The UK is experiencing a vegan revolution. News has broken of a vegan raw food cafe opening in the Northern town of Warrington.
What? You don’t know where Warrington is on a map? Here you go.
I’ll pay you to cook for me
Best sandwich in London?
I think we need to hand over the title of best vegan sandwich in London to a new champion and I haven’t even tasted it yet. The photos are deserving of platitudes all of their own.
A non-vegan eatery has popped up on the South Bank and it is good to see vegan food is very much on the agenda.
The Green Room is an eatery housed just behind the National Theatre, with all profits from the restaurant channeled back into the theatre and the local community.
So, what of this amazing vegan sandwich of which I speak? Check it out below.
All time Champs
Many have tried but no one else comes close to what Champs do with diner comfort food in Brooklyn.
As my bus trundled into the Port Authority bus terminal, I had an overwhelming chorus of NYC vegan eatery recommendations swimming in my head. A call out on my blog for food ideas to explore during my time in the Big Apple had been met with countless suggestions and recommendations, so it was up to me to sort the wheat from the chaff.
Of all the recommendations that landed in my laptop, one place towered above the rest for sheer number of mentions.
Vegans of the world, I give you Champs Diner.
Killer view
Is a great view worth the cost of a meal?
I think this outlook just might justify any expense.
Make an effort
I don’t know why I don’t live on the East Coast of the USA. The food is on another level. Well, I do know why I don’t but I’m trying to be dramatic in order to convey how seriously they take their vegan food over there.
Take Blackbird Pizzeria of Philadelphia as just one example.
This pizza restaurant is everything you could ever hope for and more. Huge pizzas, crunchy fries, cheesy calzones, seitan wings and a 100% vegan status will make you think you have landed in plant-based heaven.
Check out the photos of my recent take out order from Blackbird. The pics below show (in order) a slice of Haymaker pizza (featuring seitan sausage, red onions, garlic butter, tomato sauce, Daiya cheese and fresh oregano) I ate as I waited for my takeout order, calzone with oozing cheese, sticky root beer seitan wings, rustic fries and a Brunchbird pizza (featuring tofu scramble, crispy seitan bacon, sautéed spinach, garlic butter, Daiya cheese).
Stunning.
Best vegan sandwich
I have a feeling that no matter which sandwich I bought from The Cinnamon Snail food truck in NYC, I would be writing the same thing.
This is the best vegan sandwich on the planet.
What you see below is sheer perfection.
Berlin eating
Even though I am tucked up in bed in New York as the winter weather extremes howl outside, I wanted to let you know about a tasty food experience from Berlin.
That’s right. FGV is a global concern.
Vego Foodworld is a fast food diner-style affair with my kind of food. Sausages, burgers, chips and lashings of sumptuous just about sums up how things are run.
Check out some of the tasty treats we consumed during our stay a few months back.
The currywurst pictured in the middle was the stuff of fantasy. I adored it.
As a side note, the people behind this restaurant are also responsible for bringing the Vego chocolate bar to the masses. They have it branded to match the name of their establishment!
You can visit Vego Foodworld online.
Closing time
Have you noticed the Just Falafel fast food outlets have been shutting down in London.
The picture above shows the locked store front in Fulham and I noticed the outlet near Shaftesbury Avenue closed months back. It seems plans for expansion of the vegan-friendly food providers have hit a serious road block in the UK, even moving backward.
In contrast, the parent company is pushing ahead with rebranding and expansion in Australia. Just Falafel stores are planned for railway stations in capital cities down under, with the first one launched last year in Sydney’s Central Station.
This news article reports plans to open 160 Just Falafel locations across North America within five years. That’s a lot of falafel!
It seems the UK’s loss is the rest of the world’s gain.
Do you have a Just Falafel outlet near you? What do you think of the vegan offerings?
Vegan pizza reminder
Are you interested in authentic Italian pizza. Franco Manca serve some of the finest you will taste in the UK and the vegan version comes in at under £5. Actually, £4.50 to be exact.
Delicious, plant-based and under a fiver. Amazing. Check it out.
I asked for extra basil and a sprinkling of capers on mine at extra cost, but if plain pizza made out of chewy crust is your thing you will not be disappointed.
The restaurant is not vegan, but the servers are always happy to drop the cheese from any of their vegetarian pizzas to make it suitable for compassionate eaters.
The pizza chain has locations in Brixton, Chiswick, Balham, Tottenham Court Road, Southfields, Northcote, Broadway Market, Stratford, East Dulwich and South Kensington.
Eat up!
You can visit Franco Manca online.
Extra note: I originally wrote about Franco Manca a few years ago when they didn’t have as many locations. You can see the post here.