Roots at Inspired Nights on the Green

Wednesday, 28 August 2019

Earlier this year we were enjoying a walk with family on Aberdeen beach when we remembered hearing about a new plant-based catering truck near Footdee. We decided to have a look and see if we could get some lunch. The whole family was impressed (non-vegans included) and Roots have become a favourite of theirs too! I didn't have my camera with me that day but when we visited this month we saw Roots would be at Inspired Nights On The Green. We headed along, excited to see what would be on offer this time.

Inspired Nights On The Green is a monthly event held in Aberdeen over summer, with a selection of street food vendors, pop up bars and music it's such a great atmosphere. The Green is also home to some fantastic street art which was part of the nuart festival so make sure to have a wander around and check out the painted doors too!

Roots catering has a small but perfectly formed menu, it changes regularly as they experiment with new creations and so far everything we have tried has been our newest favourite! At Inspired Nights we had the Philly Cheesesteak and Philly Cheesesteak loaded fries. Actually, David had both as he couldn't choose but I just had the fries! I say just, but the portions are very generous so that was plenty for me. The cheese sauce is unbelievable, and the seitan 'steak' is delicious. My sister and her friends came along too and pinched a few of our chips before ordering the same plus the Chickn' Katsu Curry Burger.

Last time, we had a southern fried Chick'aint Burger and Crispy Panko To-fish burger which were perfect after a breezy beach walk. It's definitely given us more motivation to visit the beach on an Aberdeen weekend trip! Roots is the creation of chef Nick Coetzer, you can see his passion for making exciting plant-based food in the attention to detail. The seitan and cheese sauce alone are worth a trip to Aberdeen! Look out for future pop-up events as you don't want to miss food this good.

Find Roots at the beach and local events - check their social media for details:

The Long Dog Cafe

Monday, 26 August 2019

It had been years since I'd visited the Long Dog Cafe in Aberdeen (before I was vegan) and the last time I was there was for one of their famous freakshakes. I was delighted to see they had recently added a vegan version to their menu, so when my sister asked where we should go for a coffee we opted for a huge sugar boost instead.

The Long Dog Cafe is incredibly dog-friendly (we brought Molly), they cater for your furry friends and also have a boutique next door for all your pup's accessories. It's great to see they are now catering for vegans too! There is a sign saying soya and almond milk are available but I've also seen oat and coconut mentioned on Instagram. The freakshake, which we had also seen on social media before visiting, was slightly different from the dark chocolate one here which was topped with banana bread and lotus biscuit. Ours were topped with a tasty flapjack type cake instead, with chocolate sauce, biscoff spread, pretzels, dark chocolate buttons and almonds. The shake itself was just vanilla-y but that's fair considering how much else is going on with this delicious creation!

We didn't try out anything else on the menu, but I think they have a couple of vegan-friendly savoury options for brunch and lunch as well as a cake or two. I'm sure if you're visiting after reading this, it's more likely you'll be ordering a freakshake! They cost £6.50, but it is basically a cake and dessert in one so it's worth it as a treat for sure.
66 Claremont Street, Aberdeen, AB10 6QY
07.30-17.00 Mon-Fri | 09.00-17.00 Sat | 10.00-17.00 Sun
http://www.thelongdogcafe.co.uk/

Serendipities

Wednesday, 14 August 2019

Serendipities sadly closed in August 2023, you can still follow Uppertunity CIC to see the work they are doing. They also offer catering for events. Another vegan place? We are so spoilt for choice in Dundee just now! With Birchwood, Underdog and the Marwick’s Vegan Kitchen opening (very) soon, we could not be happier or in more of a food heaven just now. Serendipities café just opened up on Union Street (where Marwick’s used to be) and is fully plant-based, serving up lots of delicious food and drink.
Choice:★★★Staff Knowledge:★★★★
Value for Money:★★★★Overall:★★★
It’s been a wee while since we have written a blog post together, it's been a busy summer for us both, so it was nice to get out for a quick lunch and a girly catch up. Serendipities café is light and airy, which was nice during another very humid week. When we arrived we headed straight to the cake cabinet and were delighted to see it filled to the brim with loads of vegan cakes, pies and other sweet treats. Serendipities is more than a cafe, it's a space dedicated to creating and inspiring social change. Its parent organisation is Uppertunity which is a Dundee based social enterprise that works with adults with additional needs. If you check out their Facebook page you'll see they're hosting all sorts of events too!

It’s quite a small menu but with some delicious options at very reasonable prices. I opted for a baked potato with ‘tuna’ and Jilly for a bagel with coronation cheekin'. Our food arrived quickly and they were MASSIVE portions, we were stuffed. Jilly went for the 'jazzed up spritzer' drink which was Ribena, I opted for a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows – YUM.

Ok, so we may have been stuffed but there was still room for a little cake, I had a slice of summer berry pie and Jilly had a piece of the homemade tablet. The tablet was delicious but the pie would have been nice with some ice cream or custard. It’s so great to see another vegan place to open and with affordable lunch prices, plenty of options. We can’t wait to go back to try some of the all-day breakfast options.

Remember to use #vegandundee on Instagram to share your vegan favourites in our beautifully plant-based city.
12 Union Street, Dundee, DD1 4BH 
08.00-16.30 Mon - Sat | closed Sun
https://serendipities.co.uk/

Menu Key:
Everything is plant-based!
Suitable for Little Vegans:
Yes
Dog Friendly:
Yes
Accessibility:                        
Step to access, toilets downstairs
Top Tip:
Check out the Facebook page for events

Tahini

Wednesday, 5 June 2019

It was David's birthday so we thought we'd treat ourselves to one of the most indulgent dinners we know of in Dundee - tapas at Tahini! If you've been before you'll know you need to book for this 5 course extravaganza, simply let them know you're vegan and don't eat much all day in preparation for a Lebanese feast.
Choice:★★★Staff Knowledge:★★★★
Value for Money:★★★★Overall:★★★
We'd been to Tahini once before, just after moving to Dundee, and couldn't get over how much food there was! On arrival our waitress showed us to our table and confirmed our dietary requirements then we were brought flat breads, olives, sundried tomatoes and aubergine with balsamic olive oil. Straight after this was our favourite course on the little turntable, salads and dips - tabbouleh, two types of hummus, baba ganoush, red pepper salad, potato salad and a garlic tomato salad. Everything is so fresh and tasty! At this point a waiter came over and said "don't eat too much, lots more to come" which we had a chuckle at. Next up was a selection of dishes - falafel, spiced cripsy potatoes, garlicy veg, spicey tomato mushrooms and a couple of rice dishes. I know falafel is known as a bit of a boring staple but this one was amazing. That and the potatoes were my favourites! Now we were getting pretty full, and up next was stuffed peppers with more sides so we did struggle to eat these as they were quite heavy going after all the previous food. Finally, was the sweets course which was simply a dish of melon, dates and rose Turkish delight. I think the non-vegan version also includes baklava but we wouldn't have managed much else so I was happy to have something lighter! The 5 course tapas is available on Friday-Saturday evenings at £24.95 per head which is great value for the amount of food you get. Tahini is the perfect place for a special occasion dinner where you really want to treat yourself!
11 Bank Street, Dundee, DD1 1RL
12.00-22.00 Mon - Sun
Tahini on Facebook

Menu Key:
Let them know you're vegan when booking/on arrival
Suitable for Little Vegans:
High chairs available
Dog Friendly:
No
Accessibility:                        
Steps to access, toilets downstairs
Top Tip:
Make sure you're very hungry!

Sweetpea Cafe

Wednesday, 22 May 2019


While Falda was on holiday I visited Sweetpea Cafe in Broughty Ferry for lunch with my (newly vegan) friend Sam Baxter Art as guest blogger. There wasn't a menu as everything is on display in the counter but it's clearly labelled and there was a lot to choose from! 
Choice:★★Staff Knowledge:★★★★
Value for Money:★★★★Overall:★★★
We decided to share a couple of things as they all looked so good. There was a jackfruit sweet potato wrap, and spiced roast vegetable tart. Both were served with beautiful, colourful salads topped with flowers, the wrap with crisps and the tart with vegan coleslaw which is always a bonus! They were delicious, enough of a treat to be comfort food but still felt healthy.

Sam had a Teapigs berry tea and I had an oat milk latte with chai syrup. There was also soya and coconut milk to choose from for hot drinks. Sweetpea Cafe offer a lot of vegan sweet options too, we had a pineapple crumble cakey thing which was very tasty. They also had ginger tiffin, scones, and a chocolatey nut thing.

Hopefully we can visit again soon since the menu changes all the time (we spotted vegan sausage rolls on the Sweetpea Cafe Instagram) and Falda doesn't want to miss out!

327A Brook Street, Broughty Ferry, DD5 2DS
08.30-17.00 Mon - Fri | 09:00-17:00 Sat | Closed Sun
https://www.facebook.com/Sweetpeacafebroughtyferry/

Menu Key:
Vegan options labelled + ask staff
Suitable for Little Vegans:
Yes but no baby changing
Dog Friendly:
Yes
Accessibility:                        
All ground floor but not a huge amount of room around tables.
Top Tip:
Ask staff for vegan cake options!