Restaurant review: Pfannenzauber, Aachen

An excellent vegan find in the German city of Aachen is Pfannenzauber. With a relaxed vibe, it’s one of those places that you can spend many happy hours chatting and eating.

The food was superb. There were six of us, and we shared two Tex-Mex platters, which were absolutely delicious. The potato, cheese and bolognaise dip that came with the nachos was outstanding. For mains my companions raved about the various burger meals they had, while I had the pumpkin schnitzel with sesame coating, cabbage and roast potatoes. Sadly there was no room for dessert.

But if you add a helpful and friendly staff to the mix, this was a truly lovely way to spend an evening.

A shout out to the ferry food on the way over from Dover to Calais. Last year, I took the same journey and was greeted by nothing short of bewilderment when I mentioned the word vegan. ‘Do you eat fish?’ was the waitress’s first question as she scuttled off to fetch the allergens menu.

What a difference a year makes… This time I had the soup of the day to start and was presented with a choice of curry or vegan pizza. I chose the curry (pictured), and it was way beyond average ferry food standard. A big pat on the back to P&O Ferries for listening to the changing mood of society and catering to a plant-based diet.