Have you ever heard that Laura Nyro song called Wedding Bell Blues? It basically says Bill about a thousand times and whenever I hear about Bill's Restaurant, I hear that in my head. I blame Gilmore Girl's for that. Anyway, sorry for that major segway right at the beginning. I'm writing today to tell you guys about Bill's Restaurant, the newly refurbed Bill's in the Bullring, and their vegan options.
I remember visiting Bill's when it first opened and feeling very underwhelmed by their vegan options. They had one. It was a salad. It was so borrrringgggggg. So when I was invited to go have a peek at the newly refurbed branch in Bullring and try out the vegan options, I was ready to change my mind fully. As I had visited earlier this year, before the refurb, with a friend and loved what I had. I like the new look. It pays homage to the fresh products they serve, hello green walls flower wallpaper and animal themed decorations, and it kinda reminds me of a swanky bistro.
I started with a cold-pressed juice that contained carrot, apple, orange and ginger. It was called Golden Glow (£4.50) and you could tell it was made from fresh fruit and veg. It was like having sunshine in a glass and tasted glowing too. Perfect amount for two glasses. I would have it again.
We had a set menu to choose from for this launch event, so it was a little more limited then what you would have on the normal menu. I've heard of a number of vegan specials they've had like a vegan duck salad, which sounded amazing. I digress but I wanted to mention that to say that I hope they bring that back, as it wasn't on this or on other menu I have seen at Bill's at the moment. So, for my starters I went for the Pea and Watercress Soup, served with toasted focaccia. Bloody hell, it was good! I like soup but sometimes they lack spices and can be so bland. This wasn't like that at all. You could taste the pea, the flavour was as vibrant as the colour. Delicious!
I was with my mum and she had a vegan option as her starter too, my influence haha. It was Rosemary, Pea Hummus and Garlic Sourdough. She loved it. Again, full of fresh veg and crispy sourdough that did require a sharper knife but it was lovely. She was quite full after this, I was ready for more.
The mains option I had had before but I didn't mind having again, as it was amazing. It was the Carrot, Cashew Nut and Mushroom Wellington with butterbean mash, long stem broccoli and a rich vegetable gravy, It's basically a Sunday Lunch option you can have any day and any time you want. The pastry is crispy, the filling is soft and pattee like but with chunks of carrot. Then the gravy, mash and green make it a great combo. You gotta try this if you haven't already.
The most disappointing part of the meal was the dessert. As the vegan option was Coconut Ice Cream with mango sauce and coconut flakes. It's sorbet. It's nice but it's still sorbet. After the amazingly well done starter and mains options, this was mediocre. Give me cake!
Overall, Bill's is ace. Fresh produce that shows it's greengrocer roots that's tasty and innovative. Just a tweak on the vegan dessert and it would be 100% ace. I even got to meet Bill himself, which was lovely. A very passionate and humble man that took the time to greet everyone that attended the launch event.
**I was invited to the eatery to review their vegan options. My views are my own but the meal was paid for by the venue, in exchange for this review**
Would I go back? Yes, for the juice and the wellington.
How did they cope with the vegan dietary requirement? Very well with clearly labelled vegan options on the menu
What are the prices like? Three courses on the set menu would normally but £15.95 and then £4.50 for the juice. Making it around £20pp.
What is eatery best for? Date nights, a healthy option, catch ups with friends and dinner with family on a special occasion.
Hope you enjoyed this review. Let me know if you're been on any of my social media channels and what you thought
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