Best vegan restaurant in the world?

Can we talk? I don’t want to sound nasty, but Philadelphia hasn’t been a model city when it comes to healthy or cruelty-free eating. From cheese steaks to hoagies, the city of brotherly love just loves to pile dead animals up in buns. The food for which Philly is famous for isn’t necessarily creative, either.

But hold on to you faux-suede fedora readers because there is a new sheriff in town. Vedge restaurant is not simply ringing the Liberty Bell for all creatures great and small, they might just turn out to be the finest vegan restaurant on the face of the planet.

The owners of Vedge had nothing to prove in my FGV eyes. They had already run the wildly successful vegan Horizons where the quality of food was of an unusually lofty standard. It’s South Philly location was always packed during my visits and I never left the premises without feeling like I had just enjoyed one of the best meals of my life.

Well, flash forward to a few months past the closing of Horizons and we find owners Kate and Rich have taken vegan fine dining to even more unbelievable levels of greatness.

The recently opened Vedge sits unassumingly behind a brick facade in Philadelphia’s Center City area. As Josh and I entered via the brief stone steps off Locust Street, we were faced with a gorgeous interior and seductive lighting. Some of the friendliest hospitality people I have ever encountered made sure we were comfortable and refreshed in the sumptuous cocktail lounge as we waited for our table to become available. My thirst was satisfied with a cold glass of lager as Josh opted for a scotch on the rocks. We were only on drinks in the bar and Vedge was already stratospheres above its competition.

My refreshment

Once seated we wasted no time in getting down to 5 star dining. A whole lot of world-class, vegan food was consumed by the pair of us and there is no easy way of getting it all down on screen. I’m just going to have to trundle through it, so sit back and experience the culinary delights of Vedge through the following photos.

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I light this candle

One of the true joys of traveling for me is experiencing unexpected food delights. Just when I least expect it, something tasty and delectable and intriguing pops up begging to be consumed. I always oblige. It would be impolite not to.

Josh and I are currently enjoying a brief road trip along the Florida Keys. This part of the world is gorgeous but the vegan options are a bit thin on the ground. Car journeys such as this require careful planning to ensure I keep my calorie intake at a level worthy of a fat, gay vegan. To be certain I ate well on the Keys, we did a quick Whole Foods Market trip before we left the mainland. I am delighted we did.

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Here I go, singing low

Blackbird Pizzeria in South Philly

Let’s keep this short and sweet. Do you want to taste astonishingly-good vegan pizza? Yes? Then get your bag of bones to Philadelphia and dine on the tasty delights of Blackbird Pizzeria. It will amaze you.

During my trip to the east coast of the USA earlier this year, I was keen to pay a visit to a new restaurant that I had been hearing a lot of buzz about. Blackbird Pizzeria opened during 2010 and has been serving up 100% vegan delicacies ever since. The cruelty-free food outlet gives compassionate diners an opportunity to enjoy an impressive range of treats not limited to simply pizza. Enough chit chat… wanna see what I consumed? Let’s do this.

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I want to see your grill

What the world (and this FGV) deserves is vegan fast food. People need to be able to access cruelty-free comfort food on a grand scale. I like to think it is just a matter of time until a global-reaching fast food chain takes on the cruel and unhealthy giants of conveyor belt eating. I also have a hunch it could very well be Veggie Grill.

This chain of plant-based restaurants is remarkable not just for the delicious food served, but also how mainstream and accessible it all is. Locations are dotted around Southern California in strip malls, plazas and markets. The interior is low key and tasteful while the staff offer the kind of service you would expect from a polished, speedy turn-around fast food joint.

Veggie Grill is always on my to do list when I visit Los Angeles and I made sure I stayed true to this pattern during my last vacation. My meal at the Veggie Grill in the Los Angeles Farmers Market was superb. Let’s run through my order:

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That’s the Philly in I

Even though my trip to Philadelphia was several months ago, I am still sifting through the memories in order to bring some international flavour to this blog. This particular jaunt down memory lane takes us to Essene Market & Cafe in South Philly.

Essene is somewhat of an institution in South Philadelphia. This organic grocer, bakery, delicatessen and cafe has been a part of the city landscape since 1969 (their original store was just around the corner from their current South Fourth Street location). Ask any local for a natural food store and you will surely be told to head to Essene. Even the arrival of a Whole Foods on South Street has failed to dampen the love people feel for this retail stalwart.

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This native love is restless

Native Foods Westwood

If you are contemplating opening a vegan restaurant and are looking for inspiration on how to do it just right, I suggest making a trip to your nearest Native Foods. The food is consistently incredible and it has been one of my favourite places to dine out in the USA for many years.

During my Summer vacation in the States, I made sure there was just enough time to swing on by Native Foods in Westwood. Even though the Costa Mesa location is my favourite to dine in, the Westwood Native Foods is very dear to my heart as it was the first restaurant bearing the name that I ever visited.

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You’re hiding, underneath the smoke in the room

Rushing the Homegrown Smoker food truck

During a recent trip to Portland to attend Vida Vegan Con 2011, I was overwhelmed by vegan food choices. Every restaurant appeared to cater thoughtfully to my type, no matter if they were a veggie establishment or not. The picturesque city was packed wall to wall with cruelty-free dining options.

By far my favourite dining experience was the Homegrown Smoker food truck. Actually, it was so stunning I dined with them three days running. Everything I ate was tasty like I’ve never known, the staff were incredibly welcoming and I adored the concept of ordering my meal from a mobile kitchen parked up on a city sidewalk.

I must warn you the following pictures could lead to growling tummies. I make no apologies.

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Call me up whenever u want 2 grind

As a frequent traveler, I often rely on coffee shops for beverages, restrooms and internet access. Coffee shops can be your lifeline to friends, a much-needed hiding spot from the world outside or even just a place to replenish your bodily fluids. A coffee shop with vegan options is extremely common in 2011. You can increasingly find soy milk and other dairy alternatives such as almond or rice milk.

Having established that the humble coffee shop can be a sanctuary for the weary, vegan traveler, let’s move on to discuss how it can get better. Yes, I’m referring to a 100% vegan coffee shop. What was once a fanciful dream is now a fabulous reality in Philadelphia.

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Oh hear my voice

Have you ever sat there in front of your laptop/computer/smart phone/tablet and drawn a complete blank when wondering what a FGV sounds like? Live in ignorance no more!

This weekend marks my first foray into being a radio show guest. The wonderful, charming and talented Jose Maldonado is graciously allowing me to keep him company during his weekly show dedicated to all things Smiths and Morrissey.

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LHR-Foodswings-LAX

My regular readers will be aware of a story category I use on here known as Taking the long way around. The bulk of my stories deal with London-based tales of depravity, over-consumption and brief queer history, however I do venture further afield and I love to bring you the details of these adventures and misadventures too.

With that overly-verbose introduction out of the way, I want to tell you how a vegan eatery named Foodswings saved my life during a journey from London to LA.

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