Offshore is one of our old favourites, one of the first places we started visiting when I moved down to Torquay, but we haven’t had chance to go in a while. We popped in over the bank holiday to try the special: vegan fish and chips.

The fish is in fact banana blossom fried in a beautiful crispy batter. The banana blossom itself is fairly flavourless so it probably could have done with a bit of nori to liven things up. I’d recommend trying it. Especially if you get a table with a view of the harbour. It just fits. If they aren’t serving the fish when you visit the main menu has an array of vegan options including pizza and two different burgers.

We have written before about our love for Bombay Express but recently they’ve had a change of menu. This week we were invited to come and try the new menu, on the house, in exchange for a review. As I’ve never passed up a chance to give my opinion, or eat Indian food, we sat down with a basket of poppadoms and the new menu to check out what vegan treats we could stuff our face with.

The menu has had a complete overhaul turning Bombay Express from classic curry house to what they call ‘regional elevated cuisine.’ Previously Bombay Express had become known for its awesome vegan options and thankfully there is still plenty to eat on the new menu. It’s just a little more fancy.

To start with we ordered the Pav Bharjia. In its traditional form it’s one of my favourite dishes and the Bombay Express version did not disappoint. The vegetable curry has a wonderful depth of flavour. I could have probably done with twice as much bread to scoop it up with though.

Our other starter was another street food inspired treat; gol guppa. This was the highlight of what ended up being a really good meal. It’s a brilliant mix of tastes and textures and it’s so much fun to eat. We loved it so much we urged the table next to us to order it too. If you ever end up at Bombay Express you have to order it too.

For the main I ordered Dal Makhan.  It’s choc-full of lentils and vegetables with a lovely smokiness. In there is aubergine, sweet potatoes, peppers and probably some things I didn’t identify.

Kate went for the South Indian Vegetable Curry because she’s obsessed with coconut milk. Although she was a fan of the sauce she did question the choice of vegetables. She said that rather than having peppers she would have enjoyed more potatoes. And that come to think of it, rather have potatoes than the cauliflower. I said she was coming across like someone obsessed with potatoes.

The curries were delicious but compared to the rest of the meal they weren’t quite as show-stopping. But we can’t talk about the mains without mentioning the naan bread. Yes, it’s vegan! We went for the garlic naan this time and it’s just gorgeous. I could happily eat basket upon basket of it should it be socially acceptable to eat nothing but naan bread.

Here we are, the end of the meal and what did we get? Chocolate samosas! Probably not one to eat on a first date, these tiny triangles of awesome are filled with delicious, delicious chocolate. You’ll probably end up licking your fingers with these, maybe even moaning, They’re incredible.

We really enjoyed trying the new menu. The food was creative, delicious and absolutely stunning. The gol guppa and chocolate samosas were particular highlights but the worst thing we could think to say about anything was ‘not as special but still great.’ We’ll be going back and we’ll continue to recommend Bombay Express as one of the vegan highlights in Torquay.

Once again, we were given a free meal in exchange for this review, but of course these are our honest opinions. You can find the Bombay Express menu here.

One of my most frequently asked questions is where can you find a vegan cream tea. Well now I know. I was invited to Angels Tea Room on Babbacombe Downs and got a chance to check out their vegan options.

This is it. This is the Angels Tea with roasted Mediterranean sandwiches and dairy-free scones with soy spread and strawberry jam. Depending on your waiter it can be a bit of a faff to order. Asking for no butter, asking for no clotted cream, clarifying that yes, you do want both scones to be dairy-free. But you get a tea at the end of it. The scones are great, the sandwiches a little sloppy.

And the tea? Well, it’s loose leaf, which is good, but there is no clear jug to pour it into once it’s done so your second cup is over-brewed. I know I’m fussier about tea than most people though. So am I going to go back? Yes for the scones, no for the tea and sandwiches.