Wildseed — Restaurant in Palo Alto

Ok, I think that the popularity of this place says a lot about how few great vegan restaurants there are in the South Bay. None of the food was a stand out, service was poor, ambiance not great. I have had much better gourmet vegan in LA, New York, and Chicago and think that this place has a long way to go to measure up. Chips and dip - the chips were very good, the texture of the dip was way off a typical sour cream based dip. It was chunky and solid and too oniony. Eggplant - The eggplant was well cooked. But, the ratio of the topping to the eggplant was off. Because it was presented as a whole eggplant, the seasoning did not reach most of the eggplant, the dish was very bland and did not have enough salt. Bibb salad - the vegan cheese was very good, the lettuce was fresh, but overall it was very boring. The dressing had almost no flavor. Risotto - I love risotto in general, but not this one. First of all, it was incredibly unappealing to look at; it looked like flavorless mush. No garnish, no interesting vegetables or fake meats to add color. And while the flavor was pleasant, the texture lacked richness so came across as kind of watery and thin. Elderflower fizz - This was the worst cocktail I’ve had in the last several years. I think it might have been the aquafaba. It had no distinct flavor, and was vaguely sweet/kind of muddy tasting. It was hard to get to the drink because it was half foam, and the drink was room temperature so not cold enough. There was almost no carbonation - it was like drinking a soda that had been left with the lid off for a week. Cheesecake - I really liked this, my friend did not (“That is definitely not cheesecake!”) It was distinctly lemon ginger and had a tasty crust. But compared to many other vegan cheesecakes I’ve had, it totally lacked creaminess. The best ones I’ve had were cashew-based. Panna cotta - This looked beautiful but did not really resemble real panna cotta. It was missing the jiggle, the softness, and the mildness that make panna cotta great. It was a little bit chalky and had a very strong coconut flavor. And, the whole pistachios on top were a very odd choice that distracted from the dish.

The menu felt like a chef who is inexperienced with vegan food designed it - people who’ve done vegan food a long time don’t make rookie mistakes like making things taste too much like coconut, or totally missing the textures of dishes.

I would add that the service and ambiance were not good - it was clear they’ve tried to shove as many tables as they could into the restaurant, so we were seated in an area where waiters were constantly passing through, and our waiter rushed us through dessert and gave us our check before we asked for it. They use at table hand held devices to place orders and so rather than just taking our order, we had to constantly wait for the waitress to find the right item in her menu, log it, and order it to the table. There was no sense of hospitality, or like she was glad we were there.

So maybe if you’ve been vegan for twenty years and have forgotten what the foods they are imitating taste like, you’d enjoy it? Or, if you’re not a foodie and just want expensive bougie sustenance. But I will definitely not...

I’ve been wanting to go to the famed wild seed in SF for a while now which didn’t happen for one reason or another so I was really excited when I saw that wildseed was opening another location in Palo Alto because I could finally try it without going out of my way! For a Saturday night dinner, we made a reservation about 3-4 days out. The extended strip mall location is was in was just a little hard for me to navigate at night but nothing too complicated. We were seated indoors and wildseed has a lovely bohemian vibe going with a giant mural of monstera painted on one of the walls and little plants hanging from the ceiling by the window. As a plant enthusiast, I loved the coziness it offers. For appetizers we ordered the polenta cakes, pea tendrils and the sour cream and onion dip. Pi was not a huge fan of the pea tendrils-it seemed like cooked spinach leaves with pine nuts and raisins. Loved the polenta cakes- which were like cornbread with a mushroom sauce. The dip and potato chips were also good!

Absolutely loved the main course where I ordered tofu skewers! Amaaaazing! Everything about it- presentation, flavor profile, textures, the side dishes that came with the tofu was fantastic! Perfect if you aren’t too hungry!

The dessert with the citrus almond cake- these should be handed out as rewards instead of trophies! The texture of the cake, with orange and coconut whipped cream and the cocoa nibs- ah! Perfection.

I loved our interactions with the lovely lady who waited on us to! She had great and more importantly, honest recommendations!

Overall a great experience and would definitely come...

First things first, don't rely on their online menu. I looked at that before going to the restaurant and was excited to try a particular dish only to find out that they have a seasonal menu that isn't posted on their website. Please keep in mind that while a lot of the dishes on their online menu and in-person menu may be the same, there are still quite a few differences. I was told that their menu will change next week and some of their dishes would be going away.

My friend and I ordered curried cauliflower, spicy yellow curry, and an al pastor bowl. Curried cauliflower was our appetizer. It was served cold and was very bland. It came with a sauce but there wasn't enough sauce for the amount of cauliflower you get. The sauce was also mediocre and wouldn't stick to the cauliflower which was a very interesting observation (must have ordered sauce-repellent cauliflower).

For our entree, our server informed us that one of the dishes was ready and the other one was almost done so as expected when the food came out one entree was hot and the other was cold. They didn't bother to reheat the cold entree before serving it.

Both the al pastor bowl and the spicy yellow curry were decent but they didn't stand out. We were already thinking about ordering dessert when we placed our order but after that whole experience, we decided to not order it.

For what it's worth, my friend and I really liked the ambiance and the interior. It was very cozy, welcoming, and vibrant. The restaurant was packed so I highly recommend making a reservation...