I recently had the ultimate Monday treat of a plant-based lunch so kindly gifted from Urban Reef with one of my dearest friends who is vegan. Urban Reef is an informal bar, café, deli and restaurant located at the Overstrand on Boscombe promenade in Dorset. This unique location offers stunning panoramic views over Bournemouth and beyond. Urban Reef also have their own farm where they grow much of their own produce and are deeply passionate about local, ethical and seasonal food. 

It is Urban Reef’s commitment to fresh, local and seasonal produce, to ethics and sustainability, to smiling, having fun and working really hard to achieve something amazing that makes it such a popular destination in Bournemouth. So often when you eat out, and you’re seeking dairy free, vegan or allergen-friendly menus, you’ll hold tight to just one option because that’s all there is. You certainly cannot afford to be fussy! However at Urban Reef it makes this predicament an absolute breeze of an experience with a plethora of tasty dishes in a really lovely setting.

Initially, the Plant-Powered menu (you can take a peek at the Plant-Powered menu right here) at Urban Reef was created to celebrate Veganuary but because of the positive response through social media, they have decided to keep the menu as part of their regular offerings. 

The new menus list dishes such as curries, stuffed tomato with cider and hazelnut, burgers, quinoa, whole food bowls and comforting pasta dishes. We were simply spoilt for choice with this menu that boasts a truly gorgeous array of natural and plant-based choices using local fresh produce, and tempting flavour combinations throughout the dishes.

Plant Based Menu

After spending forever and a day wittingly down my choices, I picked the Whole Food Bowl, with a mango and black bean salsa, red and white quinoa, veggie sliders, seasonal greens, roasted red pepper, avocado, dukka, chilli flakes, orange and pomegranate dressing. Phew, WHAT a glorious combination! Because I have quite a small appetite, I love Whole Food Bowls because they are not as daunting as all-encompassing meals. This had so many elements I could enjoy all the delicate delights it offered without feeling overwhelmed. Bursting with colour and an exotic mix of textures and flavours this was just divine and is the perfect embodiment of a plant-powered dish that is sustainable, delicious, healthy and oh so satisfying.

Sometimes a large bowl of pasta is all we need to make us happy! And my friend picked this lush linguini option for her meal. A good pasta dish is something truly special and this nut linguini mix was so lovely as I can confirm from both her and also from me as we eagerly sampled each other’s dishes!

The nuts, which have been softened to make a smooth rich sauce that goes perfectly with linguini. It was then mixed with many other lush vegetable elements, oils and dressing to provide a delicate acidity and a well-balanced flavour. This truly is a hearty plant-based meal that every single person, plant-based or not, would love. 

As if the offer of a scrumptious meal wasn’t enough, Urban Reef rounded off our beautiful plant-based meal with this overwhelmingly adorable Vegan gingerbread cookie! Isn’t this just the cutest thing ever?! When you’re Vegan, or unable to eat dairy, you get so used to missing out on sweet treats such as cookies and so the addition of this incredibly fragrant and deliciously spicy cookie was everything. Urban Reef also sell these and have them delivered fresh into their restaurant so I really want to go back and stock up!

Thank you so very much to Urban Reef for this absolute treat for me and my friend, and one we both thoroughly enjoyed and enthusiastically recommend to all my plant-based and vegan friends both in Bournemouth and nearby. With this sort of menu it really is an exciting time to be a vegan, don’t you think?

How many of my local friends have already sampled the scrumptious food and loveliest ambiance that lies at Urban Reef? If not, and you’re happening to visit Bournemouth, it should definitely go on your list of things to do! 

Urban Reef Restaurant,
The Overstrand,
Undercliff Drive,
Boscombe,
BH5 1BN.

https://www.urbanreef.com/about-us/contact/

** This meal at Urban Reef was complimentary for the purpose of review however all thoughts are my own **