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.

Tea on the Green, Cathedral Green

Visited on Saturday 7th September 2013 for a lovely lunchette

I started this blog full of enthusiasm to tell my dietary comrades about the best places to eat in and around Exeter if you don't happen to like a rotting carcass alongside your food. Now, six months later, I have finally found somewhere that won't make me sound like a miserable, moaning old herbivore! The fact is, most eateries don't know how to cook a good veggie meal and usually display any number of culinary ignorances; veggies only eat salad, tofu is tasteless and impossible to cook, any veggie meal MUST contain goats' cheese, veggies must have their plate piled high with carbs or they'll die. The chefs at Tea on the Green however, seem to actually know their stuff and prepare tasty, nutritious and original food for vegans, without making a meal of it. Well, strictly speaking they do make a meal of it, and that's what makes the experience so very pleasant.

I'd been to Tea on the Green some time ago, so when it was suggested, memories of their lovely Lebanese panini sprang immediately to mind. We entered tentatively; Saturdays tend to render the place rammed so we regarded the waitress's face sheepishly to gauge her reaction to our presence. Today our luck was good and we were assigned our very own table and chairs.

Alright, alright, so there was another reason I decided to ignore my dwindling bank account and go to the ever so slightly pricey TotG; their self-pouring teapots. At £2.60 for one cup's worth it's a little steep (ha ha), but worth every penny. They do provide a pot of hot water of you want to eek it out.  I opted for the Japanese rice tea over my smoky old favourite Lapsang Souchon, purely because the rice tea self-poured; all you have to do it place the pot on top of the cup! The rice tea was probably one of the most lovely things I've ever ingested and you can pick yourself up a bag from their shop for under a fiver. They also offer a range of English-grown teas, produced in Cornwall.

I found my Lebanese wrap on the menu and sat poised to place my order. However, whilst waiting for the other half to decide whether he wanted dead fish or dead cow, I discovered that I has been a bit over-zealous and overlooked the two (yes, two!) other vegan options! The butternut squash wrap was something I'd never seen before so my mind was re-made up.

The wrap was truly beautiful. The butternut squash wasn't warm enough to wilt the salad, nor did it have that fridgey un-freshness that can make root veg crumble like chalk. I'm infinitely grateful to the poor sod that had to peel the pomegranate and release those little balls of fruity flavour; the combination of the sharp fruit with sweet balsamic onions was unexpectedly good. The accompanying portion of chips was just the right size.

On the way out I asked about the teapots and teas, and received a way more in-depth answer than I had expected. I now know when their deliveries come in and how many cups of tea I can get out of one bag. I can't praise this place enough and will definitely return. Don't let the name fool you, tea is just the beginning of great things here...