There are many cafes across Bristol which offer a delicious range of food and drink options. However, there is a growing trend of cafes, including in the city, that dedicate themselves to serving vegan food and drink.
Data online from website Finder shows that there are approximately two and a half million vegans across the UK, which equates to 4.7 per cent of the population. So it is no surprise that many establishments are now including vegan options.
Vx Bristol, however, has served vegan food and drink since 2015 in Bedminster, prior to the changing shift in food trends. Vx is also a vegan shop which features a range of groceries, meaning as well as being a hangout, the business promotes veganism with goods and a merchandise range located in-store. It is also dog friendly, a big plus point.
I am not a vegan in any sense, but I figured it was time to try out the shop on East Street. I also had heard great things about the milkshakes there, so here’s to keeping the tradition going for a review of a milkshake drink.
Vx, which is open from Tuesday to Sunday, is a quirky but chilled place to be. The mix of a convenience store, clothes store and a cafe provides a refreshing experience away from the mundane eatery. The menu is positioned above the till area so it was easy to work out what I fancied. So far, so good.
I am a sucker for a good mac and cheese and this one only set me back £4.99. Darting my eyes to the right-hand side, I gazed over the milkshakes and made my mind up to try the Oreo monster shake.
Alas as I was about to put in my order, a special menu board honed into view, showing a brownie milkshake. There’s very little that I love more than a brownie, so against my previous mental debate over which milkshake to try, I went straight for the special (which cost £6.99) and sat down to wait for my odd pairing as a lunchtime meal.
I really have to praise the staff at Vx for not only being so friendly but being so fast as well to prepare everything. I don’t even think I was sat down for five minutes when the milkshake and the mac and cheese came out.
Starting with the mac and cheese, which came with crispy onions, parsley and a garlic sauce, considering it was listed as a side dish, it was extremely filling. I wasn’t sure what to expect but there was plenty of cheese within the layers of pasta and the parsley added that variety of flavour which made every bite worth savouring. I also loved the crispy onions, I wish that there were more of the onions but I would be nit-picking otherwise.
Now the brownie milkshake, it looked stunning (when it was served I let out a ‘wow’ which I believe was overheard by the staff) and as it also came with cream, marshmallows, chocolate sauce, sprinkles and chunks of brownie. I was rather looking forward to the sugar rush that would ensue.
This milkshake is absolutely phenomenal. The brownie shake itself is thick and doesn’t lay off any of the brownie goodness, it was so rich and chocolatey, the mini marshmallows and brownie chunks added to the overall aesthetic and the whole drink went down very quickly.
The most astonishing thing was that at no point would I have known that everything I consumed was vegan. The milkshake tasted amazing, the mac and cheese was filling and could resemble a tasty side in a restaurant (both worth every penny), suddenly the tag of it being vegan food and drink just felt irrelevant – it is a great meal. End of.
Vx Bristol is proud to be a vegan shop, it showcases being vegan everywhere you look, and the idea of vegan junk food creates a wonderful experience for all, vegan or not. The food and drink can also be served to go and it has a great range of options, including breakfasts, burgers, burritos and hot drinks which you’d find at any café.
So my advice to everyone, go to Vx Bristol, because it is a great café/shop which just so happens to be completely vegan. With possibly the best milkshake I’ve ever had, my only regret is not going there sooner.
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