Flora is a bright and eclectic restaurant in Jenkintown, PA serving vegan cuisine plated like art, showcasing the most colorful vegetables of the season. Both vegan/vegetarians and meat lovers alike can enjoy the cuisine here – The menu is meant to appeal to anyone looking to experiences something new.

Restaurateur Dan Brightcliffe opened Flora in late November of 2014 – His business partners own two other restaurants in the neighborhood (Leila’s Bistro and Forcella). They were constantly getting diners requesting vegetarian or vegan options – Around Jenkintown, there are not many other vegan/vegetarian options so this concept is very unique. Flora also offers many gluten-free options.

Dan started working for his partners Jennifer and Jose, when they opened their first restaurant and hired a few of their son’s friends to work as busboys. Dan continued to work in their restaurants through high school and college, and after graduating college. After working in Jennifer and Jose’s restaurants for about 10 years, the opportunity came to partner and open a new restaurant together.

Flora is a cozy BYO restaurant with seating for 16. The restaurant has a rustic but modern vibe furnished with tables and chairs that were up-cycled and refinished. Local artist Allegra Marchione designed the restaurant logo displayed on the wall inside. The menu is entirely seasonal meant to highlight the different vegetables each season.

An a la carte menu is offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Additionally a pre-fixe menu offering 3 courses for $35 or 4 courses for $40 is offered Tuesday through Sunday. A special 7 course Chef’s tasting menu is available for parties of 2, for $70 per person and includes dishes not found on their regular menu. Reservations for this dining experience are required one week in advance. Diners who have a ticket from the Keswick Theater will receive a complimentary dessert that evening. Delivery is not offered, but take out is available Tuesday through Friday from 5pm to close. Take out is priced like their a la carte menu.

We opted for the 4 course pre-fixe menu since they recently released the new Spring menu. For our first course we started with the Tomato And Spiced Eggplant Tart with Smoked Corn, Pesto, White Balsamic, Arugula & Mint. We loved the flakiness of the tart with the bold flavors of the smoked corn pesto. We also tried the Taste of the Garden raw vegetable salad that was plated like a small garden.

Other options for the first course include a Shaved Asparagus Salad with Arugula, Toasted Hazelnuts, Lemon Vinaigrette & Shaved Radish; as well as Chilled Cucumber Soup with Pea, Mint, & Avocado Wasabi Crema.

For the second course we sampled the Soba Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Thai Basil, Pickled Shiitake, Pickled Chili’s  & Charred Scallion; as well as Charred Brussels Sprouts with Miso-Mustard Caramel & Lemon Zest. This might have been our favorite course. The Soba Noodles had a great kick to them and the Brussels Sprouts were cooked perfectly bathed in the most amazing sauce.

Other options for the second course include Battered Green Beans with Creamy Worcestershire Sauce and Blistered Shishito Pepper with Charred Lemon & Gochujang Aioli.

For the third course we ordered the Crabless Cake with Fries, Purple Cabbage and Kohlrabi Slaw; as well as Mushroom Barley Risotto with Saffron, Red Pepper & Snow Peas. The Crabless Cake was an unexpected delight made without any tofu or seitan, it had great texture and resemblance to a crabcake. These crabless cakes are also served at brunch.

Other options for the third course involve Potato Scallops with Black Rice, Burnt Onion, Mushroom Soy & Horseradish and Lentil Chili with Fried Tortilla, Shredded Lettuce, Diced Tomato & Vegan Sour Cream.

The new Spring menu desserts include: Chef’s Tarlet, Polenta Sponge Cake with Burnt Citrus & Mint Ice Cream, Berry Coulis; as well as Zeppoles with a coffee drizzle. We tried a new dessert for the night when we stopped by, it was a Vegan Pound cake with Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Blueberry Coulis. We loved the Peanut Butter Ice Cream made with coconut milk and the Zeppoles. 

Reservations are recommended. In addition to lunch and dinner, Flora has started serving Sunday brunch 10 am- 2pm with all plates priced $8-11. Some of the highlighted menu items include Grits with Braised Swiss Chard & Old Bay Fried Oyster Mushrooms, Crabless Cake Benedict with Sriracha Hollandaise, Breakfast Burrito stuffed with Sweet Potatoes, Chick Peas, Red Onion, Bell Pepper, Mushroom, Pinto Beans & Avocado Aioli, Biscuits with Duxelles Gravy, and Vegan Lox on an Everything Bagel with Capers, Pickled Red Onion, Vegan Cream Cheese & Cured Carrot.

Be on the lookout for new Farm Tasting dinners that will start in the late spring and summer where Flora will be partnering with a local farms to craft a special tasting menu utilizing local products from the farm.

In addition Flora is available for private events up to 24 people, as well as crafting special menus for special occasions. For anyone interested in private events, catering, special menus, etc. feel free to contact the restaurant at 215-779-7945 or via email at florajenkintown@gmail.com.

We loved Flora and would highly recommend it for a unique and special plant-based dining experience!

-Lea

We would like to thank Dan Brightcliffe for inviting us in to sample the new Spring menu at Flora.