I was delighted to be asked back to Cranks Kitchen at Dartington to review their new winter menu, unfortunately I couldn't make it but my trusted foodie friend, Julia, was up for the challenge!
For those of us non-vegetarians, the prospect of dining at such a long-established and famous veggie restaurant can seem a little daunting… But fear not you carnivores! Cranks is everything that is good about vegetarian food: Wonderfully tasty, lots of choice and attractively presented.
On arrival, the smells coming from the kitchen were enough to get my mouth watering! The manager, Neil, who had a table reserved for myself and my guest in the bright and busy restaurant, greeted us warmly. The new menu features a range of warming winter dishes, including a Spicy Vegetable Tagine and the ever-popular Homity Pie – the best sort of comfort food.
Choosing from the self-service counter was not easy as everything looked so delicious. After much pondering, my dining companion opted for the Vegetable Lasagne (you can see the recipe here), while I chose the Seasonal Tart – cheese and leek on the day we visited. Both dishes came with a lovely selection of salads and were terrific value at £8.35 each.
Although we were already quite full, Neil was very keen for us to try a dessert… and to be honest, we didn’t put up much of a fight.
My guest tucked into a substantial piece of Bakewell Tart, while I opted for a slice of Carrot Cake.
The Bakewell was judged ‘deliciously almondy, while my carrot cake was moist and packed with flavour. We just managed to squeeze in two very good coffees to go with our desserts – phew!
If you are out and about early in the day, Cranks opens at 8.30am Monday to Saturday and offers a fabulous looking breakfast menu, including Eggs Florentine (a personal favourite!) and the yummy sounding Porridge with Maple and Banana.
We had a thoroughly enjoyable meal and the staff were attentive and helpful. For a mid-week November lunchtime, the place was packed – always a good sign!
For more information please visit the Cranks Kitchen website where you will find lots of recipes and other useful information.