Restaurants

Run by the charming Ben Asamani, 222 (as locals call it) offers an all-you-can-eat lunchtime buffet with half a dozen each of hot and cold dishes that will soon have you making lunch the biggest meal of the day. More impressive yet, all the food is vegan. Aubergine parmigiana was a miracle of rich tomato sauce and creamy tofu – no dairy in sight, yet it was impossible not to go back for seconds. Full-flavoured chickpea curry came with nutty, fluffy wholegrain basmati rice, while the house salad was a riot of crunchy shredded veg. Dessert? It would have been rude not to. Carrot and walnut cake was impossibly light and moist, while the vanilla ice-cream delectable. The wine list is very short – comprising just one bottle each of decent organic red and white, but these are also served by the glass. Evenings feature an à la carte menu of stir-fries, pastas and salads, though in the past we’ve not found the cooking as satisfying at dinner. Despite the busy North End Road outside, the café is a soothing space, small and bright and furnished with blond wood tables and chairs. And it’s certainly a popular place, with plenty of young families and singles filling the tables on our visit.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009