London can you wait?

Café in Camden closing

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Well, that didn’t last long.

A short while back, a café named Buttercream Dreams opened in Camden, London following a popular run in Croydon.

dreams panel

Sadly, this news was posted on the café’s Facebook page a few days ago:

NEWS!
We are closing our Camden shop as of this Sunday due to health concerns.
Our last day will be this Sunday 💜 thank you for all your support and custom!
We hope you can come see us before we leave at this Saturday’s late night cake club or another day this week xxxx

Short but sweet.

Get along this week before Sunday August 28, 2016 if you are interested in getting some vegan food before they shut down.

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IVJFD 2016 with Black Cat

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As you know, the 3rd annual International Vegan Junk Food Day is taking place on Monday August 29, 2016.

You can read all about this marvellous festival here.

I’m thrilled to announce the first participant in this year’s celebration is Black Cat Café of Hackney.

black cat cafe

The café is opening special hours just for #ivjfd16 (between 4:30pm and 10:00pm) and the menu they have lined up is going to make you drool and the super cheap price is going to make you clap with happiness.

(Read this and book straight away – last year’s International Vegan Junk Food Day booked out solid in record time)

For just £15.50 you get to choose 1 main, 2 sides and 1 dessert if booked in advance via info@blackcatcafe.co.uk (so do it now!).

There are also prices for single items if you fancy dropping in during the special opening hours, but you really should get the meal deal and secure your food.

MAINS (£7.50)

  • The fishless burger: ale nori battered cod, remoulade, tartar sauce, rocket
  • Jack fruit quesadillas: slow cooked jackfruit in rich chilli mole, guacamole, carrot and onion escabeche, melted cheese.
  • Black Cat classic beef style burger: seitan and soya mince patty, cheddar cheese, rasher, beefsteak tomatoes, butter lettuce, house made pickles and basil garlic mayo.
  • Curry hot dogs: tofu sausage, mango chutney, onion relish, wholegrain mustard, curried home made ketchup

SIDES (£3.50)

  • Deli potato salad: new potatoes, gherkins, garden peas, diced carrots, chives, house made herby mayo.
  • Hand cut herby potato wedges: raw garlic, vinegar 
  • Hackney Salad: mixed leaves, olives, tomatoes agave mustard dressing.
  • Crunchy slaw: thinly sliced cabbage, red onions, fresh chilly, coriander, sesame seeds, fresh mint and coriander

Dessert (£4)

  • Ice Cream Boat: chocolate and vanilla ice cream, banana, crushed biscuits, chocolate orange sauce, whipped cream
  • Cake (selection in the fridge)

How about that menu?!

Email Black Cat Café right this second to secure your meal for International Vegan Junk Food Day 2016. Be sure to use #ivjfd16 across social media to share your good time eating adventures on August 29, 2016.

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Goodie bag review

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The huge opening of GreenBay Supermarket has passed us by but I wanted to go back and say a BIG thank you to the sponsors who made the fantastic goodie bags possible for the invited guests of the sneak preview.

Click on the video below to see the contents of the bag.

A video posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on


Amazing! What’s your favourite item?

Lots of love and thanks to Vegan Life Magazine, Moo Free Chocolates, Pudology, Sheese, Coconut Collaborative, Rebel Kitchen Mylks and Fry’s Family Foods.

Good times and yay for sponsors!

Buy all the above and a whole lot more at GreenBay in West London.

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Kebabs with FGV

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You’ve heard all about the incredible vegan döner kebabs being served up by What The Pitta in Shoreditch, you’ve drooled over the countless Instagram posts flooding your phone and you’ve made a promise to yourself to get to this brand new food venture ASAP.

Well, friends. The time has come.

Monday-Deal

Join food lover extraordinaire Fat Gay Vegan (that’s me!) for a night of kebabs and socialising as he celebrates the launch of What The Pitta with a Monday night party that will be the talk of the town.

Between 6pm and 9pm on Monday August 22, 2016, What The Pitta will be launching an exclusive Monday night meal deal.

For just £9 you will get:

– a döner kebab

– a cold drink

– a piece of baklava

I’m not sure where else in London you are going to get a deal like this. We are even paying the booking fee for you. All you pay is £9 for a wrap, a drink and a sweet when you book online.

Amazing value, indeed!

This launch event is strictly ticketed only and space is limited to 100. Book your ticket now and we will see you on Monday. Fat Gay Vegan will be on hand across the three hours of the event to check you in and hand you a meal deal token. Swap the token at What The Pitta for food, drink and sweets then join the party.

BOOK YOUR TICKET NOW FOR JUST £9!

Once you have your online ticket, you can drop in anytime between 6pm and 9pm on Monday August 22, 2016. Stay for as long as you like, or grab your food and run. It’s up to you!

Follow What The Pitta on Instagram.

Click here to RSVP to the Facebook event and invite friends.

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Best vegan burger in London

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Got plans for eating out over the next few days? Now you do!

I know I have a big mouth with opinion-making skills to match, but please don’t think this is an example of me trying to oversell something.

What you are about to see really is (in my FGV opinion) the best vegan burger currently available in London.

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Decadent, sloppy, juicy and exquisite burger goodness right there.

Now for the surprising part?

The best vegan burger in London is made and sold by a non-vegan food provider.

Arancini Brothers is a food business based around arancini. You know. Little savoury, crunchy rice balls. These irresistible balls have been perfected by the company over years and have grown to become some of the most loved items at street markets and events around London.

In addition to a mobile food truck, Arancini Brothers currently have three permanent restaurant locations. I was invited to dine at the Kentish Town outlet while the other two are placed in Old Street and Dalston.

The menu at the restaurant features a handful of vegan items alongside the non-vegan food, with a small broccoli outline indicating which items are plant-based.

Owner Dave was keen for me to try the specialty Vegan Burger. Rude to say no, right?

This burger blew me away. The gorgeous arancini have been crafted into a burger sized patty, placed inside a fresh bun, doused in onion jam and slathered with aubergine tomato sauce.

Three word review? To die for.

My tray also featured a side serving of arancini (which I could eat all day quite happily thank you very much) and a basket of fries seasoned beyond perfection.

I’m desperate to get back for the morning menu which includes a Vegan Recovery wrap that sounds truly spectacular. There is a vegan salad box that looks intriguing and mushroom/zucchini risotto balls that I MUST try soon.

In both the Kentish Town and Dalston (next to FED By Water) outlets, all of the vegan options are cooked separately from the non-vegan food, with dedicated plant-based fryers used in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, the Old Street location has room for just one fryer so vegan items go in with the non-vegan. If vegan food touching non-vegan food is not your thing, stick to Kentish Town and Dalston.

You can visit the Arancini Brothers website for more details such as locations, opening hours and the full menu.

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Vegan food in Hounslow

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Sometimes things surprise me in London.

Did you know about this place called Old School Vegetarian Restaurant in Hounslow? Knock me over with something other than a feather because feathers are usually obtained through cruel means.

I can’t believe I just found out about this place when I’ve often lived less than a 15-minute drive away.

The restaurant is on a well-known thoroughfare called Hanworth Road, just a little further west than the Hounslow Bus Garage (if you know, you know).

The restaurant is brightly decorated and, for a vegetarian restaurant, there is quite a significant number of vegan or able-to-be-vegan meals to select. Obviously there is nothing they serve that couldn’t be vegan so here’s hoping they are on their way to being completely plant based.

Josh and I indulged in a burger and wrap, both accompanied by the most delicious coleslaw and seasoned fries. We also snuck in a caesar salad while I made short work of a creamy almond butter shake.

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on


The fries are my life. So crunchy.

Top notch food that was very tasty, however it should be noted that all the vegan meats were Fry’s Family Foods. I know it annoys some people when you go to a restaurant and they are using brands you can buy and use at home.

That’s not a concern of mine as long as the food is done well. Old School Vegetarian Restaurant does it well.

Follow the restaurant on Facebook.

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Huge queer party with vegan BBQ

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London, you are in for a treat.

Legendary queer club/bar night Club Wotever is hosting a glorious summer party featuring live shows, DJ sets, disco action and even a vegan BBQ on Saturday August 20, 2016.

Yes, a freaking vegan BBQ in a queer dance club!

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The event is billed as a MEGA Summer PARTY (caps completely necessary) for gender benders and allies, run in a unique collaboration between Eagle Vauxhall & Wotever World.

I’m sure I already had you interested with the mention of gender bending, queerness and righteousness, but this next piece of info is going make you swear allegiance to this late night dance party.

Much-loved plant-based food heroes Cafe SoVegan are running an outdoor BBQ in the courtyard of the venue!

I need dance floor tunes and inclusiveness and vegan BBQ. Amazing!

The Eagle is fully wheelchair accessible and you can get free entry into the event if you arrive between 9pm and 10pm, otherwise you will be paying the extremely reasonable £6 after 10pm.

You really should take a moment to RSVP on the Facebook event page and use the invite button over there to let friends and enemies know where you will be on Saturday August 20, 2016.

VBF-TWCover

New vegan grocery store for London

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I very rarely get to bring you news this huge, so hold on tight to your green smoothies.

London, you have a brand new 100% vegan grocery store called GreenBay opening on Saturday August 13, 2016.

Yes, this is BIG news.

GreenBay Supermarket is the brainchild of Paula and Anderson, two people committed to bringing fabulous plant-based food to the masses at reasonable prices.

paula y anderson

Paula and Anderson are keen to make their store a haven for people looking for plant-based shopping and believe me when I say this corner store on North End Road (yes, just a few doors along from 222 Veggie Vegan) is absolutely rammed solid with everything you would need, want and expect to find in a supermarket.

You need to get along this weekend for their grand opening at 228 North End Road (just a 7 minute walk from West Kensington Underground on the District Line) and help these compassionate business people celebrate the opening of this wonderful retail outlet.

shop front greenbay

As a special thank you to anyone who comes along on grand opening day, GreenBay has teamed up with Follow Your Heart for some very special offers.

VeganEgg will be available as a buy one get one free offer while the Vegan Gourmet cheese shreds will be for sale at 30% off. Stock up!

GreenBay really has everything you would expect to find in a non-vegan grocery store.

Chocolate, plant milks, cheeses, bread, fresh fruit, vegetables, ice cream, personal care products, toilet roll, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, soup, flour, baking ingredients, beer, wine, vodka, pet food….. I could go on and on and on.

Follow GreenBay Supermarket on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Visit the shop for its grand opening this weekend.

Now look at some cheeky photos I snapped inside.

almond dream beans beer casheese cereal coyo drinks homecare IMG_7708 meat cheese milks oatly oils pudology rebel yogurt rebel snacks vegenaise vego wine yeast

Please note: not featured is the fresh fruit, vegetables and bread because it is getting delivered fresh for Saturday morning!

Also, this just in: Watch the live broadcast I did from inside the shop tonight. It is excellent!

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Exclusive London event

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This is huge news.

Carol J. Adams is heading to London to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her groundbreaking book The Sexual Politics of Meat on Thursday September 8, 2016 and will be joined in conversation by celebrated comedian (and vegan), Sara Pascoe.

This is a rare chance to be part of something special, London.

You will need to move extremely quickly for this. It is going to sell out in record time.

The event page for this conversation says of the book:

The Sexual Politics of Meat is an inspiring and controversial exploration of the interplay between contemporary society’s ingrained cultural misogyny and its obsession with meat and masculinity. By exploring a relationship between patriarchal values and meat-eating this conversation will bring together ideas from feminism, vegetarianism, animal defence, and literary theory.

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This book is a critical piece of text from one of the most important vegan voices of the past few decades (in my humble FGV opinion).

The evening is a chance to hear a conversation between two notable vegans, take part in a Q&A, mingle over some drinks and buy your very own copy of the 25th anniversary edition of The Sexual Politics of Meat at a reduced price.

Book your ticket NOW! Click here.

These tickets will not last long. I warn you.

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Fabulous vegan cake

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There is a superstar baking business in North London that you need to know about.

Heart of Cake is situated in Stoke Newington and is run by the fabulous Lizzie. Lizzie is a one-person cake creation machine, handcrafting some of the finest vegan delights in the capital.

Lizzie recently got in touch with me to ask if I would be interested in sampling one of her creations.

Um, yeah OK. I think I’m kinda interested in VEGAN CAKE!

Check out the photos below to see what Lizzie made especially for me.

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on


Yes! How ridiculously incredible does that chocolate and coconut cake look? Lizzie is a freakin’ cake hero.

You need to follow Heart of Cake on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Get in contact via social media or email Heartofcake@hotmail.com to find out how your life can be improved with a special order from Lizzie. Get your cupcake, cake and macaron needs fulfilled and generally just be more satisfied with your life by buying treats from Heart of Cake.

Extra note: look out for Lizzie and her Heart of Cake creations at VegfestUK London later in the year!

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