• 4
• Almost full marks

I went here today with a friend for lunch. Blendlove is located in a small shopping centre on the left hand side of Ferry Road, going into Southport. There's a reasonable amount of parking available for a small centre, and i had no problem finding a spot - although if it got really busy it could be tough. Blendlove outlines its concern for health and the environment on its site, but misses the main point of veganism, which is animal use. So while all the food is vegan (at least on our visit), they still offer cow's milk in drinks (they have plant milk available). That said, their food was very good and well presented. My friend had the veggie burger, which had various layers and an accompanying salad. It also had a number of distinctive touches, such as a quinoa bun and cashew aioli. Piled high, and held together with a bamboo tie, it looked impressive, but was only practical to eat after being taken apart. The burger was $17 - so at the higher end - but my friend said he enjoyed it and found it filling - along with the black coffee he also had. I had the berry-licious pancakes ($16), which were very good. They weren't your run-of-the-mill pancakes: light, springy, and well complemented by cashew yoghurt, strawberries, caramelised bananas, blueberry sauce, some hazelnuts and a few small edible flowers. Both our dishes, which we ate there, came served in open cardboard containers. Despite some initial surprise, these turned out to have merit. They were a clever alternative to dishes (and the washing up that goes with them). The volume of the music inside seems to have toned down from earlier reviews, although is higher than background music. The space is nice and open, and even though the outdoor area we sat in faces out onto Ferry Road, it's far enough away to not be annoying. Unfortunately, the day we were there, there was some work going on by the road that created more noise than usual - something i wouldn't expect on a routine basis. All in all, a real plus for fresh, tasty, interesting vegan food. A minus that Blendlove doesn't get the reason behind veganism and still serves cow's milk. One 'star' off for that - otherwise 5 stars.