Kanu Poké — Restaurant in England

I've never found it so easy to rate a place. Food: simple, five stars. Service: no mental effort required, five stars. Atmosphere: we're on autopilot now, five stars. Overall: a doddle, five stars. No deliberation, no second-thoughts or hesitation.

Our group of six, spent two hours of pure escapism provided by Kanu Poké infusion restaurant. We had no idea what to expect but instinct whispered to us that our true destiny was to be found at 5, Roushill, Shrewsbury town centre. Emerging from the restaurant was much like leaving the cinema after immersing ourselves in an incredible film - we reluctantly had to adjust to real-life again.

This (vegan/gluten-free) restaurant is a gem. The amount of passion and dedication to the food, its presentation and the venue seeps from the walls. It's all home-made, on the premises, locally-sourced and more ethical than Cliff Richard himself.

The focus of the meal is all about 'the bowl'. It hardly matters which one you choose, as they are all bursting with colour, taste and healthiness. The vegan 'meats' are tastier than the real thing. The breaded or barbequed 'pork' is more flavoursome than pork and the crunchy, fried, 'chicken', is somehow, more appetising than chicken. Half our group wouldn't normally opt for vegan dishes but we have now been educated. Get with the times - humankind now resides in a universe that is no longer under threat from the Linda McCartney vegetarian sausage.

Each mouthful from your bowl will explode a different sensation on your palate and, very quickly, it becomes a joy to consume such healthiness. Naturally, you can stick to a structured menu with nibbles, starters and novel desserts. Again the 'beef' jerky surpasses the best South Africa can offer from a springbok. If it has been a long time since you able to get an appointment with your GP and feel you need to use the line, "my donoughts are purple", just choose appropriately from the sweet menu and you are covered.

The person responsible for creating the Kanu Poké experience is George, who is more than happy to translate and explain your journey. George's invention began as a take-away service during lockdown times, and it continues to grow. It is one of those adventures that you'll want to keep a secret, as surely everyone would want to go, the prices would rise, and George would be tempted to sell his soul to the devil by accepting millions from a corporate franchise.

We've missed two years of our lives by not discovering Kanu Poké when it first opened. Please learn from our mistake and take the trip.

Update (April 2025). I have returned to Kanu Poké several times since discovering this source of the most futuristic food available in the Orion Spur of our Milky Way galaxy. I am externally grateful that I am not a food critic as my life would be over. What would be the point of continuing to seek anything superior to Kanu Poké without the availability of teleportational...

This was our second visit to Kanu Poké - we came back because the food is truly delicious (and this time around that didn't disappoint). There were several other issues with the overall service though. Our cuttlery had pieces of dried food attached to it and even the empty plates brought to us to the table were not properly clean (we then had a clean one). Even the bathroom mirror was dirty - you couldn't see your own reflexion as it wasn't properly cleaned. The staff got one of our orders wrong - we got the Mexican version of the waffle rather than the original version as requested. We did mention it but ended up eating it as we don't like to send food back (and once again, no problems with the food - it's really good). We then tried to pay but no-one came to the table, so we went to the till and pay. I was a bit surprised to see that the Mexican version of that dish had been charged (instead of the original version that had been ordered - but I guess we ate it, so fair enough) and on top of this a "suggested 10% service charge". This is where I beat myself for not saying something as I really felt the service had been mediocre and really not something I would tip for (but I ended up paying it). I feel that if there's a suggested service fee (which I know it's getting more and more common), you need to make sure your service (and overall higiene of the place) matches this. I always tip when I feel the service was very good - unfortunately yesterday I felt there were several faults and honestly I'm not sure I will come back, which is shame because the food...

Incredible food. Our first vegan meal, and what a meal! We asked to be served a variety of dishes (Meze-ish) between our party of four adults. I knew we were onto a winner of a meal with the appetisers. The variety of colours, flavours, textures - AMAZING! Chic-Kanu adobo (tasted like chicken) served with a beautiful mild peppercorn sauce (hoisin/teriyaki-ish) served with fluffy rice, a crunchy red coleslaw and a roasted Chinese cabbage. Fried mochito chic-Kanu with the waffle, savoury with hints of sweet, just tasty. Cow-Kanu skewers (beefy) served with coleslaw and a miso mayo which elevated this dish. Okra with a chilli garlic sauce gave a small kick of heat, but no too much to make the lips hum, which I appreciated. Crunchy sesame crackers with spreading toppings of cheese and guacadame (humus/ish). And if those flavours weren’t sensational enough, along came the desserts!!! The textures and flavours of the cheesecake is something I have never tasted before, but will certainly eat again. My hubby said his waffle, ice cream with blood orange and figs is the best dessert he has ever eaten, and we have eaten a fair few desserts in our time. The owners and staff we friendly, along with super service and welcomed, informed explanations of all we were eating. This was a fantastic find, be it a cuppa, snack, brunch, lunch or evening meal, a venue worth your effort to give you taste buds a wonderful rollercoaster of pure joy. Will see you again very...