Fiction Kitchen – Raleigh, NC

Walking past Fiction Kitchen in downtown Raleigh, the first thing you’ll notice is the bright green paint and the large yellow sign. Peering in for a closer look, you will see the mismatched furniture, quirky decor, and laid back feeling of the restaurant. Although the atmosphere is casual, the taste and look of the food is on par with many fine dining restaurants. Fiction Kitchen caters specifically to both vegan and gluten-free customers, offering a variety of American and ethnic dishes. This is the place that I would take a meat-lover friend who is convinced that all vegan food is bland and tasteless.

My husband and I came to Fiction Kitchen for the first time with his family around Thanksgiving. We had heard great things about the place and expectations were set high. It was such a nice change to be able to walk into a restaurant and be able to pick anything on the menu. We have become accustomed to having to choose from 1 or 2 vegan-customizable dishes (at best!) when eating out with non-vegan family and friends.

To start off, we ordered the cornmeal-fried oyster mushrooms and root vegetable fries. The fried mushrooms were reminiscent of fried calamari, with a less rubbery texture. It was incredibly well-seasoned and the crispy cornmeal texture offset the mushrooms perfectly. The fries were also a winner; well seasoned and cooked and served with two great dipping sauces (dill aioli & chipotle “buttermilk” dressing).

I ordered Nori Rolls with Sashimi Tofu for my entree. The ingredients in the sushi rolls were were so unique and not things I would have guessed would taste good in sushi. But the combination of textures and flavors were amazing. The microgreens salad was well dressed and complemented the dish well. But the standout component of the dish was the seared tofu. It had a soft and porous texture, was slightly sweet and savory, and had a coating of sesame seeds. Although it did not resemble sashimi in taste or texture, I was not at all disappointed by the substitution. My husband kept trying to steal my tofu and sushi rolls when I wasn’t looking.

My husband ordered the Curry Bowl. It had a great variety of different vegetables, and the the curry was spicy and tasty. My only complaint was that the curry didn’t seem to penetrate the vegetables, so they weren’t as saturated with the curry flavor as I had hoped. My husband also mentioned that the rice (not pictured) was unusually salty. The concept of the dish was great, but the execution didn’t quite hit the mark.

To end the meal, we ordered a slice of a dark chocolate ganache pie. The texture was smooth and creamy and the crunchy pretzel crust was a great base. The salted caramel drizzle tied the whole thing together nicely. My husband’s sister liked it so much that she wanted to buy a whole one to take home, but we were told that required advance notice.

For the most part, our experience at Fiction Kitchen lived up to all of the hype, and we are DEFINITELY coming back again soon.