El Piano

I ate in this restaurant yesterday with two friends, including one other veggie and a vegan, and was astonished at the variety, inventiveness, and deliciousness of the food and presentation. Decorated in a Mexican style, this informal and friendly place offers a wide variety of tapas-style dishes, all served in cute biodegradable bamboo boats – apparently, these are greener than using hot water and detergent to wash plates.

We shared a number of dishes between the three of us, all at £3.95 each:

• thai thai – delicate yet spicy coconut cream with red pepper,
  baby potatoes, lime leaves, lemon grass & wild rice
• sweet potato mousse – a creamy orange pâté of yams with onion & vegan cream cheese
• falafels – chick peas & fresh parsley with garlic & onion,
  shaped into balls and deep fried
• hummus – chick peas milled with garlic lemon & dark tahini
• baked red cabbage laced with cinnamon, apple & raisins
• onion bhaji – deep fried bundles of Asian heaven
• corn fritters – deep fried sweetcorn patties with sugared chillies and a dash of tamari
• gluten-free ‘bread’ assortment – an array of chips, muffi ns & hoppers

There was plenty for all, with some left over. Everything was delicious, apart from the gluten-free bread which was, as I’d been warned, horrendous. It was reminiscent of a brick made of wholemeal rubber. Still, my pals ate it, even if I couldn’t stomach it. It’s really handy to know somewhere in each town where I can be confident of getting a decent veggie feed, and as York is where I regularly meet up with my vegan friend, it’s great to have that lunch dilemma sorted. I’ll definitely be back.