Vegan Night at the Phoenix

This weeks post is a slight departure from my normal recipes but it still celebrates food... A local pub, the Phoenix on Academy Street in Inverness, has started doing a monthly vegan food night once a month. Having heard mixed reviews, I had to go try it for myself and was pleasantly surprised. I went with an omni friend who thoroughly enjoyed her meal too so its well worth a try, even to support a local business.

The menu featured three options for each course with two courses coming in at £9.99 and three courses (which we obviously went for) at the grand total of £14.99.

My friend and I both chose the Tempura Veg with Tomato dip for our starters which was utterly delicious. The crispy batter coated a selection of vegetables and the tomato dip was just tart enough to cut through any greasiness from the batter. I'm a huge fan of anything battered so tempura is always a win with me.

For our mains my dining buddy had a chickpea curry with rice which was well balanced and an excellent portion size. The spicing was delicious and a nice selection of vegetables ran through the slightly creamy sauce. A couple of poppadoms or even a vegan nan bread would have made the dish perfect but all in all it was a fantastic effort and definitely tasty.

My main of Moroccan veg and quinoa stew packed a punch on flavour but for me the portion could easily have been halved. Ideal for a winters day, the dish needed an accompaniment of either a chunk of bread to dip in or some green vegetables to lift its richness.

For puddings we were spoilt for choice. I went for a childhood favourite of bread pudding and custard which was sublime. The bread pudding was packed with cinnamon and raisins. The chef had created an unusual but delightful twist by using seeded bread which added wonderful texture and crunch which can so often be a sad and soggy bowlful.

My friend decided to sample the toffee apple upside-down cake which was divine. A combination of soft apples drenched in toffee sauce topping a light sponge made this dish the triumph of the night for both of us.

Overall, we had a lovely evening. The presentation of the food could be refined and there was only one member of waiting staff who was running around but did do a great job of attending to everyone. The room also felt far more like it was designed for functions rather than as a dining room for a restaurant but as  a new enterprise it was great.

Whether you are vegan or not, I would recommend this night as a great way to try different foods and support a local business which is trying to branch out.