I love sugar

Donuts, dumplings and hot damn

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Enough with the torturous posts about divine food half a world away from where the majority of my readers reside. I will stop teasing.

Well, I will stop after this post. I promise.

I have given you some decidedly convincing reasons why you should visit San Diego. The Southern California city is a gorgeous location bursting with attractions that will keep compassionate people on the delirious side of happy. See the vegan drive thru and the vegan market stall as examples.

And there is more.

Moncai Vegan is exactly what I see when I close my eyes at night. It is like the dream I have where the food is irresistible, the service is lovely and there are vegan donuts in a large glass case.

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Cake spreads

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I have delightfully-good news for the vegan cake lovers of London.

Remember when I lost my mind over the fact Lujuria Vegana cakes were being sold in Whole Foods Market Fulham? Check this post for all the glorious photos.

Since that blog post, it appears Lujuria Vegana creations have spread to Whole Foods locations all across the capital. On tweeting about seeing them in the Kensington store, I have received responses from people telling me they had also seen them in Piccadilly and Camden.

Toni of Lujuria Vegana had mentioned to me the vegan desserts would be creeping across London later this year, so it appears later is now!

Get out and get the best vegan cake in Europe.

As seen in Whole Foods Market Kensington

Everybody comes to Hollywood

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Apologies to my loyal non-Californian readers who have been suffering through post after post about vegan food well out of their reach. Maybe you can think of it as the motivation you need to scrape some savings together and get away on holiday. Make Southern California your next vacation destination.

So really, these tempting posts of decadent dishes are a public service. My civil duty to inspire the plant-inclined people of the world to broaden their horizons.

To carry on in this completely selfless fashion, let me tell you what you are missing by not eating at Doomie’s Home Cookin’ in Hollywood.

Doomie’s is the FGV version of heaven. Vegan pulled pork sandwich served with mac and cheese? Check. Cocktails and cold beer? Check. Decadent vegan desserts and sweet treats? Double check.

If I lived in Hollywood, I would most certainly develop an unhealthy emotional relationship with this meat free restaurant. Their menu is what you would show someone wanting to understand the term comfort food.

The only thing that I can’t approve of is the fact Doomie’s offer cow-derived cheese on request. Their food is so utterly delicious and out of this world, offering dairy seems such an unnecessary concession. I can’t imagine that any diner would feel short changed by eating the vegan versions. It is all staggeringly good.

Check out my meal photos below, including the bonus photo of the jumbo vegan burger Doomie’s served me during the Los Angeles Vegan Beer Festival.

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How many snacks?

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I have been busy catching you up on the amazing meals I enjoyed during my recent Southern Californian vacation, but a lot of what I consumed wasn’t from any restaurant.

Check out the photos below of all the vegan snacks I got my chubby, queer hands on. There is a huge range of plant-based products featured, some of them are my old favourites and some are newly discovered tasty treats.

Do you like the look of any of the following snacks? Are any of your faves featured? If you could only pick one, which one would it be?

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Cake glory

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I wanted to share this photo for two reasons.

1. Oh my. Can you believe how amazing these giant vegan cupcakes look? I saw this incredible line up in Whole Foods Market San Diego and was more than impressed. Come on London stores, get on it. I want over the top vegan cupcake designs.

2. I didn’t buy one. I was so overwhelmed by the choice I actually couldn’t decide on one. I stood there for roughly five minutes and then walked away calmly. I am a bad FGV, for sure.

Which one would you have picked?

cupcakes

Vegan ice cream wars strike

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We have a casualty.

The Vegan Ice Cream Wars are a brutal battleground and certainly not for those with a nervous disposition. It is a cruel world where creating a product that people enjoy is not enough. The prohibitive cost behind producing, promoting and distributing would make most people not want to get out of bed.

Darrelle and Phil of Razzle Dazzle Ices were brave enough to get out of bed. For the last three years, they have been creating their range of vegan ice creams and tirelessly promoting the products at vegan festivals all over the country.

Razzle Dazzle Ices even came along to my giant bowling fundraiser for Sea Shepherd back in January 2013 and shared their popular treats with attendees.

But the sad news has arrived via a Facebook announcement posted by Phil:

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Eat more chocolate

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I often enjoy strolling aimlessly around London. I pick a general direction and just set off. These random wanderings have helped me unearth some of the most wonderful vegan discoveries, as well as rediscover gems I had completely forgotten about.

It was during one of these unplanned strolls a few weeks ago when I came across the gorgeous and exquisite creations of The Chocolatier. I am fairly certain I had seen them at VegfestUK London last year but didn’t manage to get close to them due to the swarms of people converging on their stand.

This time I was able to find my way to the front of their table at an open air market just a block back from London’s South Bank.  While not being a completely vegan company, the majority of their handcrafted delights are vegan and oh so delicious.

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Cheap as chocolate

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It is a wonderful time of year. A time of year I always look forward to with great anticipation. No, not spring. It’s time for discounted vegan chocolate.

Here are two delights I picked up this week in the post-Easter sales.

How about you? What have you found in the chocolate bargain bins this week?

What was good? What was amazing?

I overdid it at the soda shop

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Here is some quick and tasty news for you.

Buy vegan soda in London that is delicious!

I have been hearing good things about new(ish) soda company Square Root and was keen to get it on my chubby tastebuds. This Hackney-based company make all their drinks by hand from seasonal ingredients and they sell them from a gorgeous vintage tricycle fitted out with taps from which they pour the tasty liquid.

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Best vegan cake in Europe

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I have been racking my feeble brain for a witty or whimsical way in which to announce this epic news, but I have been reduced to a quivering mess and can no longer think. I’m going to just have to come straight out and say the facts.

The best vegan cakes and desserts in the whole of Europe are now available in London.

If you have been loitering around these parts of the Internet for a few years, you should be able to recall this mammoth post I wrote about irresistible vegan cakes in Barcelona created by the magical company known as Lujuria Vegana.

Their cakes are absolutely peerless in Europe. I am a super fan.

Imagine then my sheer delight/shock/convulsions of hysteria when I was confronted by masses of Lujuria Vegana desserts sitting in the chilled fridges of the brand new Whole Foods Market location in Fulham. I almost fell over.

The range in Whole Foods is staggering in size. You can see by the photos below that I was completely unable to control myself and bought many varieties. I was overcome by a cake buying frenzy.

As far as I can tell, this particular Whole Foods Market is the ONLY place in the UK selling these gluten free and vegan desserts. I had heard whispers of them making inroads over here but this is the first time I have seen them on a store shelf.

Check out my photos (yes, I bought ALL cakes featured). Get to Fulham. Buy many cakes. Be happy.

Follow Lujuria Vegana on Twitter.

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