Oowee Vegan, Baldwin Street: 'Bristol needs a place like this'

Holysseus Fly takes a break from promoting her new single to refuel

I have taken a leaf out of The Observer’s book and asked a bona fide celebrity to write a restaurant review. You may know Holly aka Holysseus Fly as the vocalist and pianist from Ishmael Ensemble, with whom she performs transcendent modern jazz at festivals like Glastonbury and Forwards. But Holly is also a phenomenal solo artist — she headlined Bristol Harbour Festival and has just released, in my opinion, her best single yet in the form of ‘Arms Unfolding’. Holly’s upcoming Red Sea tour will see her take to the stage at Strange Brew in Bristol on 30 October. How she found the time to go and review a burger joint for The Bristol Sauce remains a mystery, but I was confident she’d be able to channel her creative juices into something meaty… or not!

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It’s a glamorous life

I’ll say this up front: I’m dyslexic, not great with essays, and much better at chatting face to face. So this isn’t going to be the slickest restaurant review you’ve ever read. But food is meant to be fun, and so is writing about it — so here goes.

I don’t get people who approach a burger with a knife and fork. A burger is meant to be messy, meant to end up all over your hands. That said, there’s dirty burgers and then there’s dirty burgers.

I don’t always want a dirty burger. Sometimes I want a bit of bouj: a glass of wine, a brioche bun, maybe some truffle oil or a pickled cucumber, a side of aioli. My friends will laugh at me for saying this, but I like to be charmed by the whole experience of eating out.

But when Meg from The Bristol Sauce asked me to review a veggie burger, I decided to put it to public vote. Where do the people of Bristol reckon does the best plant-based patty? The results were loud and clear: Oowee.

Oowee has never had any illusions of being boujie, but it holds a firm place in the hearts of Bristol’s vegans and meat-eaters alike.

So anticipation was running high during a particularly sweaty hot yoga session on a recent Tuesday evening; the thought of burger-y goodness powering me through my downward dog. After a shower and a fond farewell to all my bodily minerals, I channeled the critic from Ratatouille as I walked down Baldwin Street and into Oowee for my first restaurant review.

The music was pumping. I asked the lovely guy at the till to serve me and my partner James two of their best burgers and a side of dirty fries. The bill came to £33 — not cheap, but I was ready to rock.

At this location, Oowee wears its veganism proudly — the whole place is bright green. Though it’s mostly geared towards takeaway the welcome was warm and service was attentive, even if we did have the place to ourselves.

If you haven’t been regaled with tales of Oowee’s dirty fries or tried them yourself, you must have been living under Turbo Island. Straight fries, waffle fries, garlic butter, marmite fries. James and I had gone for cheesy fries with jalapeños (£5.95). Cheesy, spicy, delicious. The bottom layer went a little soggy, but the ones on top were crispy and golden, smothered in molten vegan cheese. They didn’t hold back — it was rich, melty, indulgent, with a nice kick from the jalapeños.

Few things aren’t improved with a generous pile of jalapeños

Next came the big bacon Swiss (£11.50). Back when I ate meat, I was a sucker for a double chicken burger with cheese, and this scratched that itch — but better. It was wrapped in neat white-and-green paper and stacked high with homemade chick’n patty, baconnaise, shredded lettuce, hash brown, and Swiss-style vegan cheese, all in a soft bun. It was gloriously messy: hands sticky, napkins essential. The cheese was the headliner, creamy and indulgent, giving the burger a thoughtful twist on standard fast food.

Probably not going to enter this into the Food Photography Awards but you get the idea

The Big Oovee (£11.95) followed — their classic. A thick, juicy plant-based patty, gherkins, vegan cheese, yet another hash brown, and another soft bun. It tasted like a certain famous chain’s signature burger, but fresher and more satisfying. I later learnt Oowee collaborates with other brands for its patties, and it shows: this hit all the nostalgic fast-food notes but with a warmth that made it better. Friends have said they found it underwhelming as a takeaway, but hot and fresh in store it was salty, messy, and very good.

The two burgers did look alarmingly similar

By the end, I felt Oowee had lived up to its own billing. It calls itself “100% Vegan Junk Food” and that’s exactly what it delivers: the perfect hit when you’re hungover, after late-night munchies, or — in my case — when you’ve sweat out every mineral in hot yoga. And because it’s vegan, it’s great for all sorts of ethical, environmental, and health reasons. Okay, maybe not health. But Bristol needs a place like this. It knows what it is and nails it.

It’s not everyday food — unless you’ve got the metabolism of a teenager — but for filthy vegan comfort food? Oowee nails it. And, after hot yoga, exactly what I needed.

All words and photos by Holly aka Holysseus Fly

Oowee Vegan, 65 Baldwin St, BS1 1QZ

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