oil pasta will cost you approximately 300,000 Lebanese Pound, roughly equivalent to 12 USD. Hummus, a generally cost-effective star of a meze platter in Lebanon, is made with pesto and is set at 140,000 Lebanese Pound, about 5 USD. 

    Yet what stands out about Orenda lies within its ability to go beyond cliché vegan conceptions. The space and its menu strive away from mundane vegetarian eateries and their patterns of branding solely to vegans. The music, ambiance, food, and cocktails make for a frequented and reputable destination.