Vegan Roast Dinner- Milgi's A Winner. -

As a meat eater, I was sceptical about reviewing Milgi, as it is so well known throughout Cardiff for being the veggie and vegan hub. But let me say right now that I was wrong for being so narrow-minded and I was very happily surprised once I arrived and tried the food. I walked into this quaint and cosy little restaurant on a rainy and cold Sunday evening, ravenous for a roast dinner and I was not disappointed. Despite being meat-free and completely vegan, MilgiÔÇÖs roast dinner was one of the tastiest roasts IÔÇÖve ever had. The beetroot and walnut loaf was the meat replacement and it was more than sufficient ÔÇô amongst (vegan-friendly) cheesy cauliflower, roasties, carrot and swede mash and kale. The portion was huge, and I was full to the brim by the time I had (nearly) finished. I have to say, even though all those ingredients mentioned were seasoned and cooked very well, it was the gravy that stole the show.

The ambience left nothing to be desired too. The beautiful d├®cor, of painted plant walls, gorgeous chandeliers and quaintly ornamented shelves made the place feel like a sort of disco-party farmhouse. It was very homely. The super-friendly staff make your visit even better as there is no request too big for them! It would be the perfect location for an intimate date, with the mood being one of a very relaxing, easy disposition. Alternatively, itÔÇÖs the perfect place for a chilled meet up with friends on their cwtchy chairs, or the coolest party location ÔÇô with their yurt. Yes, you heard it, MilgiÔÇÖs back-garden YURT. ItÔÇÖs freaking adorable. This yurt has bench-style tables laid out, some sofas and fairy lights and lamps galore. It is so cute! It has housed wedding receptions and birthday parties before and is available to be rented for your very own special occasion and they even offer a MilgiÔÇÖs buffet spread too!

Back in the day, Milgi was a cocktail bar. Over recent years they have expanded more into the restaurant side of the business, but they are very much still a great place to hit up on a Saturday night! It stays open to party until 11.30pm on weekdays and 12.30am on Saturdays! Or if you fancy a soft drink they even make their very own range of lemonades. I can recommend the Elderflower lemonade ÔÇô it was great.

Sadly, no honest review is complete without a little constructive criticism, and this comes in the form of a singular small issue. That issue? Well, for my personal taste, the roasties werenÔÇÖt crispy enough or soft enough in the middle. Maybe this is me being picky, I seem to struggle to find anywhere that betters my mumÔÇÖs spuds. But I wanted that crisp crunch of the skin followed by the fluff cloud of the centre. Also, a Yorkshire pudding wouldnÔÇÖt have gone amiss, but IÔÇÖve heard vegan yorkies are a bastard to make so I donÔÇÖt wholeheartedly criticise Milgi for the absence!

However, on the whole, Milgi was a fantastic new experience for me, I genuinely loved a 100% vegan meal and it wasnÔÇÖt the bland ÔÇ£rabbit foodÔÇØ so many meat-eaters assume vegan cuisine is! It was wholesome, tasty and filling.

Milgi currently has a Christmas special menu out too, featuring a vegetable strudel, Christmas wholefood bowl and a Christmas pudding apple pie. So go venture down to City Road and get your veggie on.