Fressh, A Vegan Cafe

Vegan food is really on the up in Birmingham and I’ve been invited to sample the cuisine of a few vegan establishments in recent months.  I’m finding within my circle of friends that more people are adopting the vegan diet or simply incorporating more vegan food into their lifestyle these days.  After all as my dining companion, my 10-year-old son, said ‘vegan food is just food’ and it is that simple.  There’s every reason to try to include some vegan options in our diets whether it’s for health reasons, animal welfare concerns, thinking of the environment or just fancying a bit of a change.

Fressh has recently set up in City Arcade (right at the Union Street end near W H Smiths, Sainsburys and Poundland).  It’s really centrally located so it’s perfect if you want a bite to eat while you are out shopping or you pop out of work for some lunch. Sit by the window if you fancy doing a little people watching while you eat, but you can take away your food if you prefer. The decor is really ‘fresh’ too with lots of white and clean lines.  In fact, we got a really fun, fresh vibe from the cafe.

The menu is simple and pared down.  Until 11am there’s a breakfast menu available which looked interesting, but we were there for lunch. We liked the names of the burgers: I had a What the Guac and my son had a Son of a Bun. We paired up our burgers (which can be gluten-free on request) with some Baked Skin On Fries, but there are also Baked Kale Fries available.  Our burgers were packed full of flavour and they made a good hearty lunch, which we needed as we had been doing plenty of walking that morning. We certainly didn’t miss the meat or the dairy products.

To wash our food down I had the Organic Coconut Water which I find very hydrating without making me feel I have water sloshing around inside. My guest for the day had Homemade Lemonade, a traditional lemonade with lots of lemony flavour which is just the way he likes it.

The staff are friendly, helpful and eager to please.  From what I overheard when I was eating they seemed knowledgeable about the food and able to answer any questions.