The Interesting Eating Company; Review

Allerton Road has a vibrant café and ever growing coffee culture so it can be a little tough for any new kid on the block to stand out from the crowd, especially from the national chain variety. Well, the

Interesting Eating Company has been open since 2012 so it must be doing something right, and I went along with my lunch partner to find out exactly what that is.

We arrived to a fun and colourful shop front with a glass counter inside displaying a variety of vibrant, yummy looking gelato ice creams and we were met with a warm and welcoming greeting from a member of staff.

We were advised to make our way to the back of the café to pick a table and we were pleasantly surprised to discover more bold, colourful walls, funky pink chandeliers, clean white tables and an outside eating area that would be a perfect haven on a sunny afternoon.

We deliberated over the menu for a while as there were lots of tasty, healthy options ranging from the ‘skinny breakfast’, salads, homemade soups and sandwiches made with flavoursome, locally sourced bread through to their slightly more naughty section of ‘treats’ consisting of ice cream sundaes, American pancakes with bacon and maple syrup and scones with jam and whipped cream. It was also here that we discovered what gives this café its unique edge…it offers a great selection of gluten free options such as breakfast, bread, cookies and cakes as well as pancakes, which can only be a welcome addition on any menu for those who suffer from food intolerances.

Our drinks orders arrived not long after placing our order with my friends tea arriving in a lovely diffuser, much more than one cup here, and my skinny latte was so smooth and creamy that I could have drank it all day and night.

Following on from our drinks was the food and it was a sight to behold! I ordered a pancake after reading that it was their speciality and decided to opt for the savoury kind (salmon, rocket and cream cheese), as this was uncharted territory for me.

I could not get over the generous portion size and how stunning the presentation was as they had drizzled a balsamic vinaigrette dressing along with a sprinkling of cherry tomatoes over the salad, salmon and cream cheese on a flat, open pancake. The first mouthful was so delicious, the cream cheese was really soft and the pancake did not overpower the flavour as I thought it might have done, it was a subtle base flavour that complimented the toppings perfectly. It also offered great value at £6.27 as I was so full half way through that I could barely finish.

My friend opted for their lunchtime special of homemade soup and half a sandwich at £5.97 and chose their soup of the day, pea and mint, along with a coronation chicken wrap. The soup was a bright green colour and tasted so fresh that you could really taste the garden peas, and the mint just set it off beautifully. However, the wrap was really the star of the show as the coronation chicken was so smooth and creamy as we agreed that it was the best we had both tasted in a long time. We later found out the secret to this filling tasting so good…a little added addition of mango chutney! (How interesting!)

The café had a lovely buzzing atmosphere and we spied the table next to us being served their breakfasts…. even though I was so full I was eager to try some!

I really want to return to try their pancake and shake hour as all their pancakes and shakes are just £3.27 from Monday to Friday between 3pm and 5pm which is fantastic value for money considering how large ad filling they are.

All in all, I think this café will become a bit of an institution on Allerton Road for years to come as they provide some great healthy options with a focus on locally sourced, tasty ingredients along with a little bit of what you fancy. What is there not to love about a place as interesting as this?

By Laura Evans