A vegetarian feast awaits you at Govinda's in Nottingham

Govinda’s vegetarian restaurant sits on Thurland Street in Nottingham’s city centre and is indeed a gem waiting to be discovered. Firstly the greeting that I received from the staff in the restaurant was lovely. Sarva (one of the chefs) personally greeted me and explained all of the dishes on the menu that lunchtime. The chefs here use traditional recipes taken from their time in India, mainly working for charitable causes, so every dish is authentic and a must to try. Huge dishes full of gloriously hot spiced potato and aubergine curry, yellow mung dahl, popadomms and lemon pilau rice called to me immediately and tasted as amazing as it looked! Within no time I was warmed not only by the food but also by the good cheer from all of the staff who made everyone who walked through the door seem so welcome and created such an inviting atmosphere. After my delicious main course I moved onto the dessert, and what a dessert this was! Mango and raisin halva which was truly out of this world (so good that I had to go back for another spoonful – sshh don’t tell anyone!). Govinda’s opened  in April and was made possible in part by a  start-up fund as well as through support from the local community. There is indeed a real community vibe in Govinda’s that runs not only through the efforts of the fabulous volunteer staff that cook and look after the restaurant but also one that has spiritual consciousness and close links to the Hare Krishna Movement, all with an overall aim of providing scrumptious food for the body and soul! Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free cooking are a speciality here and all the dishes truly set the taste buds alight.   But that’s not where this restaurant ceases to be different; it also sets a very high bar in social awareness. Amazingly no food at the cafe is wasted at all. If any is left over it is given to the homeless charities in Nottingham to help those less fortunate and make sure that they do not go hungry. A simple yet brilliant idea! All in all I left my lunch feeling full and satisfied by some of the best vegetarian fayre I have eaten in a long time. I was also inspired by this amazing group of people who have founded Govinda’s and made it not just a restaurant but cemented it as an important part of the community and Nottingham life for many more years to come!