Vegan in the City: Down the Hatch (Liverpool)

Down The Hatch, is a favourite haunt of mine, boasting the reputation as one of Liverpool's best vegetarian restaurants. Setting itself apart from others by providing the food which you miss most as a veggie, the unhealthy stuff! Yes of course I love kale and quinoa salads, and eat hummus by the tub, but sometimes all I really want, is a blooming kebab with salt and pepper chips! I know, I know. As a vegan we are supposed to be above such thoughts, but let's get real here guys, we may be trying to save the planet one carrot at a time, but hey, we're only human! And it would be pretty nice to be able to act on such cravings without jeopardising our ethical values, now wouldn't it?

 Now, this is where the fabulous Down the Hatch comes into the equation! Offering up and incredible menu of dirty veggie junk food which will leave even the most carnivorous of friends satisfied! The menu is pretty extensive yet not very expensive, with no single meal coming in at over £11, and for the quality of food, I cannot grumble. The upgrades are certainly worth it, and I would whole heartedly recommend getting some form of fries based upgrade, because the salt and pepper ones are simply divine, balancing the spice perfectly with the carby fried goodness of the fries and the cutting flavour of the salt, working together to create a chip like no other! Now, that may sound a bit ridiculous to say, but don't judge until you have tried them!

I think one of my favourite things from Down the Hatch has to be, 'The Don', which is a warm pitta stuffed with vegan donner style seitan, serves with crunchy salad, tangy tzatziki  and fries. You really don't feel as though you are missing out on the meat with this one. The seitan is simply incredible, the texture truly does mimic that of meat, without the unpleasant gristle or toughness which inevitably comes with a kebab. The flavour is bold and works well with the tzatziki, which you honestly cannot tell is vegan. But be warned, like almost everything else on their menu, it is really filling, which can be a bit of a problem because the Vegan Sundae is not to be missed!

The Vegan Cookie Sundae is out of this world. The ice cream comes from Cafe Creme and is utterly delicious, and super creamy, regardless of which flavour you choose (although I would recommend the mint chocolate every time!). It is filled throughout with pieces of freshly baked vegan cookies, and brownie, interspersed with an indulgently delightful chocolate fudge sauce. 

This, is a bit of a star item that you simply must try, well, that is if you can manage it after all of the savoury! I often end up having to share this dessert, although my friend and I do find ourselves fighting over who gets the pieces of cookie... 

Down the Hatch have recently started doing a Sunday Lunch on certain weekends, and it looks incredible! As a vegan, Sunday lunch can be a bit of a disappointment, with your plate being filled almost entirely with vegetables, because the roasties and Yorkshire puddings, and even the stuffing has been made with animal fat! But thankfully, the guys at Down the Hatch have put an end to our suffering and have offered up what looks like an incredible option! 

I just need to get myself down there on Sunday and finally give it a go! 

So, whether you are vegan or not, I would wholeheartedly recommend that you give Down the Hatch a go! 

Location - Basement, 62 Duke Street, Liverpool, L1 5AA

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Leaf Liverpool

Leaf is an integral part of Liverpool Bold Street, without it the street just wouldn't be whole, with its buzzing atmosphere and delicious range of food and drink you can't give it a miss! They offer a large selection of vegetarian foods and a generous selection of vegan varieties, so you certainly aren't short for choice here! 

They specialise in serving tea (as you will have worked out from the name...) and they certainly do not disappoint with their variety, there is almost a whole page dedicated to it so there is a flavour for every mood. 

I have tried the Oolong Green Tea and I can say that it is perhaps the best cup of green tea I have ever drank, perhaps that is because it was loose tea and of a very high quality? I don't know what they do but it tastes amazing.

Onto the food. Today I decided to play it safe and go with the Red Pepper and Tomato Soup, I thought that the soup may be a bit generic and bland in flavour but boy was I wrong! The soup was thick and full of flavour, it came out in this massive bowel with a huge slice of bread to go with it (I forgot to ask for it without butter so I couldn't eat the bread but it did look delicious!)

They have two other soups on the menu, both the regulars are vegan and they do a speciality soup of the day which could be vegan, it all depends on the day.

They also offer a vegan breakfast option which consists of two falafel sausages, roasted vine tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and toast. There are several items that could easily be made vegan with a slight alteration of asking for it without cheese so don't be disheartened if you don't immediately see something vegan because you can always ask! 

I am a big fan of independent cafe's and things because I like to support my local businesses so I wanted to spread the word to all of my readers that Liverpool does have a lot to offer! 

Egg Cafe Liverpool Review

Eating out can be quite stressful if you are vegan or sometimes even vegetarian with the only options ever being soup or salad. It can be so boring going out for lunch with my friends when all I can order is soup when they are having these incredible sandwiches and meals. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to discover this little gem located on Bold Street in Liverpool! 

The cafe itself is very rustic looking and you can't help but feel instantly welcomed when you enter through the heavy purple doors, the smell which greets you is lovely and warming, especially on a cold winter day. There is plenty of seating options for big groups or small so there is never an issue with that.

The staff are so friendly and obviously enjoy their job and that shows in the high level of service that you receive from them, service with a smile has never been more true!

Now, onto the food! Most if not all of their food is vegan, even their famous cheese on toast is available to be made with vegan cheese! The bread is so fresh and fabulously thick, it also comes with a delicious serving of mixed salad, and when I say salad I don't mean a measly portion of leaves with a few slices of tomato, I mean fresh pasta salad, bulgur wheat salad, and other lovely yumminess! The prices are very reasonable and you certainly get your money worth in both taste, quality and portion size.

They offer a different selection of specials every day so there is no chance of food being anything less than fresh, you can even see the cooks preparing the meals. They offer a great selection of vegan puddings and cakes with vegan custard to top them off with so even if you didn't fancy anything savoury there are still some good options available for you.

Overall I would urge anyone may they be vegan/vegetarian or not to go try this lovely little cafe, you won't regret it I can assure you. The food is incredible, the atmosphere is fantastic, and the service is sublime! 

Rating - 9.9/10