Last night saw a collaboration of two of Bristol’s hottest pop up vegan cafes, The Spotless Leopard and Kind Bakes Mean Cakes, at a Mad Hatter themed Midnight Feast. The event began with appetisers from 11pm and served a three course meal of Mad Hatter themed vegan delights to around 25 hungry diners. Old Market’s ‘Fi Real’ vegan and vegetarian Caribbean restaurant played host, and was suitably decked out with table decorations from the world of Alice.
When we arrived we were offered a hot drink (the event was alcohol free) and we sat down to our appetiser of disappearing cheshire cat grin, which was garnished melon with a fiery but refreshing fruit shot, complete with a suitably curious ‘drink me..’ sign.
Our plates were cleared by the man who had greeted us, who was dressed to suit the theme in a top hat and waistcoat, and we proceeded on to the starter. This was turtle soup, with some gorgeous garlic croutons, (thank goodness garlic is vegan) and served with almond and mushroom pate sandwiches, which were cut into hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. An edible flower was served with this part of the meal, which added further to the magic of the theme.
The main was in my opinion the most impressive part of the meal and as someone who isn’t vegan, I was interested to see the different ingredients used to build the meal. A highlight was the curiously colourful mash, which came in three different varieties. One was celeriac based giving an unique and almost aniseed flavour, the second was an orange mixture made up mainly of swede, but the final mash – a concoction of beetroot and horseradish – was the real highlight. These three together worked well to compliment the Homity pie, which was a simple onion on a potato base, but so well seasoned you wouldn’t have guessed its humble ingredients.
Pudding brought a trio of delights, presented beautifully with bright colours and edible decorations. The cheesecake deserves a special mention; it was cashew based, giving a lighter but just as tasty vegan alternative to traditional dairy version.
I was consistently impressed by the creativity of the food, however unfortunately the atmosphere of the event was somewhat missing. Although the table decorations were plentiful, the layout of the tables were quite squashed together despite the large setting, making it seem a bit cramped. The quiet background music also meant that the sense of atmosphere was sort of lacking. However, the food could not be faulted, which is what The Spotless Leopard and Kind Cakes Mean Bakes are primarily known for, and so these atmospheric issues should definitely not stop you from visiting either of the cafes on regular occasions whether you’re vegan or not.
The Spotless Leopard pops up on Alma Road Tuesday-Friday 11-4pm and Saturday 11-5pm
Kind Cakes Mean Bakes can be found regularly at Market at the Moon, Stokes Croft and Mrs Brown’s Cafe in Totterdown.