You know I have to confess I’m pretty much a meatatarian. I think if there was a meat-based version of the NRA, I would be a card-carrying member (NMA?). But of course there’s room in the Triangle food scene for a great vegan and vegetarian restaurant like Fiction Kitchen. I had heard a lot of good things about Fiction Kitchen but it’s so hard to tear myself away from the meat. But finally I had an excuse. I was asked to cover Fiction Kitchen for an NC Sweet Potatoes cocktail promo so I stopped in for a quick drink and dinner. And here’s what this meat-eater thought of Fiction Kitchen!
From the outside, the bright green facade of Fiction Kitchen will attract your attention! Parking is sort of tough in the the area since it sits on the very busy S. Dawson Street so you’ll probably have to park on a side-street and hoof it over. Inside the interior is all orange, bright and creatively decorated. It’s a small space with seating for maybe 12 at the bar and another 30 in the open dining room. We grab a couple of stools at the bar and survey the crowd. Sort of a hipster feel, a bit female-heavy, I guess that’s what the vegetarian demographic is about!
For my first visit to Fiction Kitchen I wanted to focus on dishes that were all veggies, I didn’t want any fake meat because I figured that wouldn’t do much for me as a meat-eater. After getting my Tater in the Rye, sweet potato cocktail we order up some spring rolls with peanut sauce. Well filled, plump with noodles and fresh veggies, these rolls were quite tasty and paired with a solid peanut sauce. At $5 for the appetizer it’s also a very good deal and yes, I forgot to take a picture!
Moving on the to the main, I went with a curry bowl which was a lot of hearty root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, broccoli and more). The savory and slightly spicy gravy paired well with the dish giving it an ethnic flavor profile. All the veggies were well-steamed and prepared giving the whole dish the proper texture and crunch. Not bad for an all-veggie dish! My friend’s tinga tacos got the thumbs up from her and she enjoyed her Fiction Kitchen meal.
As you can guess, service at the bar was solid and overall I was pretty pleased with my visit to Fiction Kitchen. While I really enjoy my meat proteins, I got a pretty good feel for what they’re doing at Fiction Kitchen and there is definitely some love and craft put into their vegetarian and vegan dishes. And they do it at a fair and reasonable price which must be a godsend to local vegetarians. So I tip my meat cap to ya, Fiction Kitchen! Keep up the great food and the cool decor for the public and I’m sure there will be a sequel for you somewhere else in the Triangle.
428 South Dawson Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
919.831.4177
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