Spinach Salad Spinach Salad

Fresh spinach, crisp bacon, sliced mushrooms, and boiled eggs, dressed with tangy vinaigrette.

Alkaline Kitchen

Alkaline Kitchen

15 Albert Rd, Middlesbrough, England, TS1 1PQ, United Kingdom

Pizza • Coffee • Seafood • Healthy


"I’ve wanted to eat here since I moved north in November and it’ll be the first of many visits from now on. Our first time here with a table for 5 and all sharing meant we tasted a big section of the menu (see images of the menu). Each of the portions was very generous to say the least. What amazed us all we’re the complex flavour combinations. They were slightly weird on some but they all worked and very well too. Alkaline Nachos £10.95 Nachos with marinated baked quinoa, topped with refried beans, cashew sour cream, guacamole, pineapple salsa and pickled red cabbage. All with a smoked cashew cheese drizzle over. They were indulgent, sweeter than I’ve had before and had tangy twist too. BBQ Tacos £9.50 Shredded carrot in an alkaline BBQ sauce in a crispy corn shell, filled with refried beans and guacamole. Topped with pineapple salsa and pickled red cabbage, served with a side salad. Best BBQ tacos in the north so far. Thai Buddy Bowl £10.95 Orange teriyaki chickpea tofu surrounded by, pineapple 'fried ' quinoa, purple coleslaw, a thai side salad, with an almond and ginger dressing and quinoa falafels topped with mango chutney. Crazy flavours that worked really well. This was my favourite dish and I could eat this most days of the week. I’ll be back for this dish on its own. Thai Wrap £9.95 Quinoa and peanut butter falafels in a soft wrap with mango chutney, coleslaw and kimchi served with a thai side salad, with an almond and ginger dressing and pineapple quinoa. A mental combination of ingredients for a falafel but was amazing. Again, sweeter than I’d have imagined. Pink Pitaya Acai Bowl £5.50 A fruity smoothie bowl topped with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, banana kiwi and coconut (we held the seeds). What an amazing breakfast. A real power breakfast too. Immunity Boost Juice £4.00 (x2) Strawberry, pear, apple and lemon juice. Refreshing and moreish. Tropical Sunrise Smoothie £4.50 Papaya, mango, orange, banana, coconut, maple and cashew smoothie. It was as nice as you’d expect and none of the fruits lost their identity due to the power of another. Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie £4.50 Strawberries, banana, peanut butter, maple and lemon smoothie. Another one that doesn’t quite sound right but really does. The peanut butter was not overpowering and provided a nice earthy grainy taste and texture, lifted by the sweetness of the fruit. A great experience and worth the wait. Would I recommend Ohhhhhh Yes"

The Groundworks

The Groundworks

1 Churchyard, Hitchin, SG51HR, SG5 1HR, United Kingdom

Cafés • Venues • Seafood • European


"Lovely atmosphere killed off by fairly brusque manner of staff dealing with vegan diner. We ordered the veggie breakfast it said a vegan alternative was available so we went for that. But vegan alternative, much to our surprise, meant: not buttering the toast, cooking the mushrooms dry without any butter/oil, and a space on the plate for where the egg should be. And the biggest surprise the same price as the veggie breakfast, at £13. Ideally vegan alternative should mean replacement but respecting the tough economical climate we are in, I understand why a like for like replacement could be costly but in this day and age, surely an extra half tomato wouldn’t be too much to ask and would cost considerably less than a couple of eggs). Catering for vegan diners should be something that shouldn’t phase a 2023 cafe. That the chefs didn’t think to use a vegan spread alternative there are SO many varieties now that it shouldn’t be hard, and they are beautifully tasting just like butter) a decent chef should be able to rise to the challenge spoilers it’s not that hard). For me it was a bit of warning sign that they couldn’t master the basics. It shouldn’t be hard being a vegan in 2023 as someone who does this for the planet, but also as someone who is dairy intolerant). But if more restaurants were to treat customers like this we’d be in trouble. I think it’s fair to act with our feet and as much as we want to support a local business, to sadly take our custom elsewhere. A customer shouldn’t be made to feel short changed after a meal. It was a rather dry without spread or butter, feedback I shared with the staff “oh sorry about that”, walking off). For a slice of in buttered toast, some dry unseasoned mushrooms, beans, half a tomato and a baji this felt a LOT for £13. A side of fresh orange juice extra at around £3 I think) tasted delicious but this was in a tiny cup and filled with large ice cubes. I raised I hadn’t been happy with my meal to the staff, and that it felt unfair paying £13, and shared what could have been done to make it better. “Sorry no alternatives, it’s just how it comes”, they said crossing their arms and not even apologising for my experience. Wowsers."