#Veganuary - Bills Restaurant- Manchester
I was honoured and excited to be invited to the media event at Bill's Restaurant Manchester. The evening celebrated the launch of their incredible new vegan menu which was created by Bills especially for Veganuary.
After a hilariously awful journey (the trip took four times longer than anticipated due to an abandoned vehicle on the motorway 🤷🏻♀️) we arrived at Bills and were greeted with a welcome cocktail. The cocktail certainly was more than welcome, the fruity yet dry Raspberry and Rosehip Collins went down an absolute treat.
The new set menu is competitively priced at £11.95 for two courses, or £14.95 for the whole three. The menu, which is exclusive for January and February (served Monday - Friday until 7pm) launched on the 10th January across the whole chain of Bill’s restaurants.
For the starters the choice was between either Vegan Duck Salad - mock duck with chilli, coriander, spring onion, cucumber, carrots, cabbage and baby gem tossed in a miso dressing with sesame and lime - or Roasted Butternut Squash, Lentil and Coconut Soup. Luckily I invited my Mum to come along with me so we both got to share and experience each starter. The Duck salad was one of, if not, THE best salad I’ve ever had. I remember duck tasting fatty and stringy but this was lovely. It had a really clean and fresh taste, full of flavour. Spicy yet citrusy and still refreshing. The soup had a flavoursome, mild warmth and the seeds gave it great texture. Served with a slice of delicately soft, yet beautifully crispy toasted bread there wasn’t anything not to love.
For mains it was a tough choice between the Aubergine, Lentil and Chickpea Dhal - served with cherry tomatoes, coriander, toasted almonds and grilled flat bread. The Moving Mountains Burger - served with lettuce, tomato, red onion and vegan mayo on a bun served with fries. Option number three was the Black Bean Chilli with vegan chilli with freekeh, spinach, smashed avocado, red chilli, pickled red onion, coriander, soy yoghurt and grilled flatbread. I chose the Chilli which was very mild on its own but when paired with the chillis and all the other accompaniments it was spicy, pleasant and satisfying. The Dhal was my other favourite of the evening alongside the salad. There was so much going on with it and each ingredient added its own unique element to the dish.
The set menu was rounded off with the choice of either a Chocolate Fondant served with ice cream or a Coconut Ice Cream. Again we shared both between us as to not miss out on anything! I hadn’t had a fondant since before going vegan so this was a lovely treat. Very soft and gooey with a warm centre but the only slight remark I have is I’d have liked a little extra chocolate in there just to give it a slightly richer taste. The ice cream melted in the mouth and smelt like being on the hot sand next to the twinkling blue sea somewhere far far away.
It was great to find out more about Bill’s. The company started originally a fresh produce store and café by greengrocer Bill Collison in 2000. It’s clear to see they’ve stood true to their roots still with the fresh and seasonal ingredients used in each meal. It’s fantastic they have noticed the increasing demand for vegan food and have crafted a delicious menu to enjoy. Thank you for having me Bills! Until next time xo
