Tea and Sympatico

Tonight after work I popped along to the relaunch party for Manchester veggie restaurant Bistro 1847 . The restaurant has been established for a few years and also has a sister restaurant in Birmingham. I've eaten here before and blogged about it . The Manchester venue has had a refit and was launching it's summer menu. I was surprised by the refit which gives the restaurant more of a cafe bar feel with fresh Scandinavian style design and has a back section that can be hired out for large groups - perfect for celebrating birthdays or leaving do's. It was a really pleasant evening. The organic wine was free flowing and we got to sample some delicious canapes which give a flavour of what the restaurant is all about. The first picture is rye crackers topped with hummus, pomegranate and edible flowers. I could have eaten a whole plate of these. The rye crackers in particular were outstanding. These bites are a mini version of one of the restaurants signature dishes. I...

Back on St Patrick's Day Matt and I got the train over to Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire and met our friend Sarah for brunch. The venue was Dandelion and Burdock which is a completely vegan restaurant. The English head chef and owner spent time in the past working in California and Oregon and developed his style of vegan cooking after his son was born with a number of food intolerances. I've eaten at D and B many times and enjoy the clean, fresh style of food they offer. The day we visited there was a brunch deal. I think it was 2 courses for £12 and 3 for £15. We all went for this vegetable fritatta for our starter which was lovely and light. Sarah and Matt had a quiche style main with veggies whilst I opted for this  Irish stew and dumplings which was great comfort food without being too heavy. To finish off Sarah had a cookie sandwich whilst Matt and I got the pumpkin cheesecake with ice cream. It was great to see the restaurant nice and full and I'm...