Why we love Fallow (the new and improved incarnation of Trof Fallowfield)

I was so disappointed when I heard Trof Fallowfield was changing hands. “It won’t be the same” I insisted. “Where am I going to go and gossip over a bottle of red wine now?”. But having visited a few times I now see the error of my ways. From its humble origins as a vegan cafe on this site through astronomical expansion to the empire of today, this outpost of the Trof family had become neglected and stagnant. Although the owner has changed, the lovely staff remain the same, and they are now being given much more freedom to shape the bar and cafe with their own ideas. This can only mean good things, and below are four reasons you should definitely give Fallow a chance.

1. The awesome staff, cool atmosphere and great nights they have

Trof is not a place for harder club nights or embarrassing drunkenness *cough 256 cough*. Instead they put on events of up-and-coming bands and nights with music that is fun to dance to even if you haven’t downed 10 Jeigerbombs. The chilled vibe is helped by how lovely the staff are, and during the day you can always expect a really cool soundtrack.

2. This is the home of the best hangover cures for miles

Already well known for their full english (treat yourself to one, you really won’t regret it), you should definitely also try the american pancakes and the milkshakes (my friend who had the vanilla one on our visit described it as being creamy and “deeply vanilla” with proper substance, the perfect cure for the morning after). But if you’re more of a hair-of-the-dog sort of person, then you should check out their range of bloody marys, with the ‘Bloodyest Mary’ (£5 compared to a standard one at £3.50) containing more vodka, port, wasabi and a heap of other interesting ingredients that are sure to sort your head right out!

3. Speaking of cocktails, the drinks here are something special

Made with skill, care and premium ingredients, you won’t find watered down polish vodka here. While slightly more expensive than Font, the depressingly popular vendor of bubblegum-sweet drinks that mainly consist of ice round the corner, these are worth the extra pound for drinks like the Moscow Mule, Bourbon Fizz or Espresso Martini (all £3.50), while there selection of bottled beers is astonishingly good, making my beer-loving friend go slightly weak at the knees and geek out with the staff for a while.

4. Long lazy lunches

All this combined creates the kind of place you just want to chill out in for hours, with one of their mediterranean platters or great burgers. While you could buy a meal and a drink with change from a tenner, there are also some more premium dishes on the menu now, making it a good shout for somewhere to take your parents if they visit. Steak, chips and onion rings anyone? They also serve up a pretty great sunday roast, and the specials board changes daily so it would be pretty hard to get bored of this place. Of course, all this means worrying things for my student loan this year!