Disclaimer: The content is translated from Traditional Chinese by AI. We’re reviewing all translations manually to ensure the accuracy!
📍 The Pod Cafe
The Pod Cafe is a community space operated by Coventry City Council, which regularly hosts creative and artistic events in the area. The store operates a lunch market every Tuesday to Thursday, using seasonal ingredients to prepare plant-based meat-free meals. There aren't many seats in the store, retaining the characteristics of the red wall of the building. Each seat focuses on communicating with people, and is very comfortable. Many booklets about local activities and works by local artists are also displayed on the wall at the entrance.
When I first came here, I had no intention of passing by; I had no idea that only plant-based food was available here. The first time I tried an oatmeal latte was at Starbucks, so I've always been a bit reluctant to use plant-based milk substitutes. What's more, the oatmeal latte here completely changed my mind. Furthermore, the clerk Chris was also very enthusiastic to explain to us how well each type of plant-based milk substitute goes well with coffee. This has also led to countless visits since then, starting a journey to recognize Plant-based foods.
The weekly menu here uses one type of food as the theme. Based on research on the freshest ingredients at the moment, only two main dishes are offered for guests to choose from. Main course + dessert + drink for only £8, and there is also a dessert + drink option for £4. It's hard to find any other restaurant in the UK cheaper than this one, and the food ingredients and ideas here are very positive. In our conversation with Clerk Chris, he said that limiting the variety of main dishes and limited lunches is to reduce the waste of ingredients. Chris also has a 269 tattoo on his arm, a symbol of the animal protection movement. 269 is a code number derived from a bull that was rescued a few days before planned slaughter, so it became a code name to prevent animal slaughter.
Here are some dishes I've tried over the past few weeks:
🍴 Broad Tofu Katsu Curry Sauce with Rice and Japanese Style Pickles
I don't like soybean products on weekdays (tofu, tofu flower, soy milk, etc.), but this tofu is made from chickpea flour and blends Eastern and Western cooking methods, making it an unforgettable creative dish. When we ask the clerk, he selflessly shares the ingredients and cooking methods with us, without deliberately hiding the results of many studies in the store. This kind of pure desire to selflessly share is rare in today's commercial world.
🍴 Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich, Courgette Fries
This week's menu is a Mediterranean grilled vegetable sandwich with jade melon strips. The sandwich is gluten-free and gluten-free, suitable for people who are sensitive to gluten. The onions used as a side dish have been marinated, so they don't have the spiciness of raw onions in a weekday hamburger, so they are very appetizing. What surprised me the most about this meal was the courgette fries, which were more delicious than normal fries or sweet potato fries, and made us relish in eating it.
🍴 Foul Bi Ziet (Lebanese Broad Beans), Spiced Rice and Za'atar Flatbread
The kitchen studies cuisines from various countries every week, and I have tried many times to England, Japan, Lebanon, Vietnam, etc. The rice is seasoned with traditional spices and has a unique flavor. Although the combination of rice and pancakes is a bit too much for me, Lebanese beans go well with both.
🍴 Beetroot and Quinoa Burgers, Sweet Potato Crisps and Allotment Salad
The texture and appearance of this hamburger was different from the one I ate outside on weekdays, and I only discovered after asking the clerk that it was made in-house. Every dish reveals the kitchen's intentions, and we strive to create surprising and creative dishes for us.
🍴 Beet Bourguignon, Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Cabbage Wedges and Allotment Salad
The number of times I have eaten here has also provided me with many ideas for dishes. On weekdays, I only buy the most common vegetables in supermarkets, and I don't think about how other vegetables and beans can be used. As a result, our diet has become more diverse, and we buy various types of ingredients to try more new things.
🍴 Banana Bread
The store chose that week to make the banana cake because they had so many overripe bananas in their inventory that needed to be processed as quickly as possible, and I really appreciated the spirit of not wasting food. At the same time that many restaurants prepared too many ingredients for profit, which ultimately led to too much food being wasted, The Pod Cafe upholds this spirit and promotes the concepts of slow work, frugality, and plant-based food through its own actions.
How do I get to The Pod Cafe?
💡 Address: 31 Far Gosford St, Coventry CV1 5DW (Google Map RequestClick here)
💡 Transportation:Travel to Coventry by train - 20 minute walk from Coventry Railway Station/Take 11 and get off at Herbert Gallery
💡 Website:https://www.instagram.com/the_pod_cafe/
💡 Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday 12PM - 2:45 PM (regular activities on Sundays or specific days)
