Plant based eating is sometimes a contentious topic, with some people strictly sticking to a vegan diet while others out-right refuse to even try it.
But with that in mind, a tasty vegan fish and chips dish might just be the thing to open the mind of a die-hard carnivore. Pretend is a brand new vegan takeaway on the corner of Dorset Street and Blessington Street which has been brought to us by popular plant based restaurant Veginity, which is also located on Dorset Street.
Menu items at Pretend include plant based burgers, cauliflower wings, loaded chips and sandwiches. Additionally, Pretend serves up a dupe of battered fish called Vish made from cassava and hand harvested seaweed from the West of Ireland.
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While we find ourselves in the midst of summer, there is no better time to try a plant based take on this beloved dish. The Vish and Chips costs €10 and comes with tartar sauce, pickled samphire and triple cooked chips.
What is most striking when you first open the container is how much it actually resembles a classic fish and chips dish from any Dublin chipper. But of course, what is encased in the batter is something else altogether.
The taste is simply excellent, with the seaweed helping to give it that fishy taste we adore from the beloved dish. The texture is softer and a bit mushier than that of fish, and it doesn't pull apart the way cod or hake would.
The chips that come with it are golden and crispy and would easily rival chips you can get in classic chippers. Meanwhile the tartar sauce, which is also made with plant based ingredients, is just as tarty as regular tartar sauce and was the perfect companion for the Vish.
Overall, the Vish and Chips from Pretend was delicious, filling and a great example of how exciting and enjoyable plant based dishes can be. Dishes from Pretend can be ordered for collection through the takeaway's website or can be found on Deliveroo.
Pretend also offers a butchery service that includes handmade Pretend 'meats' and other plant-based products you can purchase by weight at the counter.
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