Annie and Tilda review their meal at vegetarian restaurant, Maitreya Social. 89 St Mark’s Rd, Bristol BS5 6HY.
Last night we ventured into Easton in order to sample the culinary delights of all-vegetarian restaurant, Maitreya Social. Located just a short walk from Stapleton Road station, Maitreya Social comes very highly recommended with both The Observer and The Times remarking on the impressive elegance of the cooking here. It certainly lived up to its reputation, with both of us leaving eager to return after a very indulgent evening, sampling all three courses offered. For the standard of food provided, Maitreya Social is very good value, but it is at the higher end of a student budget and should probably be reserved for a sporadic treat, or when relatives come to visit.
As soon as we arrived we were greeted by very friendly and attentive waiting staff, which made our evening even more enjoyable. To start we almost instantly selected the brussel sprout tempura with pickles and sriracha and nuoc cham dips and the horseradish and fava bean pate, served with a beetroot chutney and celeriac crackers. Both dishes were wonderful start to our evening and we thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of the food that we were given.
After much deliberation over our main course, we both decided on one of the vegan options that were on offer. Although we were sorely tempted by the pumpkin and feta galette, we were both very happy with the dishes that we ordered. One of us selected a dish of Roasted Jerusalem artichoke served with braised freekeh, marinated mushrooms and za’atar crisps and the other a hickory smoked cauliflower served with carrots, whipped tahini and crisped chickpeas. The main courses provide a wonderful contrast to the typical selection of vegetarian foods when eating out. The cooking staff at Maitreya Social utilized the natural flavours of various vegetables and grains in order to create powerful and delectable courses with no need for any animal products whatsoever. As a vegetarian it is common to have such limited choice when eating out so it was so nice to be able to pick from anything on the menu for a change.
Despite being incredibly full, we were determined to try one of the amazing desserts that they had on offer. We decided to share the sticky toffee cornbread, which was served with stem ginger ice cream and salted caramel popcorn. The combination of the toffee and ginger was wonderful and we both loved the dessert.
The restaurant offers a deal between 6pm-7pm of two courses for £15 and three for £17, which is a great way to experience this amazing food without breaking your budget. They also offer a breakfast and lunchtime menu, which we will definitely be returning to try. We would thoroughly recommend Maitreya Social to both vegetarians looking for an inspired substitute for usual restaurant food and to food fanatics who are open-minded about experiencing an eclectic mix of flavours that do not involve meat.
(Photo Credits: Annie Avery and Tilda Haymes)