Taking the long way around

Throw all your hands up

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Some wondrous food adventures were had during my recent Southern Californian vacation, but none quite as joyous and inspiring as Anthem Vegan.

San Diego is one of the must-visit destinations for plant-based food lovers and one of the most convincing reasons is this 100% vegan market stall. Anthem Vegan is a labour of love for its activist owner Patrick who serves up some of the tastiest food I have ever had the pleasure of devouring.

The stall travels around various locations in San Diego and my pal Steven and I made sure we crossed paths with it at the Pacific Beach Farmer’s Market. I was overwhelmed by the gorgeous menu and infinitely more so by the food itself.

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Hello old friend

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There are some food places on the planet that fit like an old, vegan shoe. You almost don’t get excited when you enter because it’s more of an all-encompassing, comforting feeling. Almost as if you have come home.

This is how I feel at Flore Vegan Cuisine.

When you get to Los Angeles, make Flore your first point of call. The menu is brimming with delectable and nutritious dishes that will have you wishing you lived in the neighbourhood. There is simply too much good stuff to try in a handful of visits.

That said, this FGV is a creature of habit. I know what I love and I get it every time. The Flore chicken and waffles is the stuff of legend. This vegan brunch item is one of my favourite things to eat in the entire world and I would most definitely eat it every day if given the opportunity.

Follow Flore on Twitter and get to LA as fast as you can. Those vegan chicken and waffles aren’t going to eat themselves!

cake
Chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake
lemonade
Fresh lemonade with agave
shake raw
Raw cocoa shake
waffle
Vegan chicken and waffles

Drive thru

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San Diego has everything to make this FGV happy.

Vegan donuts? Plentiful and decadent. Can I get nutritious and delicious soul food that is still cruelty free? Sure thing. Gay dive bars, Native Foods, gorgeous beachside neighbourhoods, farmers markets everywhere and vegan Mexican food? Yes to all of it.

Then surely it doesn’t have a fabulous vegan fast food restaurant with drive through window? It couldn’t that awesome, right?

Check it out. Evolution Fast Food is what every compassionate person deserves to have in their life.

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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

Inflight sameness

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My recent flight between London and Los Angeles featured vegan food that made me feel like I had seen it all before.

The provider of the inflight meals for British Airways must think they have discovered the winning formula for vegan food because I seem to be getting the exact same meal every time I fly.

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So popular

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Here’s a quick post to let you know I made it back to my favourite place to eat in the USA and it was perfect.

Native Foods Cafe is a rapidly-expanding restaurant chain in the USA with locations far and wide. News of a huge financial investment deal means they are now set to appear in even more cities over the next few years.

I would be the happiest FGV in the world if they could find a way to open a London branch. I would eat there every day. Honestly.

Follow Native Foods Cafe on Twitter and then check out my most recent feast below. The Oklahoma cheese burger is the stuff of legend and the Native wings are crunchy sticks of irresistible glory. I threw in some polenta bites and lavender lemonade to make sure it was a well-rounded meal at their Santa Monica location.

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Big enough for me

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Los Angeles is the danger. If you are vegan, you need to get to LA to experience what it is like to live without restriction.

I am currently in the area to attend Los Angeles Beer Fest and eat what I can. This city is a vegan mecca and plant-eaters are not sidelined or treated as an afterthought. Vegan is front and centre.

One shining example of LA’s love for vegans is the glorious Viva la Vegan supermarket in the Ocean Park Blvd. neighbourhood near Santa Monica.

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Travel kindly

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My bag is packed (almost) and the excitement is starting to kick in. This Friday I am jumping on a flight to Southern California for a brief vacation and lots of sunshine.

I have grand plans that include seeing Steven (one of my longest-serving and dearest friends) who now lives in San Diego, drinking/eating my own weight at the LA Vegan Beer and Food Festival and taking in some live performances by my favourite artists (Jill Sobule and Suzanne Vega).

This blog post isn’t just to boast about my fun trip. I also wanted to let you know about the special travel-size personal care products I purchased from Superdrug for my journey.

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I have written on a few occasions about my love for the cruelty-free value to be enjoyed by shopping with Superdrug but this is my first mention of their travel range.

Almost anything you would want or need for a holiday can be sourced in this mini size. The bottles and containers come in under the allowed volume for cabin inclusion, meaning you can pack them in your hand luggage. This is fantastic if you only want to travel with one bag. No waiting around at the luggage carousel and you still have everything you need.

Of course it is all incredibly inexpensive. You have got to love Superdrug for their commitment to making cruelty-free care products at low prices. Everyone can afford to be vegan on holiday!

Eat vegan in Philly

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Josh abandoned me a few weeks back for a trip to the USA. As punishment for leaving me alone, I have instructed him to write the following post about one of his favourite food experiences from his visit to Philadelphia. (So many jokes… I am grateful for the post and I love Josh)

It all looks fabulous! Take it away, Josh.

Mi Lah Vegetarian Restaurant in Center City, Philadelphia had been on my to-eat-at list for several months after a friend of FGV’s posted an Instagram pic of her vegan Bánh mì from there and I have been dreaming about it ever since. One day earlier this month while I was in the city of brotherly love, I decided to head to Mi Lah to check out the Vietnamese sub that I had been dreaming about for so long.

Right in the heart of Philly, this 100% vegan restaurant has an extensive menu and some tempting lunch specials. Of course I already knew that I was going to order the Bánh mì whereas my mum decided to go for the fried rice with cashews, tofu and vegetables. We also decided to split a starter of deep-fried mushrooms with an agave-mustard mayo.

All three dishes were outstanding and far exceeded our expectations. The Bánh mì was mind-blowing with delicious marinated tofu coupled with pickled cucumber, vegan mayo and grated carrot dressed with a lime/ginger vinaigrette… all crammed into a light, crispy roll… I’m drooling just thinking about it now.

I regret not making it back to Mi Lah for the brunch menu which looks AMAZING but I’m sure the opportunity will present itself again.

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Tacos sin carne

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I can’t believe I forgot to tell you about this wonderful organic food cafe and grocery store Josh and I visited in Mexico City.

Origenes Orgánicos is an extremely pleasant restaurant chain with two locations in Mexico City. The Colonia Roma setting fed us during our recent vacation and we enjoyed it so much, we went back for seconds.

A sign of a decent eatery is how well their menu is marked when it comes to vegan choices and how confidently the servers talk about those options. Origenes passed with flying colours on both counts. Our server even told us that the chipotle mayo accompanying our our complimentary bread basket was soy-based.

I found the prices to be a little on the steep side for Mexico (although inline with what I’m used to paying elsewhere), but you can’t argue with the quality, taste and freshness of what we were served. Check out the photos below and make sure to pay Origenes a visit when you are next in the city (c’mon, you know you wanna go!).

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