December 5, 2021
Our one regular social connection throughout the locked-down months of 2020 and 2021 has been doing the Saturday Age quiz on Zoom with friends. It's lovely, now, to have the opportunity to share a meal with them in person. The all-vegetarian Carringbush Hotel was an ideal location for our mostly-veg*n group.
The menu has unsurprisingly changed since our last visit (most likely for book club or a pub trivia night last summer), but it hits similar beats. It's mostly vegan, with gluten-free and nut-free options well marked. There are fried nibbly things, hearty pub style meals, salads that sound like full, delicious meals, and a couple of desserts. It really was tough to choose what to order!
Michael and I shared the dumplings as a starter ($14, pictured top). They're now served fried, with a mango lime coriander dipping sauce. We loved the super-savoury mock-pork and mushroom filling, and appreciated the green papaya side salad.
Michael also took on the deep fried tofu burger ($24, pictured above). It's a challenge to wrap your mouth around, and gets most of its flavour from a great burger sauce.
I was curious to try their riff on a vegan sausage roll ($12). It's a generous portion with lovely, flaky pastry. The interior is dotted with lentils and a bit mushier than I prefer (there might be only one true vegan sausy for me). Again, The Carringbush went the extra mile with a lovely side salad to balance the plate. (And don't worry - there's abundant tomato and hot sauces available to squelch on top.)
The Carringbush sets a very high standard for veg*n pub dining - I hope we'll be able to ease back into regular attendance there in 2022.
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You can read about our first visit to the Carringbush here. It has also won favour on Green Gourmet Giraffe and I Spy Plum Pie.
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The Carringbush Hotel
226-228 Langridge St, Abbotsford
9191 0149
Accessibility: There's a small step on entry. We ordered and paid at a high bar. Furniture is medium-to-densely spaced, and mostly low tables and chairs with backs. Toilets are gendered, with slightly wider than average cubicles, but we didn't notice any additional features such as handrails.
That burger makes my jaw hurt to look at it, but it looks great. All the food looks great. It is making me hungry, I suppose I should go and get my own less exciting lunch.
ReplyDeleteI love good burger.
ReplyDeleteVery happy to hear that the carringbush is still up to standard - I really enjoyed visiting it before the lockdowns but am never sure what has survived. I quite fancy that tofu burger
ReplyDelete