On the Waterfront, Quayside

Visited on the 27th August, for a treat.

Before I begin, I have a confession to make. Ten years ago, myself and friends did a runner from On The Waterfront (OTW). It took them 2 hours to serve us a pizza, and we drank our own wine (bought in the off-license) after stealing glasses from the bar because the staff were too busy to serve us on my 21st birthday.  We didn't wait around for the bill.

Thankfully things have changed. Though pizza is still the dominant dish, it sits alongside various other bloody and non-bloody options. Now I do love a slice of non-cheese pizza, but now prefer to make my own vegan cheesy versions at home, so didn't feel the need to pay for something I could teach them a thing or two about. Apologies for ego, neck has been appropriately wound in.

Interestingly, OTW now offer a vegan salad; smoked tofu, bean sprouts, pak choi, radish and fennel. Despite fennel being my ultimate food enemy, I gave it a try. Smoked tofu trumps fennel.

The salad arrived quickly, in a very attractive bowl. I could write a paragraph or two about the loveliness of the bowl, but I'll resist on this occasion.  The salad itself sadly paled in comparison.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the use of tofu, but frying it up a little would have been a massive improvement. Tofu is not equal to cheese (despite what some people seem to think), and should not be used as such! I also appreciate a bean sprout as an avant-garde salad ingredient, but have you ever tried eating those guys raw, with a fork? It just doesn't work for me.

You will already know that I don't appreciate fennel in any shape or form. I'm willing to let that go on this occasion, but dressing a salad in Thai sweet chilli sauce and serving raw tofu is not cooking. It was sticky, sweet, and awkward to eat.

Now I've come across like a complete snob, I confess that it wasn't that bad. It was a perfectly edible vegan option that could have been done better given a little thought. Well done to OTW for thinking of it and making my menu choice much simpler than normal. They're on the right track; all they need now is some vegan cheese on their pizzas and a whole new market will be theirs.