Boston Tea Party Exeter Review
I’ve been to BTP a couple of times before and recall having a vegan breakfast which was beans, hashbrowns, tomatoes, toast and mushrooms. So standard breakfast items, but not overly exciting! I know that there used to be a jackfruit panini, which I do regret not trying… never mind because the options now are faaaab!
On Saturday I had late lunch with Olivia at BTP Exeter. We had the vegan options explained to us; for example the avocado on toast with eggs can be made vegan by switching the eggs for scrambled tofu, and the other breakfasts on offer, as well as the cakes and coffees! Both of us were sold on ‘The Vegan Boss’. This is an immense breakfast for those with an appetite. Baked beans, mushrooms, spinach, hashbrowns, scrambled tofu, roasted tomatoes, sweetcorn fritter and TWO rounds of toast with a vegan spread. I’m torn between the scrambled tofu and sweetcorn fritter being my favourite parts of this breakfast. The tofu was so creamy, but on the other hand the sweetcorn fritter was crunchy and different to usual items in a ‘full’ breakfast.
We were also recommended to try the flat white with oat milk which I really enjoyed despite generally being a latte person! The oat milk went well with the coffee, and it was a perfect size to get the coffee kick but also not to fill us up too much with our big breakfast. To finish up, we shared the vegan cake options between the two of us. The coffee and walnut cake, had a subtle coffee taste through it with most of the coffee kick in the icing and has surprise little crunches of walnut in it! The date and coconut slice was surprisingly my favourite, the middle layer of dates was so sticky and sweet, I loved it!
BTP is ideally placed in Exeter, making it a busy hub for students to work, friends to meet for coffee and cake, or just for a quick lunch or breakfast! They open up earlier than most restaurants and cafes in Exeter, which is great if you’re looking for somewhere for breakfast in the morning. But they also stay open until 6, allowing time for late afternoon coffee breaks or hot chocolates. I can’t wait to head back to BTP for this breakfast again, or just to stop off for a quick coffee and cake.
Bill’s Exeter – Review
Isn’t it amazing now that SO many restaurants have a large array of vegan options? Previously, Bill’s has usually had one vegan main course on offer… I remember there being a vegetable tagine with flatbread and more recently a cauliflower steak. This has now changed!
For Veganuary, Bill’s have a Set Menu served Monday-Friday 12-7pm. There is the option of two or three course £11.95/14.95. Options consist of a vegan duck salad to start, a Butternut Squash, tumeric and coconut stew or Aubergine, Lentil and Chickpea Dhal for mains, and a coconut ice cream with mango sauce for dessert. However the fun doesn’t stop there!
Outside of the set menu, there’s a few more exciting vegan options to get your tastebuds going! I personally couldn’t resist trying the Crispy Fried Cauliflower, and what a good choice it was to order it… the batter was salty and crispy leaving you wanting more PLUS it came with a delicious red pepper dipping sauce adding a punch of flavour. For the mains, I felt spoilt for choice with options ranging from the healthier glow bowl to the slightly naughty moving mountains burger. I was tempted by the black bean chilli too, but settled for the Bill’s Wellington and Moving mountains burger.
Out of these, the wellington was my favourite! It came with a rich gravy (though I could’ve done with much more of it), tender stem broccoli (LOVE THIS) and a butterbean mash. The wellington itself was filled with carrot, mushroom and cashews, though there was definitely more carrot than the other two! On to the burger… this was some meaty stuff! Tom said it was the meatiest vegan burger he’s tried, and believe me we’ve had our fair share of vegan burgers. The texture and taste were definitely there, though if I was to order it again, I’d make sure to add avocado or vegan cheese for more flavour and moisture to it. The fries of course were great – who doesn’t like fries?!
Last, but no least dessert. Bill’s now have a chocolate fondant served with a coconut sorbet, and believe me when I say that this is probably the best chocolate fondant I’ve had. It was oozing with chocolate and felt so rich but moreish! The coconut sorbet had a strong taste, but balanced out with the richness of the chocolate. I would HIGHLY recommend ordering this!
Overall, we had a lovely evening at Bill’s! There’s an extensive drinks list too, featuring alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. Also, for the students out there… you get Student Discount Sunday-Thursday (I think)!
https://www.billsveganuary.com
plantbasedhmj 