Bath was one of the first places me and Mr Flicking the Vs went away together as a couple, and I still have a significant soft spot for the city. Every so often, me and him have a yearning to go back, so we find ourselves a cheap train ticket and head off.
One thing I never get bored of is walking along the canals, to Avoncliff and the Cross Guns pub. There's not much in the way of vegan options on the menu, but it is a lovely spot to sit with a drink, whiling away time looking at the river.
So, given I like animals in a river and not in my dinner, where did I eat?
First stop: Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen. The last time I went to Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen, it was still called Demuth's and under a different owner. I thought it was time to pay it a return visit to see if it was still as good now that it had changed names and owners?
Yeah, happy to say it was - it's still some of the best vegan food you can eat anywhere in England (that I know of). Get settled in and be prepared for some frankly crappy mobile phone pics, followed by some drooling.
First off, there was a tiny amuse bouche of smoked almonds, fennel and cucumber that was way more than the sum of its parts. Gorgeous bread with oil and dukka followed, and didn't last long.
Onto the mains: look, it's the last of the English asparagus, and it's brought some microscopically dinky mushrooms with it:
Food blogs, and I freely admit mine is no exception, are prone to chuck out superlatives like they were going out of fashion. I think in Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen's case, they're worth it. Every single thing on this plate I'd be happy to eat again, and again, and again.
The tiny pickled mushrooms, the mushroom parfait, hazelnut cream, and a big chunk of something that was meant to be a galette but bore in common with a gratin - they were all fabulous. I wouldn't have minded some crunch in there - the mushroom parfait was asking for an oatcake or two - but beyond that, it was faultless.
Dessert was equally beautiful, though I get you wouldn't know that from this frankly lousy photo:
I'd had this on my mind since I checked the menu out online: it's called Chocolate and Coffee, two of my favourite tastes in this world. I could have lingered over the chocolate ganache forever, and the mousse was soft, caffeinated beauty.
In short: if you're in Bath, go.
Another place worth your time in Bath is the Chapel Arts Cafe, an all vegan place in the basement of the arts venue of the same name. It's a really cosy and friendly little space, and filled with good things to eat.
As a side note, if you're dog allergic I'd give Chapel Arts Cafe a swerve, but if you've got a pooch that fancies a sit down, they'll be very welcome here. I saw so many good dogs here, which is just another thing I liked about the place.
But the best thing? The best thing is the flatbreads.
They call them flatbreads, I call them pizzas - delicious crispy bases with tomato sauce and all sorts of interesting toppings. For me, roasted veggie with tofu feta; for Mr Flicking the Vs, a Mexican inspired arrangement of smokey beans, avocado, veggies, and cashew cheese. Both were great. They're listed as for one for a meal or for two to share as a snack. I'd say get a bunch of people, and go order them all between you so you can try a bit of each.
The Chapel Arts Cafe also does cake too: we got a bit of brownie and some banana bread to share, as well as a cup of tea. Because, as they say, everything is better with tea.
The cakes were nice, but they were no match for the flatbreads (I know - this is heresy coming from a confirmed dessert lover like me). Honestly, go hungry, get a flatbread, make yourself happy. If you've got room, then think about the cake and tea. (If the thought of being so full you end up cakeless makes you sweat, then don't worry - they do takeaway too.)
The final stop on our vegan eating tour of Bath was the Fudge Kitchen, in the centre of town.
I'd read they did vegan as well as dairy fudge, and so they do - when we dropped by, there were two flavours: dark chocolate and coffee. Yep, that's right - my two favourite tastes, in fudge form! Very pleasing.
The guy behind the counter was happy to give us a taste of both before we bought some, as well as sharing his fair degree of sarcasm. He said it was so hard to make the fudge vegan - they just swap out the dairy for a bit of soya, and everyone's happy. I certainly was.
We bought £10 of fudge, which we reckoned was £8 for the sweets and £2 for the sarcasm. Either way, we walked off with a block of fudge the size of the Tibetan plateau. Happily, you can freeze it, so I've stashed it away for whenever a fudge craving strikes. I predict that'll be often!
First off, there was a tiny amuse bouche of smoked almonds, fennel and cucumber that was way more than the sum of its parts. Gorgeous bread with oil and dukka followed, and didn't last long.
Onto the mains: look, it's the last of the English asparagus, and it's brought some microscopically dinky mushrooms with it:
Food blogs, and I freely admit mine is no exception, are prone to chuck out superlatives like they were going out of fashion. I think in Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen's case, they're worth it. Every single thing on this plate I'd be happy to eat again, and again, and again.
The tiny pickled mushrooms, the mushroom parfait, hazelnut cream, and a big chunk of something that was meant to be a galette but bore in common with a gratin - they were all fabulous. I wouldn't have minded some crunch in there - the mushroom parfait was asking for an oatcake or two - but beyond that, it was faultless.
Dessert was equally beautiful, though I get you wouldn't know that from this frankly lousy photo:
I'd had this on my mind since I checked the menu out online: it's called Chocolate and Coffee, two of my favourite tastes in this world. I could have lingered over the chocolate ganache forever, and the mousse was soft, caffeinated beauty.
In short: if you're in Bath, go.
Another place worth your time in Bath is the Chapel Arts Cafe, an all vegan place in the basement of the arts venue of the same name. It's a really cosy and friendly little space, and filled with good things to eat.
As a side note, if you're dog allergic I'd give Chapel Arts Cafe a swerve, but if you've got a pooch that fancies a sit down, they'll be very welcome here. I saw so many good dogs here, which is just another thing I liked about the place.
But the best thing? The best thing is the flatbreads.
They call them flatbreads, I call them pizzas - delicious crispy bases with tomato sauce and all sorts of interesting toppings. For me, roasted veggie with tofu feta; for Mr Flicking the Vs, a Mexican inspired arrangement of smokey beans, avocado, veggies, and cashew cheese. Both were great. They're listed as for one for a meal or for two to share as a snack. I'd say get a bunch of people, and go order them all between you so you can try a bit of each.
The Chapel Arts Cafe also does cake too: we got a bit of brownie and some banana bread to share, as well as a cup of tea. Because, as they say, everything is better with tea.
The cakes were nice, but they were no match for the flatbreads (I know - this is heresy coming from a confirmed dessert lover like me). Honestly, go hungry, get a flatbread, make yourself happy. If you've got room, then think about the cake and tea. (If the thought of being so full you end up cakeless makes you sweat, then don't worry - they do takeaway too.)
The final stop on our vegan eating tour of Bath was the Fudge Kitchen, in the centre of town.
I'd read they did vegan as well as dairy fudge, and so they do - when we dropped by, there were two flavours: dark chocolate and coffee. Yep, that's right - my two favourite tastes, in fudge form! Very pleasing.
The guy behind the counter was happy to give us a taste of both before we bought some, as well as sharing his fair degree of sarcasm. He said it was so hard to make the fudge vegan - they just swap out the dairy for a bit of soya, and everyone's happy. I certainly was.
We bought £10 of fudge, which we reckoned was £8 for the sweets and £2 for the sarcasm. Either way, we walked off with a block of fudge the size of the Tibetan plateau. Happily, you can freeze it, so I've stashed it away for whenever a fudge craving strikes. I predict that'll be often!
Bath is a beautiful spot. I knew it had lots of veggie / vegan options but didn't know of most of these, so I need to plan a return trip too I think!
ReplyDeleteI went to Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen a couple of years ago, and I still regularly fantasise about the dessert I had there. They definitely know what they're doing!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise Fudge Kitchen had vegan options too. What good news! I used to love those huge slabs before I went vegan.
I do like days out to Bath. I went to Demuths years ago and liked it, noted that Acorn have taken over but have not had a chance to eat there - may request D that we go closer to my Birthday in November and that can be my present. I do have both of Acorns cookbooks as i picked them up when I went to Cardiff VegFest last year - not cooked from it yet though, a little fancy but will do when the time requires. I was aware of the Chapel Arts Cafe but seem to pass it by, I will have to make more of an effort to seek it out. Have you been to Green Rocket? or Beyond The Kale?
ReplyDeleteBy the way curious to your comment £2 for the sarcasm at Fudge Kitchen???? Of course I am being nosy.