A bar and grill is the last place you’d expect to find vegan cuisine, but Chez Kenzo has introduced six veggie dishes to satisfy a growing number of people eschewing meat.

Vegetable dishes on the menu before — pickled vegetables, sliced cucumbers and cold tofu topped with kim chee — weren’t enough to quell hunger. Otherwise, vegetables and pastas were mixed with animal products, whether kabocha stir-fried with bacon, or pasta tossed with mentaiko or uni.

The new menu is simple but not rote. Chef Tabo Kishimoto is a vegan whose flavorful dishes satisfy even nonveggie types.

It starts with a California-style vegan "shrimp" salad ($12) with avocado and mayo, and tofu poke ($7). Tofu appears again seared and topped with a delicate garlic sauce ($9). And the veggie pasta ($15) is wonderful, with mushrooms, bell peppers and pumpkin tossed in a light marinara.

Chez Kenzo is at 1451 S. King St. Open 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Call 941-2439.