New spot Mandy’s is a vegetarian and vegan mecca

Look up Mandy’s online and you’ll run across the words “cult following”.  I took up the invitation to attend the grand opening of their first Ottawa shop at 581 Bank St. and the place was already packed.

The opening had been scheduled for 11 am but apparently the line had formed down the block at 10 am so they felt compelled to get people off the sidewalk. They certainly have an enthusiastic following.

Montreal born sisters Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe started their salad business in the back of a Montreal women’s clothing store in 2004. Word of mouth steamrolled their lives and soon a mini empire began. 

Mandy continues to focus on the recipes while Rebecca handles the shop designs and brand marketing. 

They certainly know their audience, and I was not at all surprised by the predominance of female customers in the room.

Their focus is on healthy, clean foods that bring a little more fun and flavour to the salad experience. As Mandy told me, “Rebecca and I started this because we were looking for foods that we wanted to eat.”  They ended up with Montreal's first build-your-own salad bar.

I ordered a seared tuna salad which was loaded with salad greens, kale, arugula, apples, avocado, edamame, cucumber, red cabbage, tempura onions and sesame seeds. The tuna had been seasoned with togarashi and seared.  It was a very nice wasabi ginger dressing that brought it all together. 

The berry acai smoothie was another banger that at $14 might raise some eyebrows, but it was a luscious concoction. It was a blend of acai, banana, strawberry, mango, blueberries, almond butter, almond milk and no added sugar. I loved it.

Over the course of more than an hour, I watched well-dressed patrons come and go and when I left, I saw that people were still in line half-way down the block.

Mandy’s does offer chicken, bacon and turkey as protein options, but make no mistake, with 11 different salads, four grain bowls and customizable options, this is a strong choice for those with vegetarian or vegan lifestyles.