I've been lunching in Soho for just over 6 months now and it wasn't until last week that I finally gave this vegetarian cafe a try. The main reason being that in order to get there I would have to walk past the bagel man, and as much as I tried I just couldn't. I would go with intentions of getting some vegetarian salads, and I would come back with 2 bagels. However thankfully bagel man and his bagel boys deservedly took some time off over Christmas and New Years, so that allowed me to go to Beatroot guilt free.
Its a simple premise and I like simple, walk in choose a size of container, (small £4.30, medium £5.50 ad large £6.50), then choose your contents. There is a large range of both hot and cold foods, and you're allowed to mix and match as much as you like. I went with half and half, seems like the obvious thing to do. Cold salads include Greek salad, quinoa taboullah, potato salad, dilled coleslaw plus others. Hot food ranges from Moussaka, curry, Shepard's pie to Tofu stir fry, pasta bakes and blanched broccoli and sausage rolls. Service was done with a smile, which is a nice touch and not as common as you might expect.
Its all quite tasty, certainly nothing wrong with it but it doesn't blow you away. Can't help thinking that the same quality could easily be knocked up at home. Another small gripe is that they seem to do a lot of vegetarian alternatives to dishes which usually contain meat, for example Moussaka, Shepard's pie and sausage rolls. Seems a little pointless to me, I would prefer to eat a traditional vegetarian meal that is unique and different rather than just a meat free version of an old classic.
Value wise it's ok. The medium and large containers are the only ones I would give the time of day to. £6.30 for the large is quite expensive, and there are places where you can get the same for less (Rosalind's Kitchen).
So in summary, nice idea, but needs a touch more finesse to take it past the home cooking level, that it is currently at. Would I go back? Possibly but the Bagel Man would have to be on holiday again.
Rating: 2/5
Cost: ££
Open: Mon - Fri, 9am - 9pm, Sat 11am - 9pm
http://beatroot.org.uk/
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