Bloom Plant Based Kitchen

Recently, my husband and I tried out Bloom Plant Based Kitchen. My husband heard about it when it opened through some clients at work. They are not vegan or vegetarian, but rather wanted to start eating less meat and a bit healthier so they stumbled upon Bloom in their search of restaurants. Meat eating men wanting to eat healthier. I feel like there is such a stigma with men eating less/no meat, so I loved hearing this. Anyhoo, after eating here, regardless of diet, I’m betting you’ll find something you love on their flavorful, innovative menu.

Not only is eating a more plant-based diet healthier and more forgiving to one’s body, but it is significantly better for the environment.
Bloom Plant Based Kitchen

Plant-Based Diet- A diet that does not necessarily avoid all animal products, but the majority is plant focused. Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs, Nuts, Seeds, Spices, Legumes, and Whole Grains make up the majority of the diet. (This is where I fall. I still have animal products on occasion, but it is less and less over the years.) ~ her healthy style

Bloom Plant Based Kitchen

Reservation

I was able to make a 7:15pm reservation for a Saturday night about a week in advance. I’m not sure if this was just because it was right after COVID restrictions were lifted in Chicago that it was fairly easy to get into or what. Either way I would recommend making a reservation if you decide to go to this more popular place.

Ambiance

The restaurant was hopping when we went there, but it was still a chill atmosphere in a modern vibe. Although it’s one big rectangle, they have separated, different seating sections within the restaurant. The sweet hostess asked us which table we would prefer out of those that were open. We chose the darkest corner nook by a brick wall where we surrounded by an abundance of green plants & pretty lighting. While the tables are super close together, we still felt like we had our own space. The bar seating did look extra fun however, so we would probably opt for that next time if there are any open spots.

Other than wishing they turned the lights down a bit more, ambiance was a 10 out of 10.

Food

Brussels & Kale Caesar Salad

We started with the Brussels & Kale Caesar salad. Being a salad lover, it was my favorite dish. Curly kale, shaved baby brussel sprouts, salt cured eggplant, and caper Caesar dressing. While the eggplant was a tad salty for my taste buds, I thoroughly enjoyed this salad. So much so, that I could have ordered another one right after it, but I knew we still had plenty of food coming. I’ve had many of kale salads, but none quite like this. The kale tasted extra fresh, it was perfectly dressed, and the eggplant, although extra salty, still added a unique, welcomed addition to it. It also comes with cornbread croutons if you wish, but I opted to have those removed.

Shroom & Chorizo Flat Bread

We then shared a 1/2 portion of the Shroom & Chorizo Flat Bread. I loved the option of being able to order a 1/2 or full size depending on what we wanted. Sunflower chorizo, San Marzano marinara, coconut mozzarella, and arugula. I don’t know how they made their coconut mozzarella, but the delicious creaminess paired with everything else was perfection. It was so so good. Next time we will make it a full order.

UPDATE: 8/19/22 – This is no longer on the menu, but they have a new one as of this time called “Margo’s Flat Bread – spicy arribiata sauce, requeson, broccolini, and basil – tried it, it’s delish too. This, the kale salad, a glass of Rioja, and dessert are my current go-to’s.

Yuca Gnocchi

The popular Yuca Gnocchi came out next and we understood why it is a popular menu choice at Bloom. Toasted yuca gnocchi, celery root puree, mushroom sofrito, kale, and shaved cashew pecorino made up this dish. It was very good and had a nice flavor. We compared it to our pizza right before though, which we shouldn’t have since they are completely different, but we did enjoy the pizza more. If the gnocchi is drawing you though, I absolutely still recommend getting it. After I go back and try out a few more menu choices, I would still maybe circle back to this one.

Saffron Risotto

Lastly, we shared the Saffron Risotto. It was our own fault for not reading the menu correctly, but we were expecting a typical risotto texture with rice or similar. We clearly missed “sunflower risotto” listed as the first part of the description. It was a dish full of whole sunflower seeds. It was just not our thing, so we would not order this again, but again, it was what the menu stated, we just did not read it clearly.

Dessert

We were too full for dessert, but I will most definitely be ordering one in the future as they all sound good. The Yuzu lemon tart draws me, but I really want to try a sweet potato made cheesecake. It’s made with almond tahini crust, coconut cardamom, and cream. It really goes to show that we can truly recreate anything in a healthier way if we think outside the box. .. and with some trial and error.

Drink

As far as drinks, I was so happy to see they had glass of Tempranillo on their menu. I enjoyed a glass of that and would order the same thing again next time. My husband had both the Cabernet Franc from Spain and “My Thyme In Oaxaca.” He raved about both of them and plans on repeating those choices again too. I will say that their measured pours/glasses are smaller than most.

Service

Every dish was brought out one at a time to us, which I thoroughly love. It allowed us to take our time and enjoy each dish by itself. From the hostess, to the waitress, to everyone who brought out dishes and cleared dishes, the service was amazing.

Bloom Plant Based Kitchen Recap

Even though my husband and I have only went one time as of now, I might go as far as to say it’s our new favorite restaurant. We are both eager to go back, sit at the cute bar if possible, order the kale salad, a full pizza, and try out a new menu item along with dessert.

I’m hoping other Chicago restaurateurs follow suit to Bloom Plant Based Kitchen and open up healthier dining options with their own spin on it. For as large as Chicago is, finding healthier restaurants that are really good is hard. If you happen to know of one, please let me know by commenting below! I’d love to try it out!