Dartmouth doesn’t seem to conjure thoughts of particularly vegan-friendly food; many a cold afternoon has been spent wandering around similarly sized country towns in search of something other than a packet of crisps. When I think of this small little riverside town, I think of ice-cream, fish and chips, and grockles in hopeless, aimless searches for the nearest Starbucks. I had no idea that the Radio Dart Café even existed, so was very lucky that my brother had discovered it a few months previously and remembered it for my birthday.
The Radio Dart café is a truly unique place; its uniqueness however, partly isn’t through conscious choice. In 2010, a fish and chip shop down the road caught fire, which quickly spread to the adjoining buildings. Their age and proximity meant that it was not only extra difficult to get the fire under control, but that it also quickly caused massive structural damage to 8 cafes and 15 residences. The Grade I and II listed buildings also obviously suffered cosmetic damage and would never be the same again. Thankfully no-one was hurt, but the fire cost the town over £10m and was enough for the council to ban production and sales of hot food in some of the tightly-knit back streets of Dartmouth harbour. If you're interested in learning more, the Radio Dart café walls are emblazoned with newspaper cuttings and photos of the fire.
So, why does this make the Radio Dart café unique? Well, raw and cold food naturally lends
itself to veganism (don’t get me wrong; there are of course thousands of hot possibilities!). Though they
do serve plates of cold meats, quiches, and cheese sandwiches, they offer
a fantastic vegan platter and were very enthusiastic to show off what else they
could offer (despite informing us that they were all a little hung over from a
party the previous night!). It was a
pleasure to be served somewhere where they embraced my request rather than
seeing it as ‘specialist’ or an inconvenience. The menu screamed at me to order everything!
I refrained from doing so, for fear of not having any space for the incredible-looking platter. It was a good decision as the platter was insanely tasty; tomato/bean/couscous salad; black olive tapenade,
houmous, a bowl of creamy quinoa, smoked tofu, freshly chopped salad, all
served alongside gluten-free spinach crackers, and the freshly baked bread
shared among the table. It was a perfectly harmonious and filling meal; so much
so that my mum commented on how happy I looked!
The vegan-friendly beer, from Suma, was the (vegan) icing on the (vegan) cake! A large group were clearly enjoying it at the back of the cafe, under a huge sign which they had clearly taken as an order.
Now
being the writer of a food blog, I am kind of obligated to at least ask about
dessert. Much of the time I dread being
met with the usual wide-eyed look of panic and fear, but this time the cook
came out to see me and kindly said that although they didn’t have anything
prepared, she would be happy to whip up a bowl of fresh fruit and yoghurt with
grated vegan chocolate. Even though I
was more than full from the amazing platter, I couldn’t turn it down! Even better, I didn't have to watch my loved ones chow down on cake, looking at me with pity whilst I sipped my coffee.
If you don’t live nearby and own a boat, Dartmouth can be a bit of a challenge
to get to. However, if you’re in the
mood for a ferry trip, some trinket-shopping, and being surrounded by
city-dwellers completely out of their comfort-zone, I suggest you also pay the
Radio Dart café a visit. You won’t be
disappointed! My only regret is that I haven't been able to get back there yet.
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