Food Review: Broadway Veganuary Menu

In case you haven’t heard, it’s Veganuary, and with meat-free menus popping up everywhere, there has never been a better time to go veggie. Word in the Hood is that it’s meat-free month at Broadway, so we popped down to Broad Street, Hockley, to check out the latest and greatest veggie food and drink on offer. 

Broadway’s famous specials board has always had tantalising flavours from around the world, but now the menu has a twist – it’s all meat-free and there is something for everyone! From vegan burritos, and mac & “cheese”, to “not” dogs, and popular graze dishes like kimchi loaded tater tots, it’s easy to find something to tempt your palette, whether you’re a meat reducer, vegetarian, or vegan all the way.

What’s the star the show? Well, according to Broadway’s vegan Kitchen Manager, Mark Martin, it’s the Mocky D Cheezeburger... they’ve been “flying out” of the kitchen and “so far they’ve had a great response”. Even butchers and five-year-olds have been impressed. Naturally, I had to have one!

My guest and I nipped up to the second floor and grabbed a seat in the Mezzanine. It’s a quiet space with fairy lights covering the walls and a small bar, so it’s the perfect place for a natter or a quiet meeting. The food arrived within ten minutes, and my vegan Mocky D looked glorious – a feast of a burger, without the beast. The giant onion rings grabbed my attention, but so did the fries, and I couldn’t decide what to put in my mouth first. The fries won. It was like biting into a crispy golden cloud; just the way fries ought to be. I crunched into a tasty onion ring next, and then bit into the main event.

I’ve never really learnt how to eat a burger elegantly, so I had a saucy moment as the vegan burger relish oozed out of the sesame bun. It was delicious. The seitan patty, wearing a blanket of melted vegan “cheeze”, was meat-i-licious, but no animals were harmed in the making of this burger. The tang of the gherkin contrasted with creamy purple coleslaw, and the crunch of the rainbow side-salad dressed with a mustard glaze, made this dish a riot of colour, taste, and texture.

I’d give the Mocky D cheeseburger a ten out of ten. It’s the ultimate comfort food for frosty days, when you just want to stuff yourself and hibernate. Although it might taste like a dirty burger, it’s clean eating all the way, and really showcases Broadway’s commitment to tasty sustainability. Like all the other food on the menu, this plant-based dish is ethical, local, and sustainably sourced, so you can feel good about yourself afterwards. At £8.50 doesn’t put a dent in the wallet either.

Another new addition to the tables at Broadway is their vegan drinks menu, offering a good range of beers, wines, and ciders. I opted for the thirst-quenching Day Tripper, a vegan cask pale ale from Nottingham-based nano-brewery, Liquid Light. Malty notes of oats and dry hops danced with zesty citrus flavours, making this beer a perfect follow-on from my Mocky D. Again, it was reasonably priced at £5.50 for a pint.

My guest sipped a plum red Space Cats Grenache Noir (£3.80, small glass); a rich full-bodied vegan wine with fruity flavours that are out of this world. It was the ideal rouge-en-rouge accompaniment to her veggie burrito (£7.50) – a vibrant spicy bean chilli, topped with melted cheese, sour cream, and bright red jalapenos. I sneaked a bite from her plate and agreed that with burritos this tasty, you don’t need to go to Mexico.

For pudding, we devoured a crunchy peanut butter and jelly vegan flapjack and cinnamon banana bread that hit the sweet spot. My favourite treat was the oaty texture and buttery flavour of the flapjack. To say it was an American dream is an understatement – it felt like the 4^th of July was going off in my mouth and was a spectacular finale to my vegan experience at Broadway.

Broadway’s regular menu will be back in February.
Broadway website