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