I will travel anywhere for good food, I blame my family for this. As we have travelled to Leicester, Manchester and even London for the sake of good food. Yep, that's where my foodie ways come from. So I didn't hesitate to travel over to Sutton Coldfield, when I was invited over to try out the vegan options at The Green House, a recently refurbished pub, bar and restaurant.
The pub is within walking distance of Four Oaks train station, a great location for Christmas merriment or a decadent lunch, in my case.
I love dining with someone who loves vegan options, as you can order two lots and share. That's exactly what I did when I visited The Green House with my good friend Lia. First up, was the Wholefood Salad (£5.95), which is also available as a main but we opted for it as a starter. This contained kale & cauliflower couscous, asparagus, tenderstem broccoli, avocado, butternut squash, sweet potato, pomegranate and roasted pumpkin seeds with a pineapple, lemongrass & ginger dressing. It was a good size, contained fat pieces of avocado, al dente pieces of broccoli and a pungent smell of cauliflower. I enjoyed this but found it to be nothing special and think it would work better as a side. Maybe it needs a light carb, such as quinoa or pearl barley.
The next starter was the Roasted Lentil Falafel (£5.95), which came with a harissa and lentil dip and crispy rustic toast. The dip elevated this dish because it was thick and flavoursome. I especially loved the bruschetta toast and it was a great addition to the dish. The falafel was nice, you could tell it had been baked but this had made it slightly dry. It was a good portion for a starter too.
Onto the mains. First, it's all about the Spiced Coconut Curry (£12.75), which came with with Ras el hanout roasted squash & sweet potato, sticky jasmine rice, and a scorched red chilli. This was really tasty and authentic in flavour. The coconut wasn't too overpowering and all the components worked well together. Very enjoyable.
The second of the mains was the Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Tart (£12.50), which was stuffed with roasted peppers, leeks, confit tomato and a leek sauce. I found this to be a little peculiar. The tart was nice but it was as if roasted vegetable were just placed on top of the tart. The veggies were nice but it was bland, the section underneath the veggies was gooey and just boring.
The highlight of the mains was this Roasted Aubergine, Spinach and Harissa Burger (£12.25), which is served in a rustic roll with red pepper & cumin purée, charred spring onions, red chilli and a kale & cauliflower couscous salad. Loved the soft center and crispy patty in this burger, especially alongside the soft bun and dips and salads on the side. The harissa wasn't very strong but the aubergine and spinach mixture works well in the patty and burger overall.
So, as you can see the desserts were a work of art and there was three to choose from, I'd make it two as sorbet doesn't count. First on the list was this Chocolate Tart (£6.50), which is topped with fresh berries and chocolate sauce. This was a very decadent rich dessert, that tasted amazingly good. But it needed something to cut through the richness of the chocolate. Maybe a strawberry coulis or creamy ice cream.
Lastly, was this Treacle and Pecan Tart (£6.75), which is served with coconut sorbet and rosehip syrup. This dessert was very sweet but great and worked well with the sorbet. However, it was a little too dense, the base was very soft but the flavours were lovely and it was my favourite out of the two desserts.
Overall, it was a great meal at The Green House and I enjoyed their vegan options. I found that they need to stop using the wholefood salad on the side of dishes, if it's being offered as a main and starter, it's just too much repetition. But the options are innovative and flavoursome.
**The views in this blog are my own but the meal was complimentary**
Would I go back? Yes, if I was in the area
How did they cope with the vegan dietary requirement? Very well with a vegan menu
What are the prices like? All together this meal would have been around £60, that's for 2 starters, 3 mains and 2 desserts
What is eatery best for? A special occasion, date or a dinner with friends
Hope you enjoyed this review. Let me know if you're been and what you thought
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