Have your Tofu Steak and Eat It: Best Vegetarian in Nottingham

Nottingham in Spring

Spring has well and truly sprung in Nottingham, the once barren trees are sprayed with beautiful pink blossoms, Britain seems to be undergoing a mysterious 'heatwave' spurring ridicious newspaper headlines ('Britain swelters under 19 degree heat') and the fields are full of painfully cute lambs bouncing around making me not want to eat them. With that in mind I have turned my altruistic attention to vegetarian food.

The last few years seems to have brought a new wave of vegetarians into my life. They are everywhere, ordering salad and nut roast and introducing me to new concepts like tofu, tempeh and facon and...um carrots (I'm a little new to this vegetarian thing).

I love my new vegetarian possy and I do concede that it is a very healthy way to live ones life especially if an odd bit of fish is consumed here and there. That said I will never say no to that rare steak but I can finally see the appeal of not hurting our fuzzy friends and packing more vitamins and minerals into your diet as a bonus.

So it's time to put away the steak knife and pick up the organic lactose free soya protein (is that a thing?) in my tour of the best vegetarian eats in the city.

Alley Cafe
Cannon Court, Nottingham NG1 6JE
http://www.alleycafe.co.uk/ (this link sometimes doesn't work, that's how laid back it is)

Tofu-licious

I love Alley Cafe, for many reasons but the main one being when I visited they had an 'awesome burger' on the menu which I attempted to order only to be very politely turned down because 'the burger was so awesome it sold out'. Touche Alley Cafe touche you have won me over.

Upon my first visit to Alley Cafe with a gang of work buddies with the awesome burger sold out I was forced to go for an alternative and ended up getting the tempeh burger dished up in an organic bun with loads of veg, house made coleslaw and the best sweet potato wedges I have had in a long time with a nice dollop of chutney. I took a glance around the room, people were smiling, knitting, eating delicious looking pizzas. There was great music playing, the bar staff looked energised and full of their 5 a day. I had a bucket 'o' hoegaarden (anyone else think it looks like a bucket?). This place is like the holy grail.

For my second visit I dragged my accidental starved vegetarian food and quirky cafe lover KM and attempted to stun his hunger senseless with some vegetables stat. I changed tactic slightly by getting the bean burrito which was slathered in cheese and full of delicious non-meaty beans (though this time a tad dry).

My revived dining partner ordered tofu steak on a bed of sweet potato mash and some oddly delicious tomato based gravy. The tofu was slightly charred giving it that authentic Burger King taste, I'm not really selling it here but trust me, it was delicious. Our meal was washed down with some German beer and some organic lager which was deliciously tasty. As we ate a girl in camel boots casually sketched the scene, a hapless couple tucked into some wine and frosty probably post-marital tension (we reasoned they were working on their relationship discord by eating hemp seeds, is there anything hemp seeds can't do?), a big gang of nerdy students arrived to order pizzas and occasionally stare at ladies backsides to the gentle soundtrack of Bob Marley. Lovely atmosphere, great food. A real find.

So in conclusion, visit Alley Cafe do it now. The place is so awesome it might sell out.

Cafe Roya (aka Flying Goose)
33 Chilwell Road, Beeston NG9 1EH
http://www.caferoya.co.uk/

I have recently moved to Beeston and I'm just a little bit in love with it, aside from being full of Asian groceries and local farm fresh produce the place really feels like a community and I get the sense that it's full of some really good hidden foodie finds. My trip to Cafe Roya confirmed that suspicion. My work friend and fellow Beeston lover LM arranged a little Beeston dinner at the Flying Goose, confusingly Cafe Roya by night.

The place is tiny and beautiful, filled with candles and two other tables of happy vegetarian diners. As soon as I spied the simple menu I knew that I was in for a special treat. It was simple, seasonal and divided into a three courses with only a few options for each. True to form and being a sodium rather than a sweet lover I decided to have a starter rather than a dessert and picked the haloumi skewers with caramelised onions and a shredded salad with lemony yogurt. It was absolutely delicious, I could have happily licked the plate.

The beauty of fried cheese

Second course was a no brainer, if pie is on the menu there is a 95% certainty that I will order it. This wasn't just any pie, the homemade egg washed crust was crisp and perfect and it was packed with delicious porcini mushrooms and topped with a light gravy and rich Irish Colcannon packed with spring onions and butter. I actually think this might be the best pie I've ever had. Wow, I'm losing my mind someone get me some steak.

There is always room for pastry

 The best bit about Cafe Roya is the atmosphere, book your table at the right time and it's yours for the evening, service is relaxed the wine is amazing and well priced. It would be a great place to take a special someone for a night of relaxed vegetarian dining.

So I will be back, and please please make that pie again.

Spanky Van Dykes
17 Goldsmith Street, Nottingham NG1 5JT
http://www.spankyvandykes.com/

I'm absolutely addicted to Spanky Van Dykes, for many reasons. The first being the fact that they had the balls to call themselves such a kinky name, second for the great music and the third for the food. I'm slowly working through the meaty menu including southern fried chicken and goats cheese beef burger but every time I go the vegetarian food catches my eye.

So this time I decided to do something shocking and order a hippy burger (I'm not being smart, that's what it's called). The burger was great, washed down with a Brooklyn Beer and some double cooked chips I was in heaven. I want to go back to try their hangover veggie breakfast and if I can muster up the energy to go dancing on a school night I'd love to top it off with a visit to Lust for Life for some nostalgic beats.

So that ends my mini tour of my favourite vegetarian eats thus far. For the future I am very excited to soon visit Ecoworks in St Annes a roaming vegetarian kitchen set on allotments and I shall be ordering their veggie box for some homemade healthy eats .Rumour has it that they also produce beautiful fresh and interesting food including weird Beetroot cakes that I just have to add to my 'to masticate' list.

http://www.ecoworks.org.uk/

So if you'll excuse me, I'm off to chomp on a carrot, frolic in the meadows and indulge in some guilt free lamb stroking.

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed in the writing of this blog only a few innocent soya beans

Memoirs of a Martini: Best Cocktails in Nottingham

A Nottingham sunrise

Back from my holiday to Australia and a house move on the cards I was feeling decidedly more settled into the city. So settled in fact I was even considering purchasing some kitchenware (new coffee machine..swoon). Moving around a lot is a double-edged sword, itchy feet and the thrill of new experience is tempting but the downside is that I am never able to really settle somewhere.

Things were changing and Nottingham was looking and feeling a little more like home. To celebrate the heady joy of standing still for once I have upped my tour of the city. So this series of posts starts with the best cocktails in town (it's tough research but someone has got to do it).

Browns

20 Park Row, Nottingham NG1 6GR

http://www.browns-restaurants.co.uk/locations/nottingham/

Berry martini and a cosmo

Our tour starts at the newly opened and rather fancy Browns. My fellow food lover and office mate HS suggested some Sunday afternoon cocktails and one thing led to another and before we knew it we were enrolling in their loyalty program and telling all that would listen about the joy of their booze.

The great thing about Browns is that their signature delights are only £3.95 after 4pm from Sunday-Wednesday. How could we resist. Purely for research purposes we tried a multitude but we can highly recommend the cosmopolitan (complete with lit orange zest) and the berry and pomegranate martini. Our Greek companion NC loved the rum based vanilla daiquiri and the marinaded olives. If you want to soak up your straight booze a little more the flat breads adorned with chorizo and prosciutto are a tasty and cheesy snack.

Flatbread joy

The bar staff are really friendly and we even had an impromptu martini making session. If you are lucky enough to snag a table in their dining room the mains are a very reasonable price. However, be warned, this place is flavour of the month and perpetually packed full of beautiful people with pearls, nice neat beards and fancy jackets (not all at once, that would just be weird) so get there early.

Tilt

Upstairs, 9 Pelham Street, Nottingham

http://tiltbar.co.uk/

Tilt seems like an old friend to me now, the type of friend that always insists on getting me drunk.

It was love at first sight, I was mainly attracted to it's cosy loft, smiley staff and promise of good liquor and live blues. What could be better than that? The cocktails are great, a favourite of mine being Gin Garden which is adorned with cucumber and elderflower cordial. Refreshing and delicious.

I have hazy memories of sampling their rum cocktails, although I do believe that the such incident culminated in me falling asleep next to a carton of cheese, chips and garlic sauce in front of Snog, Marry, Avoid.

You can take the girl out of Wales....

The Living Room

7 High Pavement, The Lace Market

http://www.thelivingroom.co.uk/location/nottingham

I have mixed feelings about The Living Room, I'm not usually a fan of chain places but the setting of this place is something special. Set in the heart of the Lace Market just off a little cobble stoned walkway and opposite my favourite Saturday night hang out Nottingham Contemporary it's a convenient place for some decent food and a great cocktail.

I've visited The Living Room on a number of occasions from early in the evening to a quiet Sunday night to a bustling Saturday. Saturday it all gets a bit packed and stressful but early Friday night is the best time to nab a table, not have to queue for the bar and enjoy some live piano music. I always love a grand piano when I'm out and about. Maybe it's because I secretly want to be in Ally McBeal, without the anorexia and hallucinations.

A special living room cocktail treat is their apple pie martini, concentrated appley alcoholic goodness topped with real double cream. It's rather decadent and worryingly tastes totally non-alcoholic. Hiccup...bar tender pass me the custard.

Tonic
6b Chapel Quarter, Chapel Bar Nottingham
http://www.tonic-online.co.uk/

Tonic is another one of those places that I love to hate, I love the nice food, the fancy table service and importantly the cocktail menu but a little piece of  my heart does belong to the more quirky independent places. That aside, Tonic does make a damn good Grey Goose martini.

Oh they also do food too, good food. Like this, rare fillet steak with a rich jus, marrow garlic kiev and dauphinoise stack.

Remnants of a martini

 As you can see the martini was demolished way before this arrived. Can I have another? Shaken..not stirred and some more dauphinoise please.

A Birthday in Orange

A wonderful part of my Australian holiday was a birthday trip to see the beautiful VC in her new temporary home. A mere 3 hours drive away, Orange is blessed with a plethora of gorgeous wineries, cafes and one very fancy French restaurant. In the spirit of birthdays and being all together again we decided to indulge in them all.

TES, SS and I left Sunny Sydney with a bag full of Bourke Street Bakery goodies and an ipod full of classic tunes (let's all meet up in the year 2000!) and set off for our first destination, Mayfield Vineyard.

Mayfield Vineyard
Icely Road, Orange NSW 2800
http://www.mayfieldvineyard.com/

We trundled into Orange at dusk to our welcoming cottage the House of Pears. The cottage was stunningly beautiful and completely white set on the backdrop of endless vines and some very friendly geese. One of the many reasons I love my friends is that they always know how to put on the most delicious bounties of food. This night was no exception.

We collated our various foodie efforts, Sonoma bread bought previously from Sydney, a selection of local cheeses from Orange. Salted butter, perfectly fresh salmon and huge bitey Sicilian olives from the local deli washed down with a lot of champagne and culminating in some obligatory tipsy Magnetic Zeros dancing. A wonderful evening.

Phillip Shaw Vineyard
45 Caldwell Lane, Orange NSW
http://www.philipshaw.com.au/about.htm

Not a bad view

Our morning began at Byng Street Cafe for some top notch coffee and baked treats as we lined our stomachs for the wine tasting ahead. High on the agenda was a trip to Phillip Shaw Winery, known far and wide in these parts as one of the best vineyards in town.

What I love about wine tasting, apart from the free wine, is chatting to the makers and finding out loads of detail that you wouldn't normally get from simply ordering a bottle in a restaurant. We chatted to the owners about the psychedelic bottle design, the perfect cheese accompaniment and other local vineyards that were worth a visit.

The decor of Phillip Shaw is incredible, set in their huge kitchen with a sleepy dog lazing around we felt as though we had been invited over a friends house for an afternoon drinking session. To mark V's birthday the wine maker himself came out with a tray of homemade hot pasties and a big dollop of tomato sauce. Mmmm tasted just like home.

Lolli Redini
48 Sale Street, Orange NSW 2800
http://www.lolliredini.com.au/

With a little wobble in our step we retired back to the cottage to greet V's surprise guests and open a few special bottles of wine that we had purchased on our tour. It was now time to get ready for the pinnacle of our visit. A trip to Lolli Redini.

One of the many things I love about Australia is their multiple hatted restaurants that also happen to be pretty affordable. At $80 for their set menu this still to me represents a special treat but not one that will set you back your life savings when you compare UK places of comparable quality in London. Lolli Redini was renowned for being the best restaurant in town and also French, my favourite. I was extremely excited.

We were all seated on a lovely long table and began selecting our three courses. I just could not stay away from the house signature goats cheese souffle set off with a delicate celeriac and apple salad. Without hyperbole this was one of the most amazing mouthfuls of food I have ever had.

I would sell my soul for this souffle

For second course I selected the veal which was served medium rare with a beautiful pile of sauteed mushrooms and cabbage. How they got the mushrooms so tasty I will never know but I suspect a lot of butter was involved. My Italian friend MC indulged my suggestion to share a big scoopful of truffle mash which was like sex on a spoon (forgive my vulgarity).

Far from being taboo these days eating good quality and well sourced veal is actually encouraged, good old Jamie Oliver often suggests veal as an alternative option. Thanks to humane farming practises in good places I can sleep well at night knowing that my animal was not unfairly treated. For the vegetarians among us, my friend ordered squash with shards of salty Parmesan and a sprinkle of pine nuts. It looked and tasted delicious.

Delicious veggie option

In a rare twist my dessert was not that favourable, I selected figs three ways which included a fig mousse, fig ice cream and fresh fig with honey and toffee. It was a little rich and creamy and didn't offer enough textural difference. We chatted to the chef about it and he told us about the inclusion of truffle oil into the mousse which is not to every body's taste. I spotted my friend SS's passion fruit souffle and had food envy. We decided to drink local opting only for wine from the local vineyards. We started with a bottle of Phillip Shaw's fizz that we had sampled earlier and some beautiful mellow Merlot and crisp Chardonnay.

Souffle envy

It was the perfect end to a perfect birthday. As the sun set and I had to undo my belt 3 notches I felt warm and fuzzy and overwhelmingly lucky to be in such a beautiful location, eating such incredible food with such amazing kind people.

With a lump in my throat saying goodbye for now to a wonderful friend it was time to leave. Goodbye Orange, it was lovely to meet you.

48 hours in Melbourne

I decided at the last minute to weave a trip to Melbourne into my Australian break. Partly to see friends and partly to break out my black clothes and find some new hidden cocktail bars. The best thing about having lived to the full for a year in a city is that when you return you have a comprehensive list of your favourite people and places you just have to visit and experience.

With that in mind I was staying in my old apartment with wonderful old housemate PW. We spent the first night in Fratellinos, our local pizzeria which is perpetually packed, incredibly authentic, cheap and BYO. In the haze of catching up, chatting and drinking Penfolds no photographic evidence was taken. But suffice to say if you happen to be on Malvern Road anytime soon swing by for their garlic and spicy sausage pizza, a steal at 9 bucks. You won't regret it.

Breakfast at Hobba
428 Malvern Road, Prahran
(03) 9510 8336

The next morning I decided to torture myself and visit Hobba for breakfast. This is torture because Hobba coffee is amazing and this place, situated two minutes from my old apartment, only opened a week before I left. Hobba ticks all the Melbourne boxes it is a) in a warehouse b) has exposed brick c) serves single origin coffee. The new 3rd wave coffee movement in Melbourne is something you should slip into conversation if you want to impress a Melbournian. I'm still not entirely sure what it is but it tastes amazing! 

With a belly full of fried egg, brown butter hollandaise, bubble and squeak, slow roast tomato and farmhouse slab bacon I decided to start my action packed day re-uniting myself with Melbourne.

Coffee at De Clieu

187 Gertrude Street Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia

(03) 9416 4661

The rest of my day was planned out by my favourite Gaga loving and delightfully droll amateur food critic RF. I had an hour to kill before we met so I decided to take a wander around my old stomping ground, Fitzroy.

I was already in caffeine withdrawal so a trip to De Clieu was most definitely on the cards. If you look past the painful coolness of this place the coffee is truly something amazing as are the delicious breakfasts. My favourite being the De Clieu special of cheese, ham, soft boiled egg, fresh sourdough, butter, a cold drip coffee and a pot of jam all for $15. Amazing.

Huxtaburger

106 Smith Street, Collingwood

http://www.huxtaburger.com.au/

With my stomach full of numerous cups of amazing coffee it was time for my long awaited catch up with R! We decided to begin our reunion day at Huxtaburger.

Huxtaburger is a new tiny hole in the wall on Smith Street that serves a variety of cold beers and some seriously hot meat. We grabbed a Brooklyn beer and sat in the sun enjoying the shiny bun, perfect cheese and tangy mustard. It was utter perfection

Drinking the best cocktail in the world at Cabinet
11 Rainbow Alley, Melbourne
http://www.cabinetbar.com.au/

Dumping our bags we decided to do what we do best and get a cocktail. Jumping on the 112 down Collins into the city there was only one place on the radar...Cabinet. Cabinet is home to my favourite drink of all time their signature gingerbread martini.

We chatted to the lovably camp owner Al about it's pure genius, the salt and pepper, the gingerbread sugar surrounding the outside. He said that they had all tried really hard to top it but never succeeded. We agreed. This was worth the airfare alone.

Fuelled by sugar we roamed the city for another snack, as we strolled past Flinders Lane an idea emerged. Chin Chin..of course! As with all Melbourne restaurant fads, Chin Chin didn't just open, it exploded. Lovable Masterchef judge Matt Preston claims to cross town for just one serve of the Son in Law eggs and rumour has it that it's impossible to get a table, no matter what night of the week. Well it would be rude not to give it a go!

Chin Chin
125 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC

We arrived at 5pm and amazingly it was relatively quiet so we easily grabbed a table for two. Within 15 minutes of being seated the place began to fill up with queues upon queues of hungry city types standing at the door. By 5:30pm the place was positively heaving, and all on a Tuesday, Melbourne never fails to amaze me. As we weren't starving and not really in the mood for spontaneously having a $200 meal we decided to share some small serves and shockingly no alcohol to keep the bill down. RF informed me firmly that we HAD to have the Son in Law eggs and two serves because 'he's not sharing'. Oh R how I have missed you.

Son in Law Eggs

To compliment our orgasmic eggs we chose beef roti with dipping sauce and salt and pepper squid with Vietnamese mint and the chunkiest and most delectable lemon wedge I have ever seen.

As expected, each dish was executed perfectly. Far from tasting like a fishy inner wheel tube like is served at a popular UK tapas chain that will remain nameless, this squid was tender, salty and complimented perfectly by a handful of the mint. The roti was spicy and the delicate dip added a chilli tang. As we left we took a detour to the bar downstairs that by 6pm was absolutely packed. The cocktails looked delicious, the crowd were cool city types interlaced with some typical hipsters. It looked like a great place to have a drink and I'd love to go back there on my next Melbournian visit.

Little Press and Cellars
72 Flinders Street, Melbourne VIC
http://www.thepressclub.com.au/menu.html

We hadn't had a cocktail for at least an hour so it was time to remedy that. I decided to be bold and request a trip to The Press Club, just a drink, no food. Honest. The Press Club is Masterchef''s lovably chubby George's flagship 2 hatted restaurant. Sexy and moody with a delicious fine dining take on Greek flavours I had sadly never quite gotten around to visiting but I had read great things about Little Press Cellars. At 6:30pm the place was quiet with only a trickle of businessmen sipping on their whiskey. I had only one thing on my radar, a decent martini.

A good straight up martini has become my guilty pleasure. Now that I am not a student and can afford to elevate myself from tesco value vodka I can fully appreciate the beauty of a simple ice cold vodka with a twist, shaken not stirred. Who would stir it...please!

To my friend R's amusement and horror I decided to go along with the fancy table service and allow my over accommodating bar tender to select my vodka to compliment my twist of lime. The beautiful article arrived (it was consumed way too quickly to take a photo) and alarmingly tasted like delicious, smooth, warming water (the type of water that makes you giggle for 5 blocks). It was an expensive treat. Suitably buzzed from good food and an extortionate drink we meandered to our final destination for some camp comedy and retired to Rooftop for some blurry skyline hot cider. Knowing that a hangover and an early start was on the horizon it was time to stumble home. Good night for now you sexy city.

Belated Greek breakfast feast

Demitris Feast, 141 Swan Street Richmond
http://www.demitrisfeast.com.au/


Not a cloud in the sky

I awoke bright and early which in reality means I woke up late with a pounding head and some directions to Richmond. It was time to have breakfast with my lovely Melbournite SH. S and I had met through a friend when I used to live in Wollongong and she took me under her Melbourne wing and introduced me to some of my now favourite cocktail bars, most noteworthy Berlin Bar in Chinatown. For that, and so many other things I will always owe her a debt of gratitude. So in my usual calamitous way I stumbled to Richmond.

We decided to dine at Demitris Feast, a beautiful Greek cafe that had won breakfast of the year a few years previously. In it's hype-filled hay day I had read mixed reviews of plates adorned with weird dried oregano and poor seating. But things seemed to have changed, it was a perfect sunny Melbourne morning and we snagged a quiet seat in the courtyard.

The breakfast was just what the doctor ordered, beautiful coffee with some house made beans, chorizo and olive oil soaked sourdough. S had the tomato and feta stack which looked utterly delectable too. With vows of friendship renewed and amusing anecdotes told it was time to say goodbye to S and to Melbourne for a little while. True to form as I waited for the flight, the sun bounced off the Qantas planes making my heart hurt a little with sadness.

But it's ok, you'll always have a place in my heart Melbourne. Goodbye for now old friend.