Bonobo Cafe has cemented itself as one of the go-to eateries for those craving all things vegan cuisine in Aberdeen.
Before recently visiting to pick up a Too Good To Go bag, I knew the dishes looked the part. I mean, it doesn’t take a genius to work that out.
Anyone that has taken a look at the business’ social media platforms will know exactly what I’m talking about.
The vegan cafe, based on Skene Street, serves an eclectic and eye-catching range of sweet and savoury delights from fry ups, salads, hotpots, soups and sandwiches to smoothie bowls, milkshakes and home bakes.
For far too long I was eager to try a line-up of the menu items and vegan ingredients – the first that springs to mind is tofu.
Browsing my Too Good To Go app out of the blue during one of my walks home last week, I spied a mystery bag available at Bonobo Cafe. It was fate.
I stopped by to pick it up and, before I knew it, I was finally sampling the cafe’s offering.
What I got my hands on…
The first thing I noticed was the aroma of the contents. It was so enticing, to say the least.
I narrowed down the options and knew one of the scents was garlic, but I was unsure about the others. They were a delight nevertheless.
Three items had been packed away neatly inside.
Considering I was yet to tuck into my supper and one of the products was producing steam, I decided to go for that one.
Inside the circular lukewarm tub was two ingredients, one being one of my favourite foods – grilled mushrooms.
I smiled and dug my fork straight in. They were garlic mushrooms that had been cooked to perfection, proving juicy and intensely flavourful.
Now it was time to try the other ingredient. My initial thought was scrambled egg, but then I quickly realised that was impossible – with Bonobo Cafe being strictly vegan.
I’m always up for trying new things, so I went for it.
The texture was identical to that of scrambled eggs but a tad grainier and crumblier. After popping it in the microwave for a short while, this improved the texture and made the mixture softer.
A criticism – it needed more seasoning. ‘It’ being the scrambled tofu. In my opinion, that would have really elevated the ingredient.
The next item was half a sandwich. The filling was colourful and there was plenty of it, too.
The contents comprised house-made seitan pastrami (vegan pastrami), pickled pink onions, lettuce, wholegrain mustard and garlic mayo.
In the sandwich’s case, it definitely wasn’t lacking on the flavour front and each ingredient married well together.
By this point, I thought I’d been treated to three savoury items. However, the last box contained not one but two pieces of strawberry streusel cake.
The cake itself was a little dense, but the strawberries tasted fresh and that crunchy crumb coating was a triumph.
General prices of the items:
I was unable to pinpoint the exact price of any item I tucked into from my Bonobo Cafe Too Good To Go bag – purely because the:
- Scrambled tofu and garlic mushrooms do not feature as a dish on the menu
- The sandwich had been halved
- The cost of home bakes varies depending on the item
However, I did discover that garlic mushrooms alone cost £1.60 to add to a breakfast or lunch item as a side.
Also, according to the menu on the Bonobo Cafe website, one of the sandwich options would set you back £7.90.
With this taken into consideration, it’s safe to say a hefty saving would have been made.
Was it worth it?
I am proud to say I have finally tried and tested a few products from Bonobo Cafe.
Some of the textures were a little off for me, but they had been placed inside Too Good To Go bags after all, so I shouldn’t complain. And overall, I enjoyed them.
It’s far better I tuck into the dishes than them being thrown to waste.
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