Cornucopia
This popular vegan restaurant in the heart of the city centre has a well-established reputation for quality foods. There is always a selection of mains with my favourite being, cannelloni versions or a delicious gratin packed with veg. All mains come with two salads and there is a good selection here too. It is great for a hearty lunch or dinner and the atmospheric lighting in the evening makes it the great date option. Cornucopia also serve organic wine and cold pressed juices as the perfect accompaniment to your dinner.
And of course, no dinner would be complete without something sweet. All Cornucopia’s desserts are vegan with most being gluten free or refined sugar free. But don’t be fooled these desserts are just vegan versions of your classic desserts so be mindful of overindulging. To round of the meal I would recommend choosing a pot of their lovely tea to sit and enjoy. My favourite is unicorn tears, you get about three cups from the pot, excellent for relaxing after a good meal.
The Happy Pear
Having been to both cafe’s, Greystones and Clondalkin I can honestly say I prefer Clondalkin. OK to be fair to Greystones, it was Paddy’s Day and the weather was awful. I ordered the Buddha bowl and had to stand while my food was getting cold while waiting on my coffee. Now a more logical thing would have to eat dinner then choose coffee and cake but we felt we were in danger of flooding our table and waiting in the queue again. Again a hearty meal that will leave you feeling satisfied. I did enjoy walking around the shop and picked up a few things their cookies are so good. So last weekend I took a short detour on a long road trip to fill my belly with more deliciousness. Clondalkin was surprisingly easy to get to and there was free parking which is always a plus. I arrived right between breakfast and lunch so had the great option of choosing which to go for. Baked eggs was on the menu and I was sold! Although I could have easily gone for their famous free porridge! My coffee arrived promptly and the eggs weren’t far behind. The spicy bean sauce the perfectly runny egg was sitting in was heaven. The slice of bread generously mopped up the sauce and not a drop was left. My only problem I could easily put away two of them. A trip to the shop and some fresh figs filled the gap and I will definitely be back!
Veginity
So my favourite venue on the list is a vegan food truck in Portobello because it serves the most amazing food! Unlike a traditional restaurant, Veginity change the menu every week so there is always something new to be discovered, a new culture to be explored. This week’s menu was inspired by Brick Lane in London and my friend and I popped in last night for our usual food and catch up. We choose a main each with Brick Lane plate being the absolute winner. The list of ingredients was impressive and was only out done by the flavour explosion as we tucked in and shared the plate. The curried sprouts were unlike any brussel sprouts we had tasted before and I loved the cardamom-coconut rice.
We spoiled ourselves and went for dessert too, which was a South Asian inspired rice pudding. The rice pudding had a lovely coconut taste and this balanced the rhubarb perfectly.
Mark is passionate about bringing new experiences to both plant and meat eaters and it clearly shows in his diverse and interesting menus. I loved chatting Mark about the various menus he has put on during his short stay in Portobello. He remembers individual customers and can loves to hear your thoughts on the meal or menu. They have introduced a burger every week and he believes this helps non vegan diners to try the food. Veginity is open Thursday to Saturday from 5-10pm with plans to take up permanent residency soon. Don’t miss your opportunity to dine in this unique setting, like his menus it could all change next week.
From the Tiny Flat 