by MATHILDE RABBAT

Successfully making vegan dishes simulate meaty flavours is no easy feat, but Aux Vivres makes it look effortless. The resto is a Plateau favourite, now sitting pretty in its newish location on the Main after being evicted from their old place around the corner on St-Dominique by a landlord looking to transform commune to condo.

PETA would love this place. No animal products whatsoever are used or consumed on the premises, and in many more ways, this is an establishment with a conscience; their environmentalist ethic extends from the animal kingdom to the society and community as a whole. A concerted effort is made to encourage locally grown bioethical products - the herbs used in infusions, for example. Going further, the teapots used for steeping those infusions have been crafted by local artisans and are also for sale. They share a table with cloth napkins hand-made by Petites-Mains, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting single, unemployed and immigrant women.

As one would expect from the hippie ethic, laid-back best describes Aux Vivres' atmosphere. Golden walls, mismatched tables and chairs and a small collection of spider plants and other saplings make this a cozy little joint. It's also a kid-friendly space where crawling tots are free to explore the premises at knee level. The sound system belts out a potpourri of tunes ranging from Leonard Cohen and Bill Withers to harder tracks from Led Zep. And the loo is something right out of the National Geographic archives - quite literally - as the walls are one big collage. Conflicting images of the wild flora and fauna from lands unknown and scenic natural wonders overlap pics of a more disconcerting nature, like lifeless fish in a dirty sink or unidentifiable composite creatures of mythological proportions, for example - yet it all somehow works.

Vegan treats include a series of entrées ($2.50–$6), namely soup, chapatis, pizza and salad. The sandwiches, which will set you back no more than $8, resemble big, beige slippers, as chapatis envelop ingredients that reveal Lebanese, Indian or South-East Asian influences, such as hummus and taboulé, chana, fresh coriander, chutney, gingered tofu and marinated daikon. The BLT ($7.75) should technically be called the CLT, where the C stands for coconut. That this tropical drupe can somehow be made to taste like smoky bacon without the greasy mess (and more ethical considerations of course) is uncanny.

The plate of the day, which goes for $7.25 at lunch and $8 in the evening, often provides a choice of something warmly prepared, like a vegetarian chilli, or a raw dish with a whole slew of fruits and veggies in which shredded red cabbage, slivers of beets and carrots coexist with tiny cucumber wedges, alfalfa sprouts and mango cubes - as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the tummy. Tasty zucchini noodles in a light and creamy walnut and cashew sauce form the bull's eye in the centre of the circular dish, surrounded by the colourful palette that makes up the rest of the dartboard. Even the almost fluorescent salad dressing drizzled with sesame and incorporating simple ingredients like dijon, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, is eye-catching.

You can't leave without savouring the sinfully delicious truffle ($1.75), clothed in dark chocolate and served in a tiny espresso cup. I also highly recommend a marzipan and blueberry concoction with crushed almond and walnut. The organic cappuccino ($2.50) could use a little tuning, though, when it comes to both viscosity and taste. Have one of the many herbal teas instead - the complimentary tisane of the day, for example. Served lukewarm, lavender is particularly refreshing. A word of caution if you're on any kind of homeopathic treatment, however, many remedies can be rendered ineffective by ingredients such as mint, so you might want to check that with your friendly server, or leaf through the Herbal Allies booklet provided to check for the ingredients and benefits of various herbs.

Aux Vivres
ADDRESS: 4631 St–Laurent (between Villeneuve and Mont-Royal)
PHONE: 842-3479
HOURS: Tues–Fri noon–midnight;
Sat–Sun 11am–midnight; closed Mondays.
BEST FEATURES: Great vegan dishes (some simulating meaty flavours), satisfying portions at reasonable prices,
tantalizing truffles, good karma.
ALCOHOL: No
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Two steps up
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Totally
CREDIT CARDS: Cash only
NO-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $10–$15 per person with tax & tip
RATING: *** out of ****