Credit Crunch Lunch - The Warehouse Cafe
Place: The Warehouse Cafe, 54-57 Allison Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 5TH. Tel: 0121 633 0261
Why go?: Excellent, imaginative veggie food combining great flavour, flair and sustenance. Reassuring absence of tofu, mushroom stroganoff and “Meat is Murder” posters.
Price: There are snacks, light meals and appetisers from £4 to £6. The organic veggie burger comes with a roll and spud wedges (both organic, too), salad and daily special toppings, all for £5.50. Soup is £3.95 – it was spicy carrot with yoghurt and coriander dressing, and bread, when we visited. Monster main courses from £6.50 to £8.65 – proper, fresh food too, not reheated mass catering pub slop. Real care is taken with the ingredients and preparation. Why isn’t this the norm? The restaurant isn’t licensed, but you can take your own booze (no corkage).
The meal: First up – what a delight to find somewhere like the Warehouse Cafe in Brum. It’s relaxed and individualistic. It’s a good measure of a place if you leave it without smelling of chips and Eau de Doughnut.
Veggies can be a strident bunch and are fiercely protective of their food territory. So I took along a vegetabulist to provide an unbiased view, just in case my blood-tainted palate was called into question.
As luck would have it – in fact, it’s got nothing to do with luck and everything to do with dedication and professionalism – I loved the place. I had a starter of grilled halloumi salad with chick peas, cauliflower, red onion and coriander in a light tahini dressing with cherry tomatoes and cumin oil. Dimness meant I was thrown by the “v option” note in brackets after the dish’s description. Aren’t they all vegetarian dishes?
The “v,” I was advised, referred to something called veganism, whose followers don’t eat anything that buzzes or cries, like cheese.
Veggies and veganistas must eat a lot because my starter pile of halloumi and peaness came to just £4.65.
The selection of main courses was very good. The Sri Lankan beetroot and coconut curry with cumin seed organic rice, yoghurt-mint rajta and cassava chips (£8.25) sounded great, as did the portobello mushroom stack with crispy polenta and oak-smoked cheddar on Savoy cabbage with red pepper in puy lentil-cider cream sauce (£8.65).
But feeling the need for iron, I had the spinach and feta savoury cheesecake (£7.50), which was lovely and creamy although I wasn’t sure about the merits of the oat and sunflower seed base. I felt it was doing me good, because you can’t argue with the health benefits of seeds, but my mouth needed a few swigs of sparkling cranberry. The Mediterranean potato salad with sundried tomatoes and capers worked well.
My guest went hardcore with the root vegetable stew, split peas, pearl barley, stout and dumplings (£6.50). She said it was good, and it looked good, but I felt sorry for her husband.
Puddings were a knock-out, not least my first foray into the world of vegantarianism. I had a tremendous black forest gateau, with cream that wasn’t cream. I can’t remember what it cost because I was scoffing so enthusiastically but I can guarantee this portion would have been £37.95 at the nearest latte-chino shop. And it would have been stodge, as opposed to this plate of chocolatey cruelty-free scrumminess.
My fellow diner had something with prunes, which she liked a great deal, despite not being keen on prunes, lending credence to my theory that vegetabulists have a masochistic streak.
Bread watch: Included, and organic, in stated dishes. If it isn’t offered, you really won’t need it. Believe me.
Verdict: * * * * Under the guidance of Mirabel Foster, who has run the Warehouse Cafe for three years, this place exceeds expectations. Have your vegantarian cake – and eat it.
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