Taking the long way around

Vegan in the Canary Islands

by

Guest blog post by my fabulous friend, Gabi.

Vegan Surprise in the Canaries

So much for my detox holiday. I have just demolished a Jamaican beer stew, some grilled veg with Aioli and instead of dessert a delicious dumpling with mushrooms. So, now it’s just a cortado…I think. The tiramisu looks good though.

The London weather and all the snotty nosed people on the tube were getting to me, so I escaped to Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands for a spot of sunshine. Having booked an all-inclusive deal in a tourist resort my food expectations were extremely low and I thought it might be a good opportunity to do a bit of a detox. I thought my options were limited to salad, nuts and fruit with the occasional canary potatoes bathed in red and/or green mojo (delicious by the way).

I was in Corralejo on the very northern tip of the island, a smallish tourist town, with a strong surfer vibe. And it’s got no less than FOUR vegan restaurants! I couldn’t believe it. Particularly since two of these really made this slightly jaded Londoner’s palate sing. The first was Baobab, a little homely family run restaurant that’s open from 11 am – 4pm, so a perfect lunch spot. Home-made bread sandwiches with an array of veggies, spreads, sprouts and tofu. Also, fresh juices and salads. But the stars of the show for me were the specials. The first day I had fried marinated tofu with a potato bake and fresh organic salad, simple, great ingredients and I nearly licked the plate. The second day I couldn’t make up my mind between home-made cashew cheese with figs and other yummy things and some croquettes. The croquettes (Spinach I think, won). Yummy again. Followed by a delicious raw chocolate and pistachio cake. Sitting in the sun, by a square, I was happy. Their English was rather basic so I didn’t get the full lowdown on this family run enterprise.

It was another restaurant though that sounded the death knell to my detox. Past & Future only opened a few months ago, and I ate there four times. And always way too much because I really wanted to try as much as possible. As much as I love street food, it was so nice to sit in a proper restaurant, have good food and wine not get totally fleeced. Even though there are some Indian/Indonesian/Jamaican outliers on the menu, to me the food is European soul food. Proper home-made pasta (Ravioli with truffled cream sauce, really good lasagne), German/Austrian dumplings, fresh crisp salads, Canarian stews, Tiramisu and parfait for dessert.

The restaurant is owned and run by the vivacious polyglot Aida Le Pesqueur who can rattle off her menu in what seems like 15 languages and gave me a bit of an insight into the Canary Island vegan scene. She is helping to organise the island’s first vegan festival on May 19th-20th in the capital Puerto del Rosario. Le Pesqueur moved her restaurant from Cologne to Corralejo last year and credits the arrival of a number of Italian restauranteurs in recent years with the sudden flurry of vegan activity in the town. Her own ambition is either to franchise Past & Future or to open a vegan hotel on the island.

The other two vegan spots are H20, a daytime café which is really good too. It has the standard vegan fare of juices, salads and burgers, and does a full English breakfast, hence I wasn’t as excited. D Sanchez is a burger bar that gets a lot of love online for its fresh food and craft beer, but I didn’t make it there. It does look good from the outside though.

FGV in Los Angeles

by

Are you in Los Angeles or know someone that is?

I thought I should let you know that I am presenting my book Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t in a small informal book reading at Stories of Echo Park.

Stories is one of the coolest book stores on the planet and I’m thrilled to be presenting my first ever book there on Monday March 12, 2018 at 7pm.

Here is a little bit about the event:

Join us on March 12 7PM to meet Sean O’Callaghan aka Fat Gay Vegan. The prolific vegan blogger, activist, and event organiser will be in store to give a short reading and talk about his debut book Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t.

The vegan community has grown hugely in the last decade, but for every person joining for ethical reasons, there are as many others who join because of the latest diet trend, food fad, or celebrity bandwagon. Products and politics, lifestyle gurus and companies, all have their own agendas for getting you to go vegan, often related to health and weightloss. Fat Gay Vegan turns these ideas on their heads, and shows how not only can you be fat and vegan, but that weight and health are not at the heart of what veganism is. In its simplest form, veganism is about living a life as free from cruelty as possible.

This means treating animals and people with respect for their lives and wellbeing, and social justice is as core to his work as finding the best vegan cafes around the world. He also extends his compassion to non-vegans, and there is no place for shaming here, only for challenging ideas. His book is a manifesto for kindness.

Sean will be available to sign books after his talk. Come along for some myth-busting, plant-based jokes, and sweet vegan treats!

You can see all upcoming events at Stories BooksandCafe online here.

RSVP and invite friends on the Facebook event.

You can also buy my book online here.

A better vegan airline meal

by

Here is a quick post to share info that I meant to share about a month ago.

Apologies for the slow posting.

I do have some reasons for being slack, but the most convincing is that I not only moved from London to Mexico City but I also just moved into a new apartment in Mexico City. I have been running around trying to get my living situation sorted.

But enough about me looking for sympathy.

On my way to Mexico City, British Airways served me one of the most satisfying vegan meals I’ve ever had in the air.

Check it out.

I know it might not seem that impressive for regular eating, but as far as in-flight meals go it was superb.

Josh and I both marvelled at how tasty the dish was and it is definitely the most planned and considered meal I’ve had on an airplane. Flavoursome and packed with tofu and vegetables. I’d eat it everyday.

Good stuff!

Big time vegan chef job

by

Here is some big employment news out of the Netherlands.

It might just be the huge change you are looking for in your life!

Chef required for SNCKBR Utrecht

About SNCKBR:

With sustainable ingredients, SNCKBR serves comfort food that is finger licking good, moderate in fat, free of refined sugars and E-numbers, and where possible gluten-free and low in carbohydrates. SNCKBR offers a wide variety of dishes and is always free of bullshit. It is not even prepared in an environment where bullshit is processed. Ditto for our cocktails. It’s the good, the bad and the healthy. SNCKBR Utrecht, unlike the other branches, is 100% VGN.

Your profile:

You are a chef with an extreme passion for healthy, Plant Based food. You have completed a culinary education and at least 4 years experience as a chef. You are someone who is already involved in or wants to join the healthy food, Plant Based movement. You are stress resistant, a great planner, respond to what the day brings you and you love to work with people from other cultures.

What we offer:

In addition to a competitive salary and employment conditions, we offer you the chance to work in Europe’s largest Plant Based restaurant. You will get international experience, live in the Netherlands near Amsterdam, and work amongst a passionate, international, food loving team.

Tasks and responsibilities:

Full responsibility for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Develop new dishes and define recipes
Managing, training and organizing the kitchen team
Managing suppliers
Purchasing/ cost monitoring

Requirements for this function:

Education/ degree in cooking
At least 4 years of experience in the kitchen at management level
Excellent leadership skills
Wide knowledge of Plant Based ingredients
Speaks fluent English
Good knowledge of Excel – MS Office, order box and in-one
Teacher diploma

SNCKBR Utrecht will open it’s doors from March 2018 at:

Vredenburg 28 in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Job Type: Full-time

Required experience:

kitchen: 4 years
Required language: English

Click here to apply online.

Barcelona is your next vegan destination

by

I just got back from a few days in Barcelona and Sitges. What I’m about to tell you is old news to most people, but I’ll say it anyway.

Barcelona is outstanding for vegan food.

I couldn’t possibly run through every vegan business in the city. There are so very many so I’ll leave it to you to add your favourites in the comments below.

I just want to share some of my new favourites with you.

Check these out:

La Trocadero is a superb vegan fast food restaurant located just steps from Sagrada Familia. The burgers are tasty, the nachos are loaded and the juices are refreshing. Eat in or takeaway. This is a must visit spot.

 

Next up is an exquisite late night bar called Bar de Retro. Every single drink served is vegan and this spot also has a limited bar menu featuring burgers, hot dogs, nachos and olives. The soundtrack is 80s pop and rock plus if you get the right night you might even witness an improv theatre performance or swing dancing social. This is the place to be.

 

My next tip isn’t a vegan place, but Gelaaati di Marco in the Gothic Quarter has a huge selection of vegan gelato. You need to get a large tub!

 

The perfect quick bite on the go has to be the vegan falafel spot located at the back of the Boqueria food market. Tasty and quick.

 

Finally, we need to take a quick 20 minute train ride to the seaside town of Sitges. The town’s first 100% vegan restaurant opened just weeks ago and it is outstanding. Spice Garden is a showcase of some of the finest curries and side dishes I’ve tasted anywhere. Coupled with vegan friendly veggie restaurants and a health food supermarket brimming with vegan products, Sitges is more than a worthwhile stop during your Barcelona trip.

 

 

Enjoy this gorgeous city, its food and its friendly residents.

Amazing vegan food in Amsterdam

by

Post by:

Amsterdam really has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years. While not so long ago vegan visitors had to seek out the few decent places, today that same visitor is spoilt for choice.

One recently-opened example is the Vegan Junk Food Bar, which doesn’t really need a description as it’s all in the title.

And it’s as tasty as it looks! Pictured below is a “golden crunchy seaweed sandwich” (a burger really, but filled with these crispy nuggetty bits of deliciousness) and “Loaded VJFB” fries, which came topped with all sorts of crazy goodness.

Prices are as expected for Amsterdam, and it’s proven so popular that they frequently sell out before closing time, so if you’re going (and if you’re in Amsterdam, you must) don’t get there too late.

Follow Vegan Junk Food Bar on Instagram.

Vegan food truck destroyed by fire

by

Here is some terrible news about an independent vegan business and some good news on how you can help.

A few days ago the Homegrown Smoker food truck in Portland, Oregon was completely destroyed by fire. As the business stated on their fundraising page, they have been working toward opening their first bricks and mortar location after trading for years from the truck.

The truck is a write off and the jobs of the 9 people employed by Homegrown Smoker are on the line.

We need to rally as an international vegan community and get the money together to help Homegrown Smoker get back on their feet. The business needs cash fast to stay on track with the permanent location plans and to keep their employees in the fold.

After 8 years of putting everything they have into creating delicious food for their neighbourhood, it is our duty to give something back if we can afford it.

Please the campaign widely and let this photo of their gorgeous vegan food be your incentive to help them.

Click here to donate to the fundraising campaign and follow Homegrown Smoker on Facebook and Instagram.

A visit to Wiz Kid in Philadelphia

by

Post by:

You’ve probably already seen FGV’s previous proclamations about Vedge in Philadelphia being the best restaurant on the planet (see here and here)! Well when I heard that the founders Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau had opened a small fast-food outlet in the new Whole Foods on Pennsylvania Avenue in Philly, I knew I had to investigate! Check out my visit to Wiz Kid:

The menu is small but perfect. I of course picked the ‘Wiz Kid Philly’, a cheesesteak-style roll with seitan and mushrooms. Oh, and how could I pass up the fries topped with cheeze wiz?

Kate and Rich must have magic powers! There is nothing of theirs that I have tried which hasn’t tasted exceptional and Wiz Kid was certainly no exception! How do they make food taste this good? What is their secret? I want nothing less than world domination for Kate and Rich!

Check out Wiz Kid’s website to see the full menu and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I believe they’re opening a second location in Center City soon!

Vegan Cheese Revolution at Orchard Grocer, NYC

by

Post by:

You may have seen my post from last week about all the amazing vegan food that I sampled in New York City during my 48-hour visit earlier this year… but there was one place that was so impressive that it deserved a blog post of its very own!

Orchard Grocer in Manhattan’s Lower East Side is one of the best-stocked vegan stores I’ve ever been to in my life, which just happens to share a retail space with a vegan shoe shop. It is filled to the brim with incredible products that are hard to find anywhere else. I was so full from my previous eating that I didn’t even get to try the house-made sandwiches but I’ve heard REALLY good things about them from others. Anyway, enough chit-chat… check out these photos:

Orchard Grocer, NYC

It was so overwhelming seeing this many incredible vegan products in one spot. Check out my Instagram video of the cheese selection:

My visit to @orchardgrocer in #NYC earlier this year #vegan #vegancheese #vegannyc

A post shared by joshleuner (@joshleuner) on

For those who have visited Moo Shoes in NYC previously, you’ll be interested to know that Orchard Grocer actually takes up half of the store. Moo Shoes is now using just half of its original space while Orchard Grocer takes up the rest. Read more about Orchard Grocer on their website and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Happy drooling!

Vegan dining on a ferry

by

My buddy Barry (who is the founder/owner of More Than Meat) just got in touch with some wonderful news.

Barry sent photos of the gorgeous vegan cuisine he was served while aboard Viking Line, the company that runs ferries from Stockholm to Helsinki.

As part of their Spring and Green menu, Barry was able to order a 3-course set menu that he describes as utterly delicious.

Check out the menu and the food photos below.

If you find yourself in that part of the world, perhaps you want to check out these vegan offerings. Vegan food on a boat!

You can read more about Viking Line online.