Review by Samantha

Yes, it’s vegan!

Walking into Cafe Thrive, in Southampton, was a great experience. Almost every table was full of people. As a matter of fact, there were only two free tables and each taken table had 2-4 people sat at it.

As I walked up to the counter lined with delicious looking treats, I was greeted by friendly staff. In accordance with my usual character when I enter a new eatery, I could not decide what to order. I had seen the menu online, but they had a full specials menu that just looked so delicious. After a few minutes of someone explaining the dishes to me and making me want to go broke by ordering a portion of everything, I finally ordered a Wholefood Burger and strawberry milkshake off the regular menu.

I haven’t had a milkshake since I went vegan so it was beyond lovely to be blessed with the delicious milkshake I was served a little too much of.

My food arrived and it was a full plate of nicely arranged food. I started off with the green salad which was really delicious. What is with vegan places and amazing salads! I took a bite of the chips and they were perfectly seasoned. On to the burger!

Initially, I thought the burger might taste too earthy or lentil-y, but I must say, in all honesty, that burger will make you question if you’ve ever had a good vegan burger before. It was very delightful. The gherkins, tomatoes and relish worked in harmony with the lentil burger to create a divine taste experience. An unforgettable one.

The only criticism I can give that burger was to that parts of it were a little too soft, in my opinion. This could have been avoided with a bit of oats stirred into the burger patty mixture before moulding it. However, the texture can be ignored by the taste which keeps you coming back for more until the burger’s completely finished.

I particularly loved that after eating that burger, unlike many other burgers, I did not feel stuffed or like I had just eaten rubbish. I actually really felt good. Maybe my body was just craving more of the delicious taste of that burger.

Overall, my trip to Cafe Thrive was a great one and I can’t wait to return with family and friends. Today, like everyone I saw there, I left with a smile on my face (and a bottle of Mrs. B’s awesome Kombucha in my hand).

LickYourPlates worthy? – Most definitely!