On a Saturday afternoon, I decided it would be a great idea to try out the new Vegan Dash Garden and café in Cobden Chambers.
Having recently just opened in Nottingham, it felt like the perfect time to try out the vegan delights they have on offer. The café is a zero-waste shop and all their napkins are made of 100% recyclable materials. All their food wastage is composted, although I expect that’s not a lot of it as you wouldn’t leave any of this food unfinished on your plate.
Having never tried Vegan food before, I thought it was time to talk a walk on the vegan way of life.
The side street café is in a great location to get away from the bustle of the city’s shoppers. The atmosphere walking in felt very calm and the artwork on the walls gave the café a gallery vibe – very Instagram worthy décor if you ask me. The cute beach hut style tables in the corner caught my eye. Very simple wooden tables and benches gave a fresh feel to the café.
Looking through the menu the café has loads to offer. Light bites of homemade sourdough with crunchy peanut butter with chia & flax seed at £4, as well as open sandwiches with sprouted coronation chickpeas and their artisan cheese made with smoked, salt and pepper or wholegrain mustard, at £6.50.
Being the biggest soup lover and garlic fan, I straight away noticed the soup section of the menu and their 52-clove garlic served with sourdough reasonable priced at £6. The drinks menu also didn’t disappoint with the number of options to choose from. I decided to try the lemon cheesecake black tea.
Shortly after ordering, the chef informed us that they had run out of sourdough so she said this would be replaced by a brioche roll. This wasn’t a problem and clearly showed that they have had a busy Friday and Saturday morning.
A lot of people in the café seemed to be catching up with friends and relaxing over vibrant vegan dishes and the café had a nice feel.
My lemon cheesecake tea arrived promptly in a cute little orange teapot. Enough for a couple of cups, and it had a very zesty crisp taste to it perfect as a palette cleanser.
The main event garlic soup arrived soon after. The soup wasn’t the best-looking soup of the bunch, but when are soups ever that appealing to the eye? It had the texture of a broth. The pepper in the soup added warmth to the soup giving it a curry spice after taste. The brioche bun was a perfect accompaniment.
I also had a taste their vegan alternative Artisan cheese smoked, salt and pepper open sandwich. At first appearance, the Artisan cheese looked smooth and appealing accompanied with fresh leaves on a brioche bun. However, the texture of the vegan cheese didn’t appeal to my taste buds. When compared to my usual favourites halloumi and cheddar, the texture lacked firm or creamy sensation of normal cheese and felt quite sloppy, but the crisp fresh leaves gave the sandwich more flavour.
The chocolate cake to finish was the cake of dreams. Who wouldn’t love a light and fluffy chocolate sponge cake with chocolate buttercream? If you visit the café you must try this cake and it will not disappoint.
Overall the café is not one to be missed – whether you fancy a light bite or Sunday roast with all the trimmings, you won’t be let down by your visit.
By Lauren Walker