Prickly Pear are in residence in the kitchen of the Golden Fleece pub on Mansfield Road serving up a whole lot of tasty food from their vegan menu.
If the name sounds familiar well it should be as they have been around for a while in town formerly occupying their own cafe further down the hill on the same road.
In March 2022 the owners of the Vegan bistro became the new managers of the Golden Fleece pub and now the whole operation runs from here.
The sign outside the pub mentioned Taco Tuesday, which was to be a little bit of subliminal advertising as even though it was a Thursday I was now in the mood for some Tacos 🤣🌮
The last time I visited Prickly Pear I had a taco that I really enjoyed (read more here) so I was keen to check another one out today to see if they were still as good (spoiler alert they were).
TACO MENU
I liked the sound of the Tofish taco’s filled with ‘Beer battered organic tofu with salsa, garlic mayo, jalapenos, pink onions & micro herbs’
I have had mock ‘fish’ made from tofu before elsewhere I find that it works quite well as a substitute so I was pretty hopeful of some tasty food when I placed my order
TOFISH TACO’S
These taco’s were surprisingly good especially the beer battered tofu pretend fish element. The batter was really excellent. super light and crispy, the tofu is a good solid meaty bite and although not juicy like a real piece of fish it does match texturally.
I did enjoy the combination of toppings with the garlic mayo and microgreens, the mayo was almost like a replacement for a tartare sauce only less pungent in taste.
The micro greens and pickles add crispness and crunchiness and freshened up the bite
If I was going to be hypercritical I would say the battered tofu pieces are a bit too big for the taco and it might have been better for each taco to have 2 or 3 smaller bits in each.
It is a good taco and even as a meat eater I would happily swap one of these into my daily scoffage on occasion even though I ain’t no vegan in any way shape or form 🤣😎
LOADED FRIES MENU
I could have added a portion of fries to go alongside my taco’s for £2 but I wanted something more inspiring so I sought out the fancy chips section of the menu or loaded fries to give them their name these days.
I liked the sound of all of them, cheezy, garlic & thyme, and jerk were all contenders but today’s winner was going to the the ‘Gochujang mayo fries‘ as I fancied a bit of that Korean spice
GOCHUJANG MAYO FRIES
The Gochujang Mayo Fries were topped with spring onions & sesame seeds and came with a side of smoked kimchi all for a fairly reasonable price of £5
The mayo was subtle in spice with the kind of heat that slowly builds up and tantalises the taste buds poking them gently until the juices start to flow.
They were very moreish and even once the heat got a bit too much I still could not resist having another and another
The crunchy spring onion slices added some texture, the smoked kimchi added a different dimension to the dish with a more laid back flavour profile.
Not sure it really went with the fries but I enjoyed a few spoonfuls anyway
I would happily have another bowl of these next time I come to the pub they could well be the best loaded fries I have sampled for a while
SALAD MENU
If you didn’t really want to go down the road of mock meat you could select a salad which was exactly what one of us did choosing the
Wholesome Salad of ‘Roasted carrots, beets & baby new potato salad, lentils & tostada with roasted onion & butter bean puree, smoked garlic chimichurri & lime crema, toasted omega seeds, and fresh mint’
Classic Poke and Caesar salad were other options but neither ever float my boat so I would be unlikely to order one to tell you about. I would expect them to be good considering the rest of the food I ate though
WHOLESOME SALAD
The Wholesome salad certainly lived up to it’s name, Substantial Salad would have been another good description.
It was really a mixture of several salads and reminded me of the days when I used to visit the salad bar at the supermarket and just added all the different things to my pot that I fancied even if they didnt really go together. 🤣
I am sure that there was some method in the madness when combining all these different elements on the plate although I am not sure I would have conjured up this particular mix.
Comments from across the table were that it was really nice but the beetroot was hard. Personally I like crunchy hard beetroot, each to their own.
MORE MENU
Listening to the orders of other people around us it sounded like the Battered Sausage and Chips was a popular choice and one that I had almost ordered myself. The menu doesn’t say what the sausage is made of but I would be willing to take my chances, ‘Beer Battered sausages, chips, beans & curry sauce‘ why not?
Having tried the tofish tacos I would also be keen to try either (or both) the Tofsh & Chips ‘Beer battered organic tofu, minted peas, chips & curry sauce‘ or the Filet o’ Fleece burger ‘Battered to-fsh with pea gauc, smoked garlic chimichurri & pea shoots‘
There are so many tasty sounding options on the menus and I am surprising myself on how keen I am to return to try more of their delicious food 😎
Price wise it was all pretty good value, for the tofish tacos, huge Wholesome salad, and those Gochujang Mayo loaded fries it was just over £25 and the table was laden with plates. We were both filled up and replete after dining.
So many great flavour combinations were on offer and it was an eye opener to find people making such interesting and enjoyable vegan food.
I really didn’t feel that I missed out at all, no trip to McDonalds on the way home for a cheeky cheeseburger was needed this time
Prickly Pear are located in the Golden Fleece pub at 105 Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG1 3FN
Check them on their Instagram profile, and the pub on their Facebook and Instagram profile
Apart from the food it was a good spot to be, the night we popped in was a quiz night, other nights they have had a loud DJ which on a different occasion did drive me out eventually. I am too old for this shit lol
Ps the quiz questions were ridiculously easy
Outside there is a nice terrace where you can sit in a bit more peace although I remember the steps being a bit steep especially if your legs get a bit wobbly after a few beers 😂