Review: Working Boat (Falmouth)

The earliest date for the Green Bank Hotel is 1640. I know this because it said so in the ladies’. Round the back is Working Boat, a busy bar and dining room with hearty options and a view to die for. I kept noticing that my Dad and Watson were disappearing mid-afternoon. Turns out they were going for sneaky cider walkies. Eventually they took me with them.

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The first night I ordered the vegan flat bread which comes with seasonal toppings. On season when I visited were olives, artichokes and very large tomatoes. Personally I would have preferred it with something like sun dried tomatoes: stick to the jar theme, it’s January after all. As it was, the tomatoes were a bit too watery. It didn’t ruin the flatbread, I’d still recommend it, but it would have been better without them.

burgerburgerburger The second time we stopped by I went for the burger. It’s beetroot red with beans inside, it’s also a hell of a mouthful. The burger is very loosely held together so each bite leaves you with a splatter on your plate. Although the taste is good it’s very irritating to eat. I’d give this one a miss in future and stick with the flat bread. Because with the food, the views, the warm atmosphere, and a generous welcome for Watson (and probably other dogs) we’ll be back.

Review: Fuel (Falmouth)

We spent a few days in Falmouth recently, which allowed us to try out a few different breakfast places. We really like breakfast. Good Vibes remains a fantastic option but it was time to broaden our horizons. We went into Fuel because it offered both meaty (Clare’s Dad and Watson the dog) and vegan (Clare and Kate) options.

fuel outside

We walked into a warm greeting. All of the staff were friendly and ready for a chat. Watson was fussed over. In fact when we went in for a return visit Watson was greeted by name and welcomed back. Inside it’s warm, spacious, and inviting. And we were ready to settle in and eat breakfast.

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This is the Vegan Full Cornish Breakfast (vegan pancakes are also available). It comes with tomato, spinach, mushrooms, bubble and squeak, falafel, hash browns, and baked beans. Filling without stuffing you too full and cooked absolutely perfectly.

Review: Caffè Nero Vegan Options

We’ve been down with matching viruses but when Saturday rolled around we were sick of being sick. Armed with a small amount of energy but lacking the brain power to cook we went fourth to find some of the new vegan options that Veganuary had promised. We went to Caffè Nero.

Caffè Nero has always been my favourite out of the three main coffee chains but that’s mostly because I preferred their hot chocolate as a teen. Certainly the Torquay branch isn’t a pleasant or relaxing experience. The second-hand stress of people waiting for the single toilet cubicle, trying to remember the code and then being underwhelmed by the facilities is enough to drive you mad. But what of the food?

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We had a pair of vegan meatball paninis. I’m not sure paninis are the best way to serve meatballs as it flattens them out and doesn’t really warm them all the way through. I’m also sceptical about the mayo. Does it really need mayo? Probably not. Overall though it’s a solid sandwich. The tomato sauce was a highlight, strong and flavourful. The meatballs herby and satisfying. It’s no Meatball Mania from Samphire but it’s also a third of the price.

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Because why not, we also tried the cheesecake. Salted Caramel and Chocolate Vegan Cheesecake. Its hard to nail down what we thought about it. Kate first tried all the individual layers and loved them only to be disappointed by them in combination. Something about it just doesn’t work. If you ask me it’s that the base is overwhelmingly salted and that swirl of caramel on top is aggressively sweet. It’s like they’ve nailed the hard part. They’ve made a creamy, decadent, vegan cheesecake but they failed when it came to the easy thing. They couldn’t make salted caramel and chocolate taste good together.

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Our last bite to eat was bought to go. Vegan Raspberry Croissant. And honestly I think these might be the surprise winner of Veganuary. The last vegan croissant I had was overpriced, came from Selfridges, and tasted of disappointment. Assuming disappointment tastes like a stale croissant. These were crisp, have just the right amount of raspberry jam, look adorable, and are available on Torquay high street. Surprise winner of Veganuary.

We can recommend a quick stop at Caffè Nero for a breakfast croissant or a lunchtime meatball panini. But not the cheesecake.

2019: The Coastal Vegans’ Review of The Year

2019: It’s been a year of heartbreak, of disappointment, of stress-eating Vegan Food. Here’s the best and the worst of 2019. From our very biased perspectives.

Best Chain Eats of 2019

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Wagamama’s Vegatsu has become a bit of a tradition in our household. If Kate’s out for the day I go out to Exeter to meet her train and, as Rabbit is closed in the evenings, we pop into Wagamama’s for the Vegatsu. I would eat anything draped in a good Japanese curry sauce but the seitan cutlet is something special.

Worst Attempt, by a Large Company, of jumping the Bandwagon

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I love you Sainsbury’s, I do. I mean you’re the only place that stocks Daiya, so it’s more like Stockholm Syndrome than actual love, but there’s some vague affection there. Nevertheless your Christmas offerings sucked. The Shroompups were especially awful.

Absolute Worst Veganised Mac and Cheese 

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After spending a small fortune on it, the Truffle Mac and Cheese at Farmacy was quite possibly one of the worst things we’ve ever eaten, tasting overpoweringly of truffle to the exclusion of everything else.

Absolute Best Veganised Bubble Waffle 

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Noda’s has quickly become a legend in the Exeter vegan scene. The staff are so nice and the food… you just have to!

The Copper Spoon Award For Best Coffee Shop That Isn’t The Copper Spoon Because they won last year.

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We still love the Copper Spoon (Clare was there this morning) but we’d also like to give a little love to a peaceful little place where you can hide once you’ve overdosed on shopping in London: Chai by Mira.

Kate’s Favourite Snack of 2019

greggs

I cant believe we haven’t mentioned Greggs Vegan Sausages Rolls on the blog before but I think they’d already reached meme status by the time we’d tried one for the first time. Kate never grew up with Greggs like I did, but she’s taken to it like a duck to water.