JVNK pop-up by Friends Not Food

I hadn't planned on another restaurant type review this week, I was going to save this foodie adventure for a later date but the food was so incredibly good that I have to share it now. Based out of Blend on Drummond Steet, Inverness; JVNK is a vegan pop-up restuarant on Friday and Saturday nights. The menu features a selection of sophisticated takes on classic junk foods. I went ,as with the night at the Phoenix, with my omni friend who also loved every mouthful. Ideal for those wanting to try new foods, I would recommend this to anyone and can't wait to go back.

The menu was huge (for someone who is used to two options on a 'good' menu) so I had been looking at it, trying to decide for about a week before we went and still took at least 15 minutes once we were there. Fortunately my friend likes just about everything so we decided to split everything we ordered between us and I didn't regret that decision at all, everything was incredible.

We started with a dish of garlic mushrooms and a plate of tempura veg (I can never resist this) with a black bean sauce. The mushrooms were properly garlicy in the best possible way and had been cooked to perfection, soft but not slimy which can be very hard to do. Crisply battered, the tempura veg were delicious but the dip was the crowning glory for me, Im not often a fan of black bean dishes as they can be bland and almost gritty but this balanced sweet and savoury, cutting through the batter of the tempura.

We then ordered the garlic and onion fries, the haggis loaded fries, the signature burger and the Scottie dog. Everything was mouth-wateringly delicious but I think for both of us, the garlic and onion fries were the best part of the meal. Perfectly cooked fries dusted with garlic and onion salt, we would both have happily scoffed a huge plate of these to ourselves with no other accompaniments.

The haggis loaded fries were also a triumph, the fries topped with home-made haggis and whisky cream sauce for an indulgent take on the classic loaded fries. We both loved these, scraping the bowl clean.

For the signature burger, a lightly toasted bun encases a home-made seitan burger topped with the classic ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles. I am not usually a fan of 'faux-meat' foods and have to admit I was nervous but the burger was incredible, Im pretty sure my 'YUM' after my first bite was audible down the street.

The Scottie dog featured a tofu-weiner loaded with the haggis and whisky cream sauce. This was possibly the funniest part of the meal, watching my friends face as she tried to get her head round the fact that this was vegan. Having not had a hot dog that I can remember, this was a delightful new dining experience for me but my friend loves a good hot dog and said this was definitely up there for her.

Overall, I would rate this as one of my top dining experiences of all time, the food was delicious and the portion sizes well thought out. I would highly recommend this to anyone, vegan or not, and will be taking as many friends and family as I can.

Please go and support a fantastic local business.

Enjoy!