Bristol foodie institution Oowee has been serving up the dirtiest burgers since 2016, when they launched their first restaurant on Picton Street. Since then, they've taken over the Bristol foodie scene, with restaurants in Bedminster and the city centre, and they've won award after award.
My first Oowee burger was from their meaty North Street branch in the hazy heatwave of the summer of 2020. At the point where we could finally start collecting food from eateries for takeaway, myself and my partner made the hour-long walk to Bedminster from our flat in what felt like thirty-plus degree heat just because we knew we could finally get our hands on a dirty burger again.
It may have been that euphoric feeling of the first takeaway post-lockdown, that sweet taste of freedom, but I inhaled that burger within seconds. I'm not the only one, however, as Oowee has won its fair share of awards in a very short space of time.
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Oowee has previously been crowned Restaurant of the Year at the Deliveroo Restaurant Awards. The brand even won three awards in the space of two weeks in 2019 - so it's a given that Oowee properly knows its stuff when it comes to dirty, meaty burgers.
However, founders Verity Food and Charlie Watson surprised Bristolians when they announced their city centre branch on Baldwin Street, which opened in November 2018, would be entirely vegan. But Oowee Vegan has gone from strength to strength, with locals packing out their tiny restaurant every night of the week.
As a meat eater, who is always aspiring to be better when it comes to lifestyle choices that impact the environment, I was intrigued when Oowee spin-off, Oowee Vegan, launched its vegan 'fish' burger this week. The brand challenged a Bristol Live reporter who regularly eats meat to compare their Ocean Burger with the real deal - and I leapt at it (like a fish out of water, some would say).
The brand attest that their fish burger is the 'reel deal' - and I was about to find out if it was a true catch. Partnering with Omni Foods, Oowee Vegan has brought the UK launch of their Ocean Burger - the 'most realistic f!sh burger on the market'.
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So I made the walk into town after a busy day at work, ambling past the bustling harbourside down to Baldwin Street, where Oowee Vegan is located. We ordered the Ocean Burger with fries - and awaited the 'reel deal'.
Arriving at the table, it looked slightly suspect. The Omni f!sh fillet is rectangular in shape, seeming rather unnatural and processed for what is supposed to be imitating fish.
However, looks can be deceiving - and it was rude of me to judge something based on its appearance. The Ocean Burger is made up of a crispy breaded Omni F!sh Fillet, on a bed of tartar sauce and iceberg lettuce, topped with crushed minted peas in a soft brioche bun.
Taking a bite, I had to remind myself this was not in fact real fish - because it damn well tasted like it. With a crispy coating and succulent texture of a fresh catch, it'd beat a Bird's Eye fish finger any day.
It was insanely realistic - and insanely good. I'm a weird one when it comes to meat-free burgers, because I usually choose a bean burger over an imitation meat option, as I feel the imitation meat never lives up to a dirty meaty burger - but the Ocean Burger was even more appealing to me than gorging on real fish.
The crushed minted peas brought a refreshing zing to the burger, giving it that little something something of restaurant-quality spark. And the brioche bun - as a fan of brioche carby goodness - brought a sweet end to the burger.
Oowee Vegan x OmniFoods' limited edition Ocean Burger is available until August 14 - and I encourage you to challenge yourself to the f!sh, too. As people look to cut fish from their diet for environmental reasons, we're sure this is only the start of a fishy innovation for Oowee Vegan.
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