As a meat eater I wish to increase the vegetarian repertoire of options on this site and will be adding to this category kicking off with Mildreds in addition to Vanilla Black. Mildreds is a bustling and evidently popular option, with aspects that I did enjoy such as the sauces (basil mayonnaise and chipotle ketchup) made on site and the tofu burger made with focaccia bread. However, it was nearly deafening inside owing to the confines of the restaurant and the general menu is functional rather than gourmet. If you are vegetarian, then there are a varied number of dishes to choose from either inside or to take away as another bonus of the establishment. Good efforts were made by the front of house to accommodate all walk-ins as much as possible and the staff were generally busy bees to all the customers’ needs throughout service.
The tomato, melon and chilli salad was served with a yuzu and shiso leaf dressing. Unfortunately the latter was rather overshadowed by the power of the chilli and I couldn’t detect too much of either the yuzu or the shiso which was a shame. However, the melon did its job of calming down the effects of the chilli and offset this nicely. The tomatoes were fresh but simply lacking in true tomato flavour.
The tomato, melon and chilli salad was served with a yuzu and shiso leaf dressing. Unfortunately the latter was rather overshadowed by the power of the chilli and I couldn’t detect too much of either the yuzu or the shiso which was a shame. However, the melon did its job of calming down the effects of the chilli and offset this nicely. The tomatoes were fresh but simply lacking in true tomato flavour.
The gyoza dumplings were a better option with a very well done and home made sweet chilli and soy dip and were it not for the latter this may have otherwise been a little bland with a dumpling casing that was a little more chewy than the norm.
There were a selection of burgers to choose from and I chose the classic which had a lentil paste interior in focaccia bread with sweet potato fries. To the restaurant’s credit I liked the way in amongst the bottles of ready made sauces, the basil mayonnaise and chipotle ketchup (with a deep BBQ flavour) were made on site. It was great having the burger inside focaccia bread as a change from the norm but the lentil and tofu burger itself fell somewhat flat in flavour and I didn’t get a sense of the piquillo pepper or smoked nature of the tofu in amongst the lentils and paste. Because it could not hold itself together, it proved impossible to eat it without it breaking and crumbling away with every mouthful making it quite a messy affair. The red onion relish and
Service was on the whole very accommodating with one waiter who clearly did not wish to be working on the afternoon of my visit. It was good that walk ins were accommodated for but the bar area in extremely confined if you wish to wait during busy periods. Overall, the £27 for two starters and a main was reasonable value for the quantity of dishes, but the meal highlighted that it is is a cafe style level of cooking rather than one of notable gastronomy. My search for a higher level vegetarian venue continues, but if you are restricted in only being able to eat vegetarian or vegan food, this is a fair option to try.
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