Killer Tomato serving meat
Some sad news for the London food scene (and for the animals being cooked, more to the point).
Remember when I wrote about Killer Tomato on Leather Lane? I absolutely raved about the vegan spicy sandwich I devoured and proclaimed it to be the best sandwich in town.
Torta ahogada aka Drowned Sandwich
Well, some undesirable news has reached me here in my faux-ivory tower.
Killer Tomato has gone from being completely vegetarian to serving meat at their Leather Lane location. Yes, that’s right. You don’t hear about it often, but a food outlet has moved from vegetarian to omnivore.
You can put Killer Tomato on your list of places to avoid if you don’t like the idea of buying your meals from a street food vendor who is also cooking dead animals. Owner Matt let me know he does still cater to vegans and sells vegan options at a discount (£4.50 vs £5). Quarrygirl recently Instagrammed about eating a vegan torpedo burrito with a guacamole-filled taquito inside.
Has one of your favourite veggie places ever started serving meat? Did it stop you from eating there? Share your experiences in the comments.
[…] UPDATE As of late 2014, Killer Tomato now serves meat. Read more here* […]
I was just on Leather Lane earlier this week and was looking for the vegetarian place you had mentioned. I couldn’t remember the name, but knew I could find it by looking at all the options (and Mexi food, of course). I was surprised I didn’t find a veg Mex. And now I know why. Unfortunate… all around.
Hi Emi, vegetarian Mexican food is still on the menu – and the vegetarian option isn’t just “the meat one without some stuff”. I’ve deliberately constructed the menu so it’s vegan-friendly too.
I would rather be serving a 100% vegetarian menu but you would be amazed by how many people won’t eat vegetarian food on principle. It’s been quite an eye-opener.
Matt
Hi Matt,
>>>you would be amazed by how many people won’t eat vegetarian food on principle
What I’m surprised by is how underserved the veggie/vegan community in London is.
it makes me quite sad.
I had the vegan lunch from there today. I assume the decision wasn’t taken lightly (unless you know differently) and would still rather support them than other food vendors. I’m new to this vegan thing so am genuinely curious if people boycott all businesses that sell any animal products (Tescos, Boots, most pubs, the corner shop, etc)
Yes, Neal’s Yard Salad Bar, which does great veggie food and used to be completely vegetarian. However, a few years back I discovered they had introduced a meat menu as well as their normal menu. Very disappointed as it used to be one of my favourite eateries.
I used to work near Leather Lane, and almost opposite where Killer Tomato is now, there was one of those Chinese vegetarian buffet place that I used to go to with a carnivore colleaugue. The day he realised he wasn’t eating meat, was the last time he went!
This is a shame. Coincidentally I was considering eating here today lunchtime and was about to tweet @eatkillertomato to find out what time lunch ended to see the tweets mentioning they were no longer vegetarian, and so went to maoz falafel instead (speaking of which, does anyone know if they have opened a new one near leather lane?)
I don’t boycott non-vegetarian places, but would prefer to go to (and choose to support) places that are plant based over ones that aren’t. Conversely, is interesting to hear that people choose not to eat vegetarian food on principle!
Hmm. Am wondering if I misused the word “conversely”?
The number of people who insist on having meat in their food (and actively shun plant-based food) is sadly far far higher than the number of vegans. It’s maddening.
I’ve been a regular at Killer Tomato for most of this year, and whilst I was initially disappointed that the drowned sandwich went away, I am still a big fan of the food available here.
In London we are spoiled. There are a number of solely veggie/vegan places to eat, but what is more important in my opinion is for those places serving meat to be respectful of their potential veggie/vegan customers, and provide options for them too. Killer Tomato does this.
I don’t see any reason to boycott someone who is making a valiant effort to appeal to everyone. It would probably make Matt’s life a lot easier to give up on the veggie/vegan option altogether, but he hasn’t. Do you avoid Sainsbury’s/Tesco/Asda/Waitrose etc. because they serve non-veggie food?
If you’re after Mexican food, then the alternative is to go to a chain like Chillango or Chipotle. These places can be good, but can also be quite sloppy, and aren’t always sympathetic to veggie/vegan customers. They are also more expensive and don’t compensate for the fact that you’re going without the cheese and sour cream that is part of the meal. As an example, I stopped going to nearby Daddy Donkey because they carelessly dropped sour cream and cheese into my burrito, despite being asked not to several times.
I don’t work on Leather Lane anymore, but I still make the effort to visit Killer Tomato when I can because a) the food is great and b) Matt makes a real effort to keep a vegan option available.
I think you’re completely right, and in fact if killer tomato had started as an omnivorous place which decided to have a vegan menu we would all probably be supportive. I would still prefer to eat at vegetarian places though if and when I have a choice to, but agree it is sad to boycott someone who is vegan sympathetic and aware.