#V Street Food Event- The Waiting Room

#V Catering Co.- Street Food Event

The Waiting Room, The Old Bus Station off Queen St. CO1 2PH

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vcatering1

For those of you who are yet to venture to 'The Waiting Room', the location of the 2015 Colchester Vegan Fair and previously 'Vegan Pot Luck' meetings; the former bus station café is a strange and interesting hidden gem of a venue.

It has also become home to '#V Catering Co.', once a month, for their 'street food' events, with this month seeing the return of their popular noodle night.

Delicious Udon noodles surrounded by crunchy veg, juicy mushrooms, optional seitan and covered in a flavoursome hoisin and miso sauce. 

Alongside the main meal, there were pots of #V's homemade 'coconut bacon' available to buy, in addition to three sweet dishes.

Udon Noodles

Of course it only felt right that I should try all three sweet offerings. First up, the gooey chocolate flapjack with whipped vanilla and coconut cream. Yes, that does taste as good as it sounds! This was so nice I actually had to go back and get a second portion, which I believe tells you all you need to know.

It was great to see two other dessert options on the menu, both equally as yummy as the flapjack. A soft and tasty chocolate chip cookie, and well textured New York cheesecake. It's always great eating out and having a vegan dessert, but to have choice between different options was even better. 

Chocholate Chip Cookies

The desserts had my omni friend exclaiming that she couldn't believe the food had any of the traditional ingredients missing- and she couldn't tell a difference from their non-vegan equivalents- praise indeed!

I was also pleased to find that the sometimes slightly overbearing music of previous street food events had been held back until later into the evening, being replaced by some more appropriate background music which allowed for easier conversation.

So be sure to free up the third Friday of every month, and don't come expecting a restaurant-style atmosphere, this is very much a fun pop-up, canteen-type set up, which I feel only adds to its charm. If you're anything like me, you will leave full up, satisfied and looking forward to the next street food event to come along!

Découverte

Découverte

6 Sir Isaacs Walk, Colchester, CO1 1JJ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/decouverteshopcafe

PLEASE NOTE: SINCE PUBLISHING THIS POST DECOUVERTE HAS TAKEN ALL DAIRY FROM THEIR MENU, AND BECOME COLCHESTER'S 3RD VEGAN CAFE!

As Colchester continues on its path towards vegan dominance, cruelty free consumers will be pleased to hear of Colchester's brand new vegetarian café. 

Following in the footsteps of Colchester's two fully vegan establishments, comes 'Découverte', which opened on Boxing Day 2015 and consists of a small vintage shop alongside an organic, vegetarian café. Much of the food they serve is vegan, and is clearly labelled with the 'V' symbol.

Lentil & Squash Soup

Due to the cold weather outside, I decided that I needed warming up with a cup of tea served in a beautifully delicate teacup, accompanied with oat milk. Whilst continuing along the 'warming' theme, I opted for the homemade 'lentil and squash' soup of the day, served with seeded bread. Coming in at £3.50, this seemed good value for such a tasty, hearty meal. The freshly heated soup was thick, flavoursome and incredibly filling. The gluten-free vegan chocolate cake which followed, allowed for a sweet treat to finish.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Whilst eating my food I was able to enjoy the beautiful beams and busy walls filled with different vintage items. The café feels small (with 5 tables squeezed into the space) but this is what gives it its character and charm. The owners clearly knew what direction they wanted to go in, and have done that well.

Having spoken to the staff it is clear that they are passionate about the food they make and serve. The café was relatively quiet whilst I was in there, which allowed the owner to talk about the two years of hard work it's taken to get the business up and running, and I was pleased to see that they seem to have established the ways in which they differ from 'The Den at Twenty Three' and 'The Nourish  Co.'(Colchester's other vegan cafés) in the hope that they will also thrive. 

I wish them every success, look forward to paying many more visits to the café, and hope that at some point they will be able to drop the dairy and non-vegan options from the menu in the future.

If you pay a visit to 'Découverte' then let us know your thoughts!

Full menu: Show Menu
Opening Times: 11:00-16:00 (Tues, Weds, Fri, Sat, Sun) Closed- Mon/Thurs