Just when you think we’ve reached peak veganism, along comes Blackout with their unique dark dining experience in Las Vegas.
This concept is rather unusual, but also highly enjoyable.
Diners eat their 7-course vegan dinner in complete darkness. Not semi-darkness where eyes can adjust after a few minutes, but rather total darkness.
On arrival, guests read and sign a waiver before locking phones and all light emitting objects into a secure locker.
Each group of diners is assigned a server just as you would be in any regular restaurant. At Blackout however, the servers wear night vision goggles in order to navigate the room and serve food and drinks.
Gil and I were invited down by the restaurant to try the menu and our server Anthony was a true delight. He was obviously our eyes for the night but he was much more than that.
Anthony talked us through each dish, gave directions to cutlery, and kept us feeling relaxed through the hour and a half experience.
The entire experience was amazing, a little nerve-racking, and something that I will never forget.
Anthony gave us minimal details on the ingredients of each dish, allowing us the freedom to explore the flavours on our own.
Gil and I had a great time trying to work out what we were eating. You don’t realise how much your taste is influenced by sight until you find yourself trying to deconstruct the flavours in a 7-course meal!
Hearing the other diners talk, laugh, and sometimes smash a glass (!) is surreal and has you questioning so much about your senses.
When we got outside, Gil said it was like I had been inside his brain for an hour and a half. How awful for him!
You are allowed to view the menu AFTER you finish your meal but you are not permitted to read it aloud nor can you photograph it.
Blackout prides itself on offering the experience as a complete surprise for diners and they don’t want it ruined by menu leaks.
In addition, the restaurant does not advertise as vegan even though all food and drink is completely plant-based. Imagine the thousands of non-vegans having this fun experience only to discover at the end of the night that they were eating vegan food.
That is some seriously stealth vegan activism!
You MUST try Blackout Dining in the Dark when you are in Las Vegas. You will love the food AND the dark dining room.
It’s been a few years since I last dined with Pancho’s Vegan Tacos and my visit this week reminded me instantly why this is one of the best places to eat in Las Vegas.
With a location about 4 miles off the world famous casino Strip, Pancho’s is the perfect place to load up on Mexican comfort food.
But be warned. The portions are HUGE.
Gil and I were almost outdone by the giant loaded fries… seriously, these things were almost too much.
The rest of the menu reads like one of my dreams. Quesadillas. Pozole. Tacos. Burgers. Cake. Agua frescas.
Follow Pancho’s on Instagram and watch out for extra locations (like Henderson and a mobile truck) and others coming very soon.
Nothing satisfies me quite like vegan comfort food. Give me a solid burger and some crispy fries to see me at my happiest.
I’m currently in Las Vegas and found my way to The Modern Vegan, a restaurant in a strip mall located not too far from the airport that left me grinning from ear to ear.
The menu is stacked with classics you’d expect in a comfort food place including loaded fries, buffalo burgers, shakes, and waffles.
Gil and I ate as much as we could but these were BIG portions.
Check out the photos below and follow The Modern Vegan on Instagram.
This spring, Swedish food manufacturer Food for Progress is launching The Oumph! Burger, which is a plant-based premium burger for all burger lovers.
The Oumph! Burger will be sampled for the first time at the Fastfood & Café trade show in Stockholm this week.
“The Oumph! Burger is a burger for everyone who loves burgers!”, says Henrik Åkerman, Marketing Director at Food for Progress, the Swedish company behind the award-winning plant-based success Oumph!
Åkerman continues:
“When we created the Oumph! Burger, we took our inspiration from a juicy rare burger, but the difference is that the Oumph! Burger is made with entirely plant-based ingredients”.
Like all Oumph! products, The Oumph! Burger is made with soya beans, and the fine red colour comes from beetroot.
The Oumph! Burger is set to launch in all markets where Oumph! is currently available, starting in Sweden where the burger will hit supermarkets on the first week of May. Before this date it will be available from wholesalers and in a number of restaurant chains.
“We’re pleased to be showcasing the Oumph! Burger now, aiming for a wider launch later in the spring”, says Åkerman.
The Oumph! Burger weighs 113g, which is the equivalent of a Quarter Pounder. For foodservice, the burger will be sold in packs of forty, and for consumers, in packs of two. A smaller, 75g burger will also be available for foodservice.
The food trade show Fastfood & Café is taking place at Kistamässan in Stockholm on the 30-31 January. The Oumph! Burger is available for a limited sampling at the Unibake/Korvbrödsbagaren’s stand: G:06.
Check out the full Oumph! range on their website and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Multi award-winning Oumph! is continuing its expansion into new markets, now with Tesco Ireland.
Five Oumph! products are part of the initial launch: Pulled Oumph!, Kebab Spiced, The Chunk, Salty & Smoky and Oumph! Pizza Italian Style.
“Having successfully launched with Tesco in the UK we are delighted that Tesco Ireland have also agreed to launch our delicious Oumph! products”, says Nick Jacobs, Head of Sales for Oumph! in the UK and Ireland.
Jenni Fisher, frozen buyer, Tesco Ireland comments: “We’re very pleased to bring the Oumph! range exclusively to customers in Ireland. We’re delighted to partner with Oumph! to bring high quality exciting products to the vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian customer base in Ireland.”
Oumph! at Tesco Ireland
Pulled Oumph! – Oumph! chunks in a flavourful BBQ sauce – delicious in tacos or burgers. Price: €5 (280 g)
Oumph! Kebab Spiced – Oumph! strips seasoned with a classic kebab spice mix – just add fresh vegetables and sauces to create your own plant-based kebab. Price: €5 (280 g)
Oumph! The Chunk – This is unseasoned for those who like to add their own herbs, spices and creativity to a dish. The Chunk contains only soya beans, water and a little salt. Oumph! Price: €5 (280 g)
Oumph! Salty & Smoky – With its salty, smoky and slightly sweet taste Oumph! Salty & Smoky is a perfect partner for brunch, served with American pancakes, or in a bagel. Try it with a full English breakfast, or in an Oumph! ‘O.L.T.’
Oumph! Italian Style pizza – inspired by Italy with semi-dried tomatoes, rocket, thyme and garlic seasoned Oumph!, and organic and plant-based cheese. The pizza base is hand-stretched and baked in a wood-fired brick oven. Price: €5 (280 g)
Violife has long been the champion vegan cheese when it comes to mainstream accessibility and reach.
And now they are taking things to the next level by launching a pair of TV adverts for the UK aimed at showing people how simple it can be to use dairy free cheese.
Club Mexicana, specialists in Mexican vegan food, are opening a new eatery at Netil Market on January 26, 2019.
Get ready to say hello to The Burger Bar.
Meriel Armitage, Club Mexicana founder, is launching her new Burger Bar at Netil Market. With a menu packed with indulgent Mexican-twists on classic burgers, it will sit alongside their Dinerama location in Shoreditch and London’s first 100% vegan pub, The Spread Eagle in Homerton.
The menu takes classic burgers and gives them the Club Mexicana make-over, re-incarnating them as vegan dishes. The menu will include; The Mexican Fried Chick’n Burger with annatto glazed fried ‘chick’n’, pickled cabbage and mustard mayo; Beer Battered ‘t0-fish’ with tartare sauce, deep fried capers, pickled cabbage and salsa verde; and Sticky Glazed ‘Ribs’ with slaw, pink onions and jalapeno.
For sides Meriel will bring her Loaded Nachos with guacamole, pink onions, salsa verde, pickled jalapenos and chipotle oil, Mexican Fries with chilli lime salt and hot sauce, as well as her cult-classic: Deep Fried Cheese served with Mexico City’s favourite hot sauce: Valentina.
They will also be serving Club Mexicana’s very own pale ale created in collaboration with Beer 52 and all natural wines.
Meriel says:
We’ve wanted to collaborate with Netil Market again for ages as we are big fans of their market. We did our very first street food event on the rooftop of Netil House, so there’s something quite nostalgic for us returning with our new Burger Bar. We want it to be a place where we can try new ideas, run specials and collaborations, whilst getting back to our street food roots putting us face to face with the most important people – our customers!
