Ojas Plant Based — Restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie

To start this was mine and my friends first experience and we primarily are not vegetarian or vegan. We ordered the beet salad, tacos, ojas burger and mongolian noodle.

I'll start the review with the constructive criticism and will preface with the owner explaining that they are having supply chain issues.

To our observations the tacos didn't have the plant based beef and was just beans and veg tossed in a tomato based sauce in a corn taco shell, not warmed. Overall it was ok but nothing about the dish stood out and made for a bland, tasteless experience. The price point compared to ingredients did not feel justified which will be a reoccurring complaint. I'm unsure if this was just our misinterpretation of the menu but we were expecting a vegetarian plant based beef substitute instead of just canned beans toss with tomatoes. Would rate the overall dish 3/5. The dish tasted like condiments tossed in a corn shell with no star ingredient for taste, texture, or flavor.

Next was the Mongolian noodle. Again similiar compliant; extremely bland and oily even after a copious amount of salt. To our understanding it was missing the plant based beef, unless that is just sauted mushrooms. And for the price (over 20$) pre made noodles and a couple mushrooms and zucchini and peppers was probably our least favorite of the menu. 2/5. Maybe without supply chain issue the dish stands out more.

My main entree was the ojas burger. Overall it was pretty good, albeit a little dry. Would recommend an aioli or some kind of sauce to make the burger stand out more. The plant based patty was pretty bland and it was the toppings that really accented the dish. Also came with a small side of what appeared to be frozen McCain crinkle cut fries. Maybe just personal preference but I always prefer restaurants to have in house fresh cut fries. Overall 3/5 decent vegetarian burger.

Now onto the positive aspects:

The beet salad was the absolute star of the meal and was the first thing we got and started the meal off on a high note. Very fresh flavorful and packed with tasty bits of berries, fruits and cheese. 5/5 would order again.

The atmosphere was great, they seemed to keep most of the original interior of the previous restaurant in tact with some renos and accent decor which had a very homey, comfortable vibe.

I believe the gentlemen who served the table was the owner, he was quite friendly, professional and attentive after our meal. he seemed to really care about our feedback and did offer an apology and explanation of the chain supply issues they have been having which is understandable. Running a restaurant in SSM, especially such a niche concept as vegetarian only is no easy endeavour.

Overall the experience was good, some disappointing bland dishes, with a premium price you'd expect to pay for a full meat based protein but without such ingredients to justify said price.

Will likely give a second chance due to the friendliness of the gentlemen who served us and the understanding that supply chain issues happen.

Thanks for the meal and service Ojas, wish you the best of luck...

We stumbled upon this restaurant as a result of a casual inquiry to a museum volunteer who merely said there was “a new Indian restaurant nearby that I hear is good.” So we came to Ojas and had one of the best meals we’ve had all summer, and we’ve been away from home for many months. The proprietor warmly greeted us and we sat down in a corner booth with a lovely view down Queen St. We ordered a pot of their black chai tea with orange and turmeric. It was amazing and a perfect elixir for a chilly, blustery, and rainy day. After asking him to describe a few of the dishes, we chose one he described as a local fave, the chili tofu, along with garlic naan. The instant the dish arrived, the aroma had me salivating. The rich and complex sweet and sour flavor of the sauce along with the perfect amount of spiciness and occasional flavor burst of a whole cardamom seed made every bite a wonderful treat. The tofu, onion and green pepper were perfectly cooked. The light and airy garlic naan was the perfect complement and great for sopping up the last of the sauce. Two of us shared the dish and it was plenty of food for a midday meal. We asked the proprietor if this was an Indian dish and he characterized it as Indo-Chinese fusion. Lovely atmosphere, great service, and an interesting and varied menu. Highly...

Here's a revised version with improved grammar and a polished tone for a traveler's review:

"I’m from India, and I can easily tell when Indian dishes are prepared fresh and authentically. At Ojas Restaurant, they used whole spices and fresh vegetables instead of the commonly available pastes. They also used ghee instead of oil, making the dishes (we tried Chana Masala and Paneer Peshawari) flavorful and nutritious. The sabzi was delicious, and the quality really stood out. For dessert, we had a gulab jamun included in the thali, and I could tell it was made from khoya, not all-purpose flour. The texture was perfect, and the taste was simply superb.

Service – The staff were polite, professional, and friendly. They guided us on what to order based on the size of our group and the portions. Although their closing time is 8:30 pm, they graciously stayed late because we needed Jain food and couldn’t arrive earlier. Their kindness and attention to detail truly made our experience memorable."

Sorry, no photos! We couldn't wait once the dishes were...