I’m in NYC so that means all the vegan food.
The photos below detail my haul of snacks from my first night in Manhattan.
Don’t be jealous!
Taking the long way around
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?
So jealous
Josh is busy sunning himself in Florida, leaving me to fight for my very existence as snow sweeps across London. I am calling last night’s light dusting Snowmaggedon in an attempt to make him feel guilty for abandoning me for the sunshine.
Of course, Josh cares not. In fact, he is creating further hardship by emailing photos of vegan food he is seeing, buying and eating.
Check out this chiller display in a nearby grocery store. All that Tofurky boggles the mind.
Vegana en la ciudad
I included my favourite urban area on the planet in recent my top ten list of cities for vegans. I absolutely adore Mexico City, which is quickly becoming one of the hottest destinations for compassionate eaters.
I awoke this morning to a dreary London day, so the last thing I needed was a reminder of what I’m missing on the other side of the world.
Cue my pal, Kay.
Kay is currently working in Mexico City and making me extremely jealous with food photos, including shots of this vegan taquería called Por Siempre.
For anyone not familiar with Mexican street food, a taquería is a food stand serving tacos with freshly cooked fillings and sauces. I don’t think I could even hazard a guess as to how many taquerías there are in the Mexican capital.
Of course the overwhelming majority of taquerías in Mexico City serve mounds of horrendous meat, but Por Siempre is the glorious exception. It is a vegan taco stand!
Por Siempre is just one more reason why Mexico City is a must-visit destination for vegan travellers. Check out the photos sent by Kay and ‘like’ the vegan taco stand on Facebook.
It looks like it is doing a roaring trade!
End of Millennium
A Facebook announcement today heralds the closure of one of the most celebrated vegan restaurants on the planet.
The highly-regarded Millennium of San Francisco will cease trading on April 30th, 2015. In a statement on their Facebook profile, owners Larry and Ann Wheat advised their devoted followers of their decision to retire from the restaurant business following the termination of their lease. If Muriel’s Wedding taught us anything (it taught us plenty BTW), it schooled us in the knowledge that you can’t stop progress.
The new owners of the hotel housing Millennium have refurbishment plans that do not include one of the most celebrated meat free establishments in the world.
In part, Larry and Ann say:
Best vegan pizza in Europe?
Sweeping statement time.
I think Sfizy Veg is the finest vegan pizza restaurant in the whole of Europe. I challenge you to tell me something different.
My proof? The photos below.
FGV in NYC
One of my favourite cities on the planet (and number 2 on my top ten list of global vegan cities) is the incomparable New York City.
NYC is like no place else.
I am gearing up for a brief return next month and I need your help. Please hit the comments section to let me know your top tips for being a happy vegan in New York.
I will of course be dining out at my favourites Red Bamboo and Cinnamon Snail, but I need some new experiences of the plant-based variety during my Big Apple stay.
Tell me what to eat!
Top 10 vegan cities
I am never shy about giving my opinion on something, but I don’t think I have ever given a top ten list in the past.
So without further delay, I present FGV’s Top Ten Vegan Cities.
Vegan surprise
Berlin is so incredibly vegan-friendly, I am still discovering vegan options long after I departed.
What the heck am I talking about?
I was flicking through food photos from my Berlin trip (food reminiscing is one of my favourite hobbies) when a picture of a Mexican-themed restaurant caught my attention. I remember taking the photo but only because I liked the look of it and the logo was a wrestling mask. It wasn’t a vegan or vegetarian restaurant as far as I could tell.
But I looked a bit more closely today and the chalk board out the front shows options for vegan burgers!
Berlin is so vegan-friendly, you can accidentally photograph vegan menu items without realising.
Has anyone eaten at this place? Was the food tasty?
Vöner is lovely
It occurred to me that I never got around to sharing all my Berlin memories.
Delicious memories, like this…