Herbies 18th April 2012

Amy and I were going to a gig in Exeter and saw it as the perfect opportunity to eat somewhere new. We thought we would use trip advisor to find somewhere neither of us had ever been to and we discovered we had quite a few options, we wanted something fairly cheap and cheerful after a day of shopping and Herbies along with a few others fitted the bill but we didn't make a booking anywhere; we decided to play it by ear.

At about 5pm we were exhausted from traipsing around the shops and decided that what we needed was a drink, we accidentally stumbled upon Michael Caines restaurant Abode and although it didn’t fit our price range for dinner we thought a cocktail in the bar was just what we needed! The bar is behind the lobby of the hotel and very unassuming, the decor is classic and the music is very much “background”; just what you would expect from a hotel bar.  The cocktail menu is an interesting collection of classic and contemporary drinks, ranging from 7-12 pounds; we chose an espresso martini (i really needed a pick me up) and a bananarhumba. The waiter was polite and professional; he took our order and then made our drinks very quickly and naturally. It’s great to order a cocktail and not see the bartender looking up the recipe! He delivered them a few minutes later and they looked delicious; the espresso martini had the perfect amount of foam on it that only a firm shake can acquire and the bananarhumba looked stunning in a martini glass with a net of chocolate set in the glass. Both drinks were well balanced and tasty and we thoroughly enjoyed them.

Espresso Martini and Bananarhumba

When we left Abode it had started to rain so we wanted to find a restaurant fairly quickly; with the help of Google maps we walked along North Street and found Herbies; a vegetarian cafe restaurant which had good reviews on trip advisor. It looked cosy and dry and the waitress smiled at us through the window while we looked at the menu so we were sold (it’s amazing what a smile can do). The restaurant is fairly basic to look at but it has nice touches of handwritten specials boards, tealight candles on the tables and unusual art on the walls.

 We sat in the window and the waitress brought us menus and we ordered a drink; after our cocktail we both decided that ginger beer was the way forward! Heron Valley Hot Ginger Beer was perfectly thirst quenching while we tried to choose things from the extensive menu. Eventually we decided the best thing to do was get a few starters to share and then share two mains. We ordered babaganoush served with olives and warm pitta bread and dolmades (stuffed vine leaves). They came promptly and both were excellent; the babaganoush was dark in colour and heavy on the garlic which we loved; the only thing I’d say is that it could have been a bit smokier. The olives were great and the wholemeal pitta bread a perfect accompaniment. The vine leaves were delicious (Amy and I are very big fans of these anyway) and I couldn’t tell you if they were homemade or not but they were everything you could want, sticky rice inside and a light vinegar coating the outside of the leaves.

Babaganoush with olives and pitta

Dolmades

The main courses were hearty hot dishes, Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna and Greek Vegetable and feta pie. We were offered a choice of salad or potato wedges with the both so we ordered one of each and were astonished to see the huge portion sizes of the main courses plus the large side dishes. The mushroom and spinach lasagne was rich with a creamy béchamel sauce and the mushrooms and spinach were delicious, there was a perfectly seasoned chunky tomato sauce inside the lasagne but there needed to be a bit more of it to balance the dish. Overall it was very tasty but lacked the wow factor due to the lack of sauce. The Greek vegetable and feta pie was great, the vegetables were well cooked with lots of garlic and the filo pastry was perfectly crispy. There were little parcels of melting goats feta and black olives hiding amongst the vegetables which added the perfect salty balance to the sweet roasted peppers, courgette and aubergine. The pie was served with a rich tomato sauce which was smooth and well seasoned with herbs and just enough salt, there was lots of it too which meant there was enough left for dipping the crispy potato wedges in. The salad bowl for one was massive; it consisted of three different salads; a green leaf and herb mix, a mixed bean salad and a take on a classic waldorf salad consisting of carrot, apple, grapes and walnuts in a mayonnaise dressing. All three were delicious but we were so full we sadly couldn’t eat it all.

 Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

 Greek Vegetable and Feta Pie

 Delicious Salads

We had to say no to dessert due to the fact that we were both about to explode, but the menu looked great with quite a few gluten free options which always impress me.

Herbies is a warm and cosy space with lovely, friendly staff and a talented kitchen team. The food is very reasonably priced and the portions are huge, Amy and I had a drink each and two courses and it came to less than £30. We left happy and full, what more can you ask for.