Yaffle Cafe Meal Night, Derby

I have been a happy customer of Sound Bites, a small independent wholefoods shop in Derby for many years. Some time after the shop opened, a small vegetarian cafe opened above Sound Bites called the Yaffle Cafe & Bookshop. For a long time now I have been meaning to go here as it is local to me now I have moved back to Derbyshire and it is the only solely vegetarian cafe in Derby.

Yaffle Cafe & Bookshop is open during the daytime and serves cakes, light snacks, coffee, etc, all of the vegetarian and vegan variety. However, on a Thursday and Friday evening, Yaffle Cafe hosts a meal night with a different country theme each week and all of the food is vegan-friendly. This is what I have been particularly excited to go to.

Enjoying the food and atmosphere. Organic Cotton Shirt- H&M.

Yaffle Cafe is small and cosy, seating around 12 people. It's decorated in sunny yellow and is full of books, flyers and magazines, so there is plenty to read. I was really impressed with my surroundings, it had a great atmosphere, a very relaxed bohemian sort of feel. I like that the books were available to borrow and that it was encouraged that you could look at books, I had a nosey through quite a few magazines, which is unlike some cafe/bookshops where this is discouraged as the books are all new and are for buying.

The theme on the night we went was Sri Lanka. I read the menu before going and was particularly excited for the vegetable and cashew nut curry, I was not disappointed! The menu (printed on used paper, which I personally loved) had a choice of soup to start and a couple of options for pudding, the main being a plate with small amounts of a variety of dishes for you to try.

Having seen the big portions someone else had, we decided to just opt with the main and I was very pleased with what I received. The dishes were bursting with different flavours, even the rice which was flavoured with coconut. It was nice to eat somewhere serving different dishes, as vegetarian options in a lot of places in Derby tend to be a bit samey, serving the standard fare of vegetarian lasagne or veggie burgers.

Something else that is really great about Yaffle though is the price, it is such good value, with a main costing only around £5, which is what attracted my diners for the evening who are poor hungry students.

My dining companions for the evening were my sister Vicky (Girl about Scarborough) and her friend who was visiting, Jo, both of whom eat meat. They were looking forward to coming to the meal night as it is something a bit different from when they would usually go out to eat. Both were very happy with what they received. Vicky really love the atmosphere of the place, commenting that she would definitely come back in the daytime as she felt this is a relaxed place where she could enjoy a cup of tea and read a book. Jo was taken with the entertainment options, particularly the felt tip pens, getting to do a bit of colouring while waiting for our mains.

Vicky & Jo

Yaffle Cafe & Bookshop is great! It is definitely worth visiting! If your a vegetarian/vegan in Derby or visiting Derby, it is going to be one of the best options of somewhere to eat. This is also a great option to try something new. If you do go, I would recommend nipping into Sound Bites (which opens late on a Thursday) to stock up on a few vegetarian goodies too!