Lets get one thing straight, I’m not a vegan. Cheese will forever be the one thing that yanks on those extremely slack dairy-free reigns and says ‘Woah there!’ and leaves me trotting along at my vegetarian pace, but with menus like this on offer right here in Aberdeen, even the most carnivorous of you out there will be tempted to give veganism a go, even if only for one night.

Enter Roots Catering, the plant based brainchild of South African born chef Nick Coetzer. Up until now Nick’s plant-based journey has been one centred around fine-dining, hosting five course menu pop-ups at venues such as Foodstory, which by all reports have been massive hits. Coming from a non-vegan background, Nick’s menus have been hugely experimental, and visually stunning, not to mention sold out – which is why I’ve struggled to attend a Roots event as yet.

Now I love fine dining as much as the next foodie, but the single mention of meat-free junk food had me quick-drawing my phone and booking a table faster than you can say vegan cheese, and it’s a bloody good job I did, as only two days after the night was announced, all bar my one remaining lucky table was booked out! It really is no wonder why either, with offerings such as loaded cheese fries, Southern fried chick’aint and pulled bbq mushroom tacos, the increasingly large vegan/veggie population of Aberdeen were sure to be fighting each other to the (cruelty free) death for a spot at this sure-fire hit of an evening.

As a regular haunt of ours, I was delighted that Ninety-nine bar & kitchen were going to be playing host for the night. The laid back setting and atmosphere lends itself perfectly to the street food vibe that the menu offered. We all know that Ninety-nine are the home of bespoke cocktails in the city centre, so as would be expected, in collaboration with Roots they put together a mouth-watering vegan cocktail menu to accompany the food. Disappointingly for myself and the other half, it was a school night, so in a rare moment of sensibility, we stuck to a refreshing pint to wash down the oncoming feast, however with options such as a White Chocolate Ramos Gin Fizz and a Five Dollar Shake, i was left seriously wishing that it was a Saturday night!

Let’s get to the food…

Let’s face it, when it comes to vegan and veggie food, choices are often limited and the same old, ill thought out, soup/salad/rabbit food options are just plain depressing after a while, so with so many insanely tasty sounding, definitely not diet friendly options on offer, this was never going to be an easy choice. So we decided not to make one…we made five instead. Diet starts Monday, right?! I just want to make it clear that everything we tried was a roaring success, but in light of not wanting my readers to fall asleep as I pour over each and every delicious element of every dish, here are my selection of absolute faves:

The tacos…oh sweet baby Jesus the tacos. Lashings of bbq sauce were rich with layers of taste-bud-tingling flavours and just the right amount of heat. The mushrooms perfectly replaced the soft meaty texture that you would normally get from a slow-cooked protein and the peanuts added a nice crunchy element to bring it all together. The micro corriander topping delivered a burst of fresh flavour bringing everything together. Seriously, give me these joy-filled soft shells any day of the week and I’ll be one very happy lady!

I’ve been meat-free for almost four years now, but I’ll be the first one to admit that I still get cravings for junk foods of days gone by. For most veggie’s it’s bacon. For me, just walking past a KFC is enough to reduce me to a drooling mess. These chick’aint goujons could have any meat-eater walk in of the street and leave convinced that they had been served a meal from the Colonel himself. Perfectly spiced, crunchy and moist in the middle, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Where do I even get started with that aptly named crack sauce too?! Nick kindly found time to come say hi during the hustle and bustle of a busy service and confirmed our suspicions that the sauce was based on Big Mac sauce, admitting that he used to have a bit of an obsession with the stuff smothered over a burger. Well move over burgers, I’d gladly have this slathered over about 90% of the foods that I eat. In fact I did just that for the next few days, as Nick was kind enough to give us an extra portion away with us after proclaiming our undying love for this tangy little beauty.

I consider myself a bit of a mac & cheese connoisseur, the cheesier the better in my opinion, which is why I’ve often felt let down by vegan imitations in the past, they just haven’t quite hit mark, but I had high hopes for the Roots take on this classic. I was not disappointed. This weighty portion came with a creamy sauce that had the familiar sweetness of what I presume was butternut squash that I’ve experienced in other vegan versions, however this time it seemed to be cut with the sharpness of what I could absolutely swear were chunks of cheddar throughout. Combined with generous toppings of spring onions and that incredible shitake bacon (which I can only assume was conjured up using actual wizardry), this was one satisfying wee box of flavoursome ‘cheesy’ goodness.

Also ordered were the Southern fried Chick’aint burger and the loaded fries which were both equally calorific and satisfying in the most wonderful way, but like I said, we haven’t got all day!

The stroke of genius for me was that everything was served in environmentally friendly take-out style cardboard boxes, leaving us to pack up the remainder of our ridiculous over-order and take it home for the next day. Not only that but our awesome server (who along with the rest of the staff had been left the remaining brownies from the dessert option which we physically had no room left to try) packed up a couple of brownies for us to take home and try later. Hurrah for being saved from the absolute tragedy of a missed dessert! And yes, I can confirm that they were just as deceptively wonderful as any dairy filled brownie I’ve ever tasted.

Now, who’s going to be first to sign my petition to make this incredible night a monthly event and bring tears of joy to vegans, veggies and everyone else in between?

Until this dream hopefully becomes a reality you can catch Roots at their next pop up, a brunch event being hosted at Parx Cafe on Sunday the 10th March from 9-3. This event is walk in only, and sure to be as much of a hit as this one was, so get there early.

See you in the queue!

B x

P.s. You can keep up with everything going on at Roots by following their socials on Instagram and Facebook.

It’s that time of year that every foodie who knows the score has been waiting for; Restaurant week is finally here and it’s going to be a great one.

In case you still aren’t sure, you can read all about it in my ARW 2019 blog post which explains it all.

As a Restaurant Week ambassador in partnership with Aberdeen Inspired, I basically have the best job in the world in that I get to go try out delicious food at participating venues and report back to you lovely lot all about it… It’s a hard life, I know!

This time I was lucky enough to visit the lovely Cafe Harmony, a cosy Mediterranean trattoria located in the heart of the city centre on Bon Accord Terrace, just a minutes walk from Union Street.

Stepping in to Cafe Harmony, it was warm and inviting, a welcome retreat from the icy cold outside and the friendly greeting from staff set the tone for the night. With an eclectic decor and unique details everywhere you look, it feels homely yet authentic.

The dairy bucket lamps were a particular highlight for a home decor obsessive such as myself.

The menu

I’ve actually been dying to try this restaurant for some time now, but have failed to get a booking a couple of times – surely a testament to the popularity of this eatery, so get your ARW booking in quickly! The lure has always been with the boasts of fresh local produce and extensive vegetarian options.

Here’s a wee peek at the Restaurant week menu…

For me it’s so important that any business I support has a moral stance of some sort, and Cafe Harmony embodies this perfectly. Here’s what they have to say about their values :

“Our ethos is simple…

At Cafe Harmony we are dedicated to and passionate about showcasing the incredible artisan food and drinks producers in the North East of Scotland. We strive to source as much of our produce from as close to the restaurant as possible, not only to reduce the negative impact on the environment, but also to support our local economy, which we care so dearly about.”

You really can’t ask for much more than that.

The Starters

After viewing the menu I was positively salivating at the thought of getting some fresh, tasty Italian food in my belly, and we were thankful for the prompt arrival of the starters.

It was a tough choice as I was super tempted by the hummus, (I mean how often do you get more than one decent veggie option for a starter? Not often I can tell you!) but I opted for the bruschetta and the other half went for the Calamari.

Concasse Tomato Bruschetta

Fried Calamari.

The Bruschetta was fresh and fragrant, with bold garlic and olive oil flavours bursting through. The thing I loved most about this was the healthy feel created by the plethora of different chopped veg piled high on to each little toast. The portion was large, but Grant benefited from this by taking care of anything that I couldn’t manage; it really is fabulous value for money.

As for the Calamari, Grant deemed it light and perfectly cooked, and loved the twist of the giant nacho that the calamari was stacked upon. The homemade tartar sauce was the perfect accompaniment, sharp and citrusy.

With clear plates all round, the starter was a definite success.

The Mains

Once again it was great to have more than one vegetarian option to choose from here. To satisfy my carb craving I went for the Tagliatelle and Grant went for the veggie lasagne.

Tagliatelle alla Norma

Homemade Lasagne

I rarely order anything but pasta from an Italian, there’s just something about fresh pasta that tastes so much better, and the tagliatelle did not disappoint. This dish had a really unique twist in that the top layer of pasta was wrapped in soft aubergine, concealing a generous layer of tangy ricotta, which I absolutely loved! The ricotta was lovely and melty, and the flavourful sauce was packed with sun dried tomatoes and other fresh veg, all topped with a decent whack of fresh basil which gave the whole dish a beautiful fresh taste. This is a dish that I would definitely order again.

Obviously I had to sample Grant’s lasagne too, and I’m going to make a very bold statement about what I thought of it here…This is not only the best veggie lasagne I’ve ever tasted, but the best lasagne I’ve had FULL STOP.

I know, it’s quite the statement to make, but believe me, I’ve eaten more lasagne than Garfield in my time, and this genuinely does rank the highest.

The moment you bite in to a chunk of this little beauty, you are met with layers of gooey mozzarella, aromatic rocket pesto, and super rich sun dried tomato and aubergine sauce.

Not gonna lie, despite thoroughly enjoying my own main, I was pretty envious of the fact that Grant got to devour the majority of this one. This dish really is a triumph, and one that I would return for time and time again.

The Desserts

I was fairly full by this point but it would have been rude not to have sampled the desserts, especially given that you’re getting all three courses for an incredible £20. Feeling like a light option, I selected the sorbet and Grant went for the Tiramisu.

Mango and Sicilian lemon sorbets

Homemade Tiramisu

These no fuss desserts really hit the spot and finished off the meal perfectly. The simple presentation let the flavours really shine through, and the icy blast of the mouthwateringly citrusy lemon sorbet was exactly what I needed to cleanse my pallet of all of the rich flavours that we’d previously enjoyed.

Not being a coffee fan, I didn’t try the Tiramisu, but I’ll take Grant’s word for it that it was creamy, heady and satisfying.

With bellies full of hearty and authentic Mediterranean food and wine, we left Cafe Harmony already talking of our inevitable return visit for another helping of THAT lasagne.

Make sure to check out Cafe Harmony along with all of the other incredible restaurants involved with restaurant over at the Aberdeen Restaurant Week website. Don’t forget that Restaurant week is running from the 4th to the 10th of February, so get those bookings in ASAP to avoid missing out.

B x

P.s. This post is an AD, but as always all views are genuine!