VIDEO: New plant-forward restaurant opens in Kelowna

A lot of traditional restaurants have menus that focus on meat but accommodate vegans and vegetarians. The Orchard Room turns that upside down.

It's the brainchild of Top Chef Canada's Chris Shaften, who operates Krafty Kitchen just a few doors down. Shaften invited us in to talk about his vision and how this fun new spot fits in with Kelowna's growing culinary and entertainment scene.

The Orchard Room is a 30 seat cocktail and cider focussed restaurant and bar. The quaint size gives it the feel of a hideaway, but it has two rooms.

And it does all this in style. The style is feminine, but it includes a cigar room. The decor takes you to a different time and place. Florida, or someplace in the nearby Carribean, decades ago.

"One is a little more 1920's Havana meets Florida," said Shaften, "and the other is more Hemmingway during prohibition, hiding out in Cuba Drinking Daquiris and creating his own cocktails."

It's with that in mind that the Orchard Room will feature Daquiris for happy hour.

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C I D E R • S P R I T Z ~ spiced aperol, @nomadcider and seasonal fruit 🍊. A refreshing beverage perfectly suited to cool you down, from the hot Kelowna sun! 📸:@heyhangryhippo | @orchardroom #orchardroomkelowna #orchardroomylw #nomadcider #nomadcidery #aperolspritz #ciderlover #cider #downtownkelowna #kelownarestaurants #orchardcocktails

A post shared by Orchard Room (@orchardroom) on Jun 24, 2019 at 11:09am PDT

Shaften has brought in competitive mixologist Jared Schmidt who promises to bring creativity, fun and sophistication to the bar.

The menu is welcoming to vegetarian and vegan diets, but not exclusively. It celebrates plant-based eating but includes just enough meat to keep everyone in the group happy.

"We wanted to give people the opposite of traditional menu," he explained. "So whereas a traditional menu would be you make a menu based on what meat options and you put vegetables with the meat. We decided to make a vegetable menu with a couple of meat options."

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Our take on a classic Waldorf salad! Created by our chef Mike Wilkins @cheftailsmw B R A I S E D • C E L E R Y ~ house boursin, pickled grape, candied walnuts and market greens. 📸: @heyhangryhippo | @orchardroom | @cheftailsmw | plates @spiritchinawest #orchardroomkelowna #orchardroomylw #heyhangryhippo #kelownarestaurants #downtownkelowna #newrestaurant #vegetarian #vegetableforward #local #supportlocal #foodiesofinstagram #foodphotography #foodporn #kelownabuzz #hellokelowna #kelownanow #kelowna #kelownabc #tourismkelowna

A post shared by Orchard Room (@orchardroom) on Jun 23, 2019 at 5:56pm PDT

There is a flair for the dramatic on the menu with the smoked salmon tartar is smoked on the plate right before your eyes.

The bar celebrates the Okanagan by making craft ciders the centre of attention. Six of the taps are cider, with just two beer options. "We believe it is a cooler representation of the craft brewing in the Okanagan," said Shaften.

Orchard Room is open at 3 pm until late daily. There are plans to add brunch on weekends with firm hours of operation to be firmed up by the time of the Grand Opening, July 18.