The Botanist's Vegan Menu

Last night, I was invited to check out the latest additions to the The Botanist's menu - their vegan options. With Veganuary done and dusted, they're keeping on a selection of vegan dishes 'veganually' so there's plant based options all year round.

Before I get on with the post, I just want to say sorry the photo quality isn't amazing - the lighting was quite dark!

I think it's great that restaurant chains are taking this food 'movement' (cringe) seriously. I truly think that plant-based options will become more and more mainstream and accessible and the norm as the environmental impacts of meat and poor factory farming ethics for animal products are more widely discussed. Anyway. Preaching over.

It's also nice to be able to go somewhere that's not exclusively vegan - I get that full on vegan only places can be off-putting, especially if you're trying to get your meat-loving boyfriend to go with you.

So, on to the food.

We got the truffle mushoom ciabatta and falafel to share. The truffle mushrooms were delicious. Meaty mushrooms, tasty onions and a lightly toasted ciabatta. Would make an ideal brunch dish! The sesame coated falafel were an absolute winner too - with whole chickpeas in, and an almost crunchy outer shell, they were so tasty. The peri peri dip was right up my street too, really spicy and tomato-ey.

James and I both said that they didn't taste 'vegan' - I think a common misconception of vegan / veggie food is that it's lacking something, second best, not quite 'right'. It tends to focus on what's 'missing' (so say), rather than the dish in its own merit. These dishes definitely did not taste like they were lacking in anything.

I went for the Malaysian vegetable curry with coriander rice for my main. It was fragrant, fresh and full of flavour. One of those comfort dishes that feels wholesome and tasty at the same time. The veg included baby new potatoes, peppers and courgette with chilli and beansprouts. I love spice, and this did not disappoint - if you're not a fan of spice maybe ask them to hold back on the chilli here!

James went rogue and got the chicken burger with sweet potato fries. Classic vegan dish. The sweet potato fries were delicious, and he got cheese and jalapenos and said it was great, so you can't argue with that!

We also got a side of their tenderstem broccoli to share which was delicious - would recommend this!

We had a smooth pinot noir to wash it all down, before choosing dessert. James got (non vegan) sticky toffee pudding (I don't like sticky toffee pudding, so I was fine with that...), and I opted for the banana, peanut butter and chocolate icecream.

This was the only thing that tasted a little 'vegan' and like it was lacking some cream - still really tasty and exactly the type of treat I'd make at home but with the other courses, I'd not felt remotely like I was being served a 'special' menu, whereas this did (only a little bit, I'd like to add. It certainly didn't stop me eating it all!).

I thought the menu was great and I was really impressed with each course. I'll definitely be back and hats off to The Botanist for making vegan dishes accessible all year round.

I'd also like to say that, perhaps quite naively, my previous thoughts on The Botanist were that it was a little bit 'chainy' - however, the MediaCity branch was LUSH. Live music, a load of plants and really bustling atmosphere - shout out to our waitress Jas who was an absolute babe too. I'm definitely a convert and will be back very soon!

Also full disclosure - as you might have guessed The Botanist invited me to try this new menu so it was complimentary, however, you know me by now, all opinions are my real honest truth.

5 reasons why I love Madeleine Shaw

Last week I was invited by Harvey Nics and Madeleine Shaw to celebrate the launch of 'A Year of Beautiful Eating', Madeleine's newest book, at her supper club.

It's not the first time I've been to one of her supper clubs - I went to her first one two years ago to celebrate Get the Glow, one of my favourite cook books to date.

Back in 2015

This time around was a little different as Madeline is expecting her first baby, and so we kicked things off with a refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail (I enjoyed mine and then moved swiftly on to prosecco!).

I went with Pam, and we were both really excited for the food - and we weren't disappointed.

For starters, we were treated to a gorgeous 'summer loving bowl' - buckwheat, beetroot, cucumber, mango, hummus, walnut and jalapeno chilli.

I cook with buckwheat flour a lot but would usually opt to have quinoa or lentils instead of buckwheat and this inspired me to incorporate it in my cooking - it's got such a lovely nutty flavour! It was so summery and really filling for a starter - this would make a perfect lunch to take to work.

It was absolutely gorgeous, and really reminded me of the goddess bowl we had last time -

For our main, we had roast cod with asparagus, paprika and green olives.

The cod was absolutely massive!

Just when we thought we couldn't eat any more, we were brought out (the nicest) rice pudding dish I've ever had. I know. Bold claim. It was seriously amazing.

Rhubarb and coconut rice pudding with vanilla, cinnamon, almonds and maple syrup.

I think it would work well as a breakfast dish, and you could potentially swap out the rice for oats?

Anyway. It was gorgeous - the sweet maple syrup cut through the rhubarb and creamy coconut, and I couldn't help but finish every last mouthful...

As well as hosting great supper clubs, there are lots of reasons why I think Madeleine is a great person not just to follow on social, but to include in your cook-book repertoir....

1) She's so lovely and genuine

I know, people say that all the bloody time about 'celebs' and people they're a fan of. But honestly, the three times I've met Madeleine, she's always been so chatty, interested, genuinely happy and full of life. Even last week, after juggling being pregnant with an exhausting book tour, she was smiling, chatting and making time for everyone at the event. I really respect her.

2) Her approach to food and eating is very inclusive

She doesn't preach a certain way of eating, unnecessarily cutting out food groups. Her ethos on eating is centered on foods that nourish your body, making you feel good on the inside and out - I've made loads of her recipes and think they're a great choice if you're entertaining.

3) Her food is absolutely delicious

My faveee recipes include:

* Her poached eggs, quinoa and beetroot bowl

* Thai beef salad with salt and pepper cashews (this was cooked at the first supper club, and oh my goddd it was so good!)

* Mexican bbq grilled corn and quinoa with chilli salsa:

* Mexican mince in lettuce wraps (these are a great Saturday night in meal)

*The raw cherry and chocolate fudge

...and of course the rice pudding in the photos above... oh my gosh!!


4) Her recipes aren't too complicated and extensive

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love people like Gizzi Erskine (the meatball recipe in her Healthy Appetite book is hands down one of my faves), but sometimes, her ingredients list go on forever, and I've found myself Googling a lot of the foods on the list. You know the kind of recipe where you have to go to really obscure shops to get all the right ingredients.

Madeleine's recipes are very simple and easy to follow. They're very attainable and easy to make, and I've found her to be a really accessible chef.

5) Her Instagram is lovely

Don't just follow her for recipes and food inspiration - her daily ramblings and happenings are documented across social, and she's well worth a follow!

Thank you to Harvey Nics for inviting me to share the evening with Madeleine (and for supplying the prosecco ;)), and to Madeleine, for being such a gem.

Shoryu Ramen

As you enter Shoryu Ramen (which has just opened on Piccadilly, Manchester), you're greeted with a loud gong and the staff cheer your arrival... which was great for us, as we were running 20 minutes late and so were quite thankful that they were so happy to see us!

The place was teeming with people (a great sign), and the atmosphere was stylish, but very relaxed, with white wash stone walls, low hanging lights, gold detail; not to mention being bathed in natural light thanks to its two glass walls.

If you're from Manchester then you'll know that the Piccadilly area really struggles with its reputation (and if you've visited Manchester it's probably the bit in the city centre that made you wonder why you came..), so I'm really pleased it's getting names like Shoryu to tempt people back to spend time there.

Before I get on to the good stuff (spoiler alert: the ramen is incredible), one thing James and I both commented on was how friendly all the staff were. Not just to us, but to every table - chatting away, offering friendly advice and generally being lovely and attentive. They were really busy but always made time to put a smile on people's faces, and that created such a nice atmosphere. Big shout out to Duncan too (Shoryu's answer to Michael McIntyre?!), who was really funny and a great host.

For drinks, James went for the manly Okinawa Sunrise (mint, mango puree, orange, maraschino, red rum and grenadine), and I had the Avocado Nikkei (blended avocado, namazake, pisco, agave syrup and lemon) (FYI I have no idea what namazake or pisco are but the drink tasted lush so there we go).

They both hit the spot perfectly and weren't sickly sweet like some summer inspired drinks can be.

When Duncan was talking through the menu, the wagyu beef bun jumped out at me, as did the pork belly bun... this picture does not do the soft, fluffy bun justice. It was heaven. The pork belly was thick and so tasty - the bun came with a spicy sauce which was just to my taste. The wagyu bun stole the show though, with a gorgeous flavour and really 'light' feel.

Wagyu beef bun

Pork belly bun

Us being us, we also ordered the Duck teriyaki from the jumbo hakata yakitori menu, and the king prawn tempura.

Oh my gosh, I don't know what to start with, duck or prawn. The duck was absolutely amazing - skewered and coated in a gorgeous teriyaki sauce with a slightly crispy skin, it was incredibly moreish.

The tempura on the prawns was lovely and light, not too heavy and worked so well with the big juicy prawns - I was so impressed.

When it came to ramen, we knew we had to get a Tonkotsu - Shoryu specialise in Tonkotsu - a rich pork broth that cooks for 12 hours, and is topped with barbecue pork belly, nitamago egg, kikurage mushrooms, spring onion, sesame, ginger and nori seaweed.

We got the Shoryu Ganso Tonkotsu, which came with fried shallots, and it was gorgeous. The soupy broth is soo tasty - you could eat that on its own and be satisfied! The portions are huge and it's a lot of fun watching the person you're with not splash broth everywhere...

I really liked the shallots and spring onions in the pork dish, they brought the flavours to life for me - it's incredible how the noodles pick up all the different flavours.

As I'm a huge (huge huge) fan of Thai inspired cuisine, we also got the Green curry ramen - a really spicy, coconut-y soup with king prawns, chicken karaage (fried), menma (bamboo shoots), nitamago egg, red chillies and of course, loooads of noodles.

My green curry ramen (and teriyaki duck in the chopsticks)

This was my absolute favourite dish and I was gutted at how full I got towards the end as I couldn't finish it! If you like Thai green curry, I promise you you will love this dish.

After a good twenty minutes or so of letting our food go down, more drinks (this time, Asian beer!) and chatting, we were offered dessert. Despite being so full, Duncan persuaded us to try a tiny little Japanese pudding called Mochi (Japanese icecream balls, essentially). James chose salted caramel and I went for sesame. These were the perfect size for having something to satisfy that sweet craving.

Each part of our meal was absolutely delicious, and come on.. how nicely are those ramen bowls presented?! It's a great spot to with friends after work, or to grab a lush meal if you're out shopping or fancy food and drinks and a genuinely friendly service!

Shoryu Ramen kindly invited me down, but you know I wouldn't ever write about or promote a place that I wouldn't go to again - and I really, really urge you to go and check this place out! We'll definitely be back. Thank yooou Shoryu Ramen. 

PS if you're looking for more Asian inspired recipes and reviews in Manchester - here's a few of my others... here, here, here, and here!

Jamie's Italian - The Best Superfood Salad?

If you know anything about me, it's that I like to eat out. A lot. It's not unusual for me to eat out twice, sometimes three times a week - I absolutely love it.

I love the atmosphere, catching up with family & friends over gorgeous food that someone else has cooked for you, the choices... if I was going to define 'hygge' for me it would definitely include eating out!

On my 'about' page, I used to talk about the phrase 'buon cibo, buon vino, buoni amici' which is Italian for good food, good wine, good people (in fact, this was on my Instagram bio for a long while ~thinks back to a hundred other screen names I've had in the past... oh if only I could tell my 13 year old self that MSN names don't need to include Ashanti lyrics...~), but this phrase is genuinely something I really believe in - it encapsulates everything about a great evening for me.

As well as loving the indulgence of eating out, this month I've also been trying to keep it healthy.

I've been booked in to review Jamie's Italian restaurant in Manchester since December, but I was too ill to go, so was really looking forward to last week, when James & I were re-booked.

I'm surprised at myself for not having been into this restaurant in years. I think it's because I thought it was 'just another chain' and there are so many restaurants around King Street. However, the building is absolutely beautiful (a grade II listed former bank - with lots of original features and a gorgeous split mezzanine floor), so even if you're not out for dinner, the bar area is perfect for a unique place for a drink.

How beautiful is the ceiling?

As I'm doing dry jan, I opted for their 'refresher' mocktail which was lush, fruity but not sickeningly sweet like some cocktails can be.

James opted for a pint.

We started with some gorgeous olives, served on ice (which I've never seen before, and they were gorgeous - buttery and really juicy), and their bread selection with balsamic and olive oil (because James and I live for that combination). I was being mindful not to go 'HAM' on the bread as we'd also ordered the 'classic meat plank'.

I love the way it's served, on top of 4 tins of chopped tomatoes and a wooden board. The waiter built our construction in front of us and we dived in.

Usually, with sharing platters I'll pick and eat straight from the board, but I wanted to be a little more mindful about not overeating on the starter. I found putting my selection on a small plate encouraged me to eat less as I knew exactly how much cheese and meat I'd chosen. Firm faves included the mozzarella, pecorino cheese (it had a blob of chilli jam on top of each slice - such a nice combinatioin), and the proscuitto.

For my main, I went for the superfood salad with chicken. In all honesty, I really wasn't expecting great things as I've been disappointed with 'superfood' salads from restaurants before, however, I'd say without thinking twice that this is hands down up there in the top 3 salads I've had at a restaurant.

Seriously, they know exactly how to cater for someone who wants a healthy main here. No limp lettuce, soggy Cesar-dressing coated peppers or crutons here. Oh no.

The salad consists of a bed of mixed pulses and grains (think quinoa, lentils, wild rice), half an avocado, roasted beetroot, sprouting broccoli, pomegranate, light harissa dressing, cottage cheese and crunchy seeds. I was intrigued by the addition of the cottage cheese as I wouldn't ever add this to salads but it worked really well - there was only around a tablespoon in the whole dish but added a welcome 'creamy' touch.

I added free-range chicken to up my protein content.

I was soo full, and couldn't finish the whole thing (which is unusual for me when ordering a salad...).

James's dish looked insane, too. Despite not having the superfood label, it wasn't too unhealthy either.

Lamb cutlets with a selection of toppings.

We loved the unique way in which it was served, again on the chopped tomato tin base, with lots of little dishes so you could pick and choose the flavour for each mouthful. The little dished included a chilli and yoghurt dip, crushed nuts, mint leaves, pickled shallots and slaw. A hearty portion of Parmesan coated polenta chips finished this one off nicely (they were delicious, too).

We really shouldn't have, but we shared dessert. We opted for the 'epic chocolate brownie' with chocolate sauce, salted caramel icecream and caramelised popcorn.

Not so healthy, but fricking delicious (#balance). I'm glad we shared though, it was really rich!

If you haven't been, I'd definitely recommend it - not just for the gorgeous food but the building itself; it's stunning!

Jamie's Italian kindly contributed to some of the bill however all thoughts and opinions are my own

Tuesday @ Y Fabrica

When I first moved to Didsbury, Mudcrab was one of my favourite restaurants. I especially loved their signature burger and fries (perfect hangover cure with friends), but was also a place I brought my parents, and I thought they'd got that balance as an all-rounder down to a T. They've recently re-branded to Y Fabrica: still under the Mudcrab umbrella, but branching out to offer chilled, Cali-Mexican food. Think tacos, stuffed jalapenos, margaritas; sharing plates and cocktails - oh yess.

I got invited to come down and sample their tacos & margaritas and so last week, we made our way over for what I hoped would be a spicy, flavoursome affair to warm me up on a cold November evening.

I've got to say the furnishings give the place a lovely vibe - big wicker chairs (a bit like the furniture at the old Grand Pacific?) dominate the front area, and I imagine in the day light it would look beautiful. We were sat a bit further back so excuse the photos as some of them are a little dark (sorry).

The team at Y Fabrica were so lovely, our waiter Orion (I think that was his name!) was chatty (but not 'fake' chatty), made us laugh and feel at home. He recommended a load of dishes and asked us our favourite flavour combinations and how hungry we were... which resulted in this for starters:

Chicken Tinga Taco - pulled chicken soft flour tacos, with crumbled feta, pomegranate slaw and pico de gallo (Mexican chopped salsa, I learnt..)

Pork belly soft flour tacos with apple slaw and pico de pina (fruity salsa!)

Breadcrumbed and fried jalapeno poppers with a salsa verde

I'm known for being over dramatic but these were hands down the best pulled chicken tacos I've ever had. You'd think that the tacos themselves would be nothing to write home about, you know, the meat and filling should be the main affair? But take it from me, I've never tasted such fresh, "homemade" tasting soft flour wraps. You could just tell they'd been made moments before. Their plumpness worked well to scoop up all the pulled chicken (delicious), pomegranate and feta. I was gutted as James and I had agreed to go halves on each others starters, and so reluctantly handed over my plate.

The pork belly was gorgeous too, so swapping really wasn't so bad!

The jalapeno poppers were right up my street too. Whole jalapenos, injected with creamy, warm cheese. SO NAUGHTY but so good. A gorgeous salsa verde accompanied it. I'd highly recommend getting these to share.

When it came to the mains, Orion was really good at advising on portion sizes, and recommended that we get the nachos to share with our mains, as James's dish wasn't huge, he said.

I went for the slow cooked lamb tagine (obviously), with pomegranate couscous (pomegranate's really having a moment isn't it?) and yoghurt. It was delicious; full of flavour - rich and tomatoey, and very generous with the lamb. The size was perfect too, although I couldn't eat all the couscous.

James was content with his fruity choice too; fried chicken on a bed of chunky chilli watermelon - it sounds odd but in all honesty, it really worked! The watermelon was fresh and a perfectly unassuming partner for a plate of crispy fried chicken. It's definitely a good wild card option.

We also got the pulled chicken nachos to share (the pulled chicken was so good in the tacos I was so excited to know we were having more..), and oh my word, they were massive. Our waiter brought out a huge tray of nachos smothered in pulled chicken, avocado mash, jalapenos, salsa and cheese.

We could've just eaten these and been full! They were devilishly moreish and we had a pretty good go at eating them all ("just one more..").

I didn't have a margarita due to 'dry November' reasons, but James got the 'Smokey and the Bandit' - a spicy, oaky margarita with a Maldon salt rim. He said it tasted delicious, so I'll have to take his word, and try them for myself in December.

We really didn't need it, but we got dessert. I saw something with Snickers in and couldn't get it out of my head! Icecream, Snickers, chocolate sauce and torched meringue - it was LUSH.

You can check out the full menu here. I remember seeing a sign outside offering 2-4-1 cocktails during the week before a certain time, so it would be a perfect place for mid-week drinks and dinner.

They invited me down to try just their tacos and margaritas but when we went to pay the bill, our waiter told us that it was all on the house - which sweetened our evening even more. Such a lovely touch, they really didn't need to do that! We were expecting to, and would have gladly, paid for the rest of our meal, but it was a lovely gesture.

I'll definitely be back - I want at least two pulled chicken tacos next time around!