Kay L.
Yelp
After hearing several disparate people say "I've heard Milk's quite good..." I thought, well, there's only one way to see if that's true!
There are two things that Milk do outstandingly well - the first is the "50s updated" feel...the laminate tables and bench seats, the recycled golden syrup tins with silver cutlery, the cooked-from-scratch-out-the-back food and rectangular wall tiles.
The second was that the vegetarian options were incorporated into the menu - not added like some "if we must" section at the end, in a designated list of bland quasi-dishes. Actually integrated into the offerings, as if it's perfectly normal to want some vegetable content. Wonderful!
Mind you, the carnivorous options were pretty good, too....I was severely tempted by the Moroccon stew....in fact, I'm having a little lunch-time fantasy about that right now...
On the occassion I visited Milk, though, I had ducked in to avoid any further drenching and found the staff a little distracted, sorting various logistical things that must have been important, but overall, were pleasant and helpful.
I ordered the butternut squash soup, which came with bread so light and airy it was like eating a cloud. The soup was thick and definitely home-made, a good comfort meal even if I wasn't 100% sold on the combination of roasted garlic garnish - it was just a little too sweet/startling to the tastebuds in a not-so-smooth way to be perfect. But, having said that, it was still tasty enough that I managed to get my spoon to scrape noisily on the bottom of the bowl!
After half an hour or so of pleasant working, I also ordered a latte and carrot cake. The latte? Frikkin perfect. The cake? Substantial and light at the same time, and filled with nuts and fruit and wonderful things that one wouldn't necessarily expect in carrot cake. Delicious although, again, the lemon and vanilla icing will surprise tastebuds indoctrinated to expect cream cheese icing! (But in a good way!)
All in all, an excellent first experience. I will definitely be making regular appearances at Milk, in order to try the Mull Cheddar with Pear and Ginger chutney, Harissa chicken and other delights.