Ferndale, MI - Om Cafe; Om is a pioneer among restaurants for vegan/vegetarian fare. It stands out among the very few restaurants in the metro area to not only carry, but specialize in vegan/vegetarian cuisine.  If it wasn't the first, it was among the select few to have paved the way.  Not only do they make special efforts to cater to the vegetarian, but also offer omnivores meat options to be inclusive and not force either one to have to settle.

We started with the nori roll, their vegetarian and vegan version of a sushi roll.  It was a nice vegetable roll, with fresh veggies, but their dipping sauce was interesting. I thought the sauce was good, but the tahini in it, gave it more of a puzzling flavor than a traditional soy with wasabi intensity.

My entree was the BBQ Seitan, with sweet potatoes, brown rice, and collard greens. This was my first time having seitan, meat alternative made primarily of wheat, I thought they did a pretty good job with making it into a familiar flavor and texture. If I were to eat it by itself, it's probably not the most flavorful meatless entree, but with the bbq sauce, it improved it's standing.  The sweet potatoes were cooked nicely, sweet and tender, but the collard greens were very bland.  It appears they were steamed without any seasoning added afterwards.  Vinegar was available at the table and after adding that to the greens, it was better, but not all that enticing to try again.  I would try to substitute it out for something else next time.

The atmosphere is very nice inside, small, quiet, quaint, and intimate.  it's good for couples and small groups.