Anna Speed and her family enjoy lunch at a very child-friendly new eatery
Plant.Eat.Licious is a brand-new cafe and coffee shop in Bath, just under the Chapel Arts Centre right in the city centre. With a cosy atmosphere serving delicious plant-based dishes, this is a throughly family friendly venue and we would highly-recommend a visit whether you are vegan or not.
We had made the trip as a family to Bath from Bristol to celebrate my husband Rob’s birthday, with our four-year-old son Daniel, all of whom are vegan, and a friend who is not. Just a short walk from the bus station, we followed the signs on Lower Borough Walls down steps to the secluded spot where the new cafe sits. The tables outside would have been lovely on another day, but we ventured inside due to the rain. Well, it was summer in Bath…
The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The basement location is decorated with lots of plants and clever lighting, including a neon sign spelling out the cafe’s name. A small table set-up with wooden toys and colouring pens and paper is a nice touch to help keep kids entertained whilst their order comes. Quiet jazz piano played in the background, but at a volume where you would only notice it if you listened carefully. The place exudes a fun but relaxed vibe.
The dog-friendly cafe also has a good wifi connection if you just want a somewhere to have a cuppa whilst working on your laptop. It also helps that the staff, including the cafe’s owner Cristina, are keen to please and offer a great service.
Rob chose the decadent salted caramel milkshake made with vegan ice cream and whipped cream, although Daniel, ever the foodie, decided that he liked it so much that he quickly claimed it as his own. The rest of us went for a variety of the fruit smoothies on offer, all of which went down a treat.
While there are lots of different options on the menu, including breakfasts, all-day brunches and sharing platters, Rob and I couldn’t resist the burgers, which are served with crispy thin-cut fries. I had the Miami Louisiana Chick’n burger – a chicken-style burger coated in crispy breadcrumbs and served in a fluffy burger bun with garlic mayo and the traditional lettuce, tomato and onion. I think it could easily fool an unsuspecting meat-eater. Rob opted for the Burgerlicious burger, a more traditional beef-style cheeseburger, topped with tasty vegan bacon, which was also really tasty.
There were several options for kids and Daniel went for the Mac and Cheese. The dish was nice and simple – perfect for even the fussiest little ones. The portion was generous and Daniel could not manage it all so we were very happy to help him finish it off.
Our friend opted for a dish entitled ‘There won’t be mushroom left’ – toast piled high with sautéed wild mushrooms with butter bean and miso sauce, topped with shavings of crispy potatoes. This was scrumptious and our friend didn’t miss having meat in his meal at all.
Although our son Daniel had said that he was full up, he suddenly found some room when he saw the cakes on the counter. Between us we had a red velvet cake (seriously, just wow!), a chocolate-caramel cake and a lemon cake. They were all excellent with the zesty lemon my personal favourite. Daniel demolished the chocolate-caramel cake in the way that only a little boy can manage and then played with the little set of wooden cakes from the nearby table of children’s toys whilst we finished our meal.
We had a great time at Plant.Eat.Licious and will certainly visit again. It’s is open every day from 8am-5pm, with the pancakes with vegan nutella on the breakfast menu looking amazing!