I understand I can be somewhat dramatic at times, but my blog isn’t just a place to share factual information in a calm and level manner. The food reviews on here would be nowhere near as enticing without my verbose posturing and over-the-top declarations of love for newly-discovered vegan eats.
My hope is this enthusiasm appears balanced and you can tell that when I say something is fabulous, it really means I think it is fabulous. I know I can be taken by positive histrionics when I love something, but I am also capable of dishing the dirt when I feel a product or restaurant isn’t up to scratch. This honesty hopefully makes me believable.
With that in mind, I would like to introduce you to the best vegan restaurant I have experienced in Europe.
One of my favourite places on the planet is Mexico. I adore the people I have met in Mexico. I love the flavours used to enhance food. The countryside is mesmerising and I am obsessed with the dynamic energy of Mexico City. It is one of the only locations on Earth where I feel completely at ease.
Given my acute fondness for the country and culture, you can imagine how distant Mexico feels from my current home in London. Thankfully, there is a company doing their very best to make sure I get an authentic taste of Mexico right here in the UK.
Please rise for the Cool Chile Company.
I was recently invited to visit the Cool Chile factoryin North London and what I witnessed was enough to bring a rumble to the belly of even a well-seasoned foodie like myself. The premises were stacked floor to ceiling with the most mouth-watering spices and condiments this side of Xalapa. Chipotles were whole, diced, powdered, tinned, bagged and presented in almost any way you can imagine. You think of any Mexican ingredient and rest assured the Cool Chile Company have got you covered.
Cool Chile chipotle ketchup
But surely the crowning glory of the company is the stunning piece of equipment they call El Monstruo. This wondrous example of engineering is responsible for the staple of all Mexican cuisine. The tortilla.
El Monstruo works like an independent tortilla factory. It takes the dried masa harina, mixes it into dough, presses and cuts the tortillas before cooking them on a long chain conveyor belt that loops back on itself inside the giant machine.
Workers collect the finished product at the end, weigh the bundles and shrink pack them for greedy consumers just like me. The machine works at the output of 3500 tortillas an hour and chugs away five days a week. That’s a lot of tortillas.
Mixing the doughCuttingComing out of the ovenThe end of the lineShrink wrapped for sale
I have not been able to source any other corn tortillas in the UK and even with that fact aside, the Cool Chile Company tortillas are some of the best I have consumed anywhere. We use them frequently in my kitchen and they even took pride of place at my Mexican supper club last year.
Vegan jackfruit carnitas made with Cool Chile tortillasFlautas stuffed with vegan chorizo & mashed potato made with Cool Chile tortillas
If you bulk buy from one food company this year, I couldn’t recommend highly enough that you make it Cool Chile Company. From their corn tortillas to their easy black bean soup mix, the company has everything you need to make delicious and authentic Mexican food.
After I visit a city, it always takes me a long time to work through all the food I consumed and convert the tasty memories into blog posts. I have that well-known vegan condition that involves eating every single possible vegan dish available to me during a vacation. Almost like I’ve never seen food before. What’s wrong with us?
My recent Edinburgh trip was no different. Working out where vegan breakfast, lunch and dinner were to be enjoyed took precedence over getting to the castle or visiting the museum. The walks along the Royal Mile or down historic closes were planned with precision to ensure vegan food options took centre stage throughout my time in Edinburgh.
In addition to my baked potato experience, one of the most memorable frenzied pit stops for food involved vegan fudge. Thick, creamy and irresistible vegan fudge. The Fudge Kitchen located on the Royal Mile isn’t a vegan food outlet but they certainly know how to make plant-based eaters feel welcome.
The store has at least one vegan fudge option on show each day. My visit coincided with the overwhelmingly-scrumptious toffee variety made with soya cream.
I am trying to be a less food-driven tourist. Not as many of my trips are planned around the food available at the destination but it will be a long while until I am comfortable moving through a town without devouring every vegan dish on offer.
Time for another guest post from Josh. He’s been savouring the delights from the new(ish) location of London vegetarian Italian restaurant Amico Bio.
Take it away Josh…
Amico Bio had been on my list of restaurants to try for ages but the original location near the Barbican wasn’t very convenient for me so I never made it there. Imagine my delight when I glanced out of the bus on my way to work and spotted a new location just a five minute walk from my office! It didn’t take me long to find an excuse to go to the new Amico Bio in Holborn. And not just once – I went twice in the space of a week it was that good. It’s a vegetarian restaurant but they have a very impressive range of vegan dishes and the staff are happy to talk to you about the items on the menu. They are one of the few London restaurants to use seitan and they are also using one of my favourite vegan cheeses – MozzaRisella.
I adore potato. It is my favourite food. I love it so deeply, I even have a blog category dedicated to this precious gift from the Earth.
Knowing this about me, you can imagine the utter joy I felt upon discovering a vegetarian baked potato cafe during my recent trip to Edinburgh. This wonderland of carbs is filled with vegetarian and vegan options to pile on top of piping hot potato.
Even though I was only in the Scottish city for one night, I managed to visit The Baked Potato Shop twice and it was just about all the food I could manage during my visit. The servings were mammoth!
I get asked a lot of questions as a vegan blogger living in London. People want to know my favourite places to eat. Where they can get vegan cheese. The top three vegan ‘must-see’ attractions if they are in town for just a day. If I’ll I go on a date with them…
OK, I admit the last one NEVER happens but the number of queries regarding veganism in London is huge. Out of all the questions and emails, there is one request that has been asked more than any other…
It must be a struggle for parents and carers of young children to navigate the minefield that is modern day junk food. Every high street store in the country is packed to the rafters with fat, sugar and artificial additives. If you are raising your child on a vegan diet, the challenge to find healthy and appealing snacks must be even more complicated.
But for those of you shopping for children, you are in luck! Your friendly FGV eats like a 10 year old but reads ingredients like a world-weary extremist… and has good news for you.
I know my memory isn’t what it used to be, but I’m fairly certain I have never hosted a giveaway on this blog.
Well friends, the times are changing. My first ever giveaway features a prize that is top class and the competition is available to you no matter where in the world you reside!
There are some restaurants I feel you should do anything to get to, some I think you should avoid completely and others that are to be recommended only if you are passing.
The latter is how I feel about Riverside Vegetaria in Kingston.
Walking into this restaurant is like stepping back into the 1980s. The decor recalls an episode of The Golden Girls which saw the group dining out at a local trendy restaurant. Think lots of exposed brick and yellow-tinged lighting.
The step back in time doesn’t end with the decor. The menu is straight up old school vegetarian. Not to say that it isn’t tasty and filling, but there are certainly no fashion forward moments to be had. Food items in Riverside Vegetaria often border on camp, such as the lemon sorbet served in a hollowed out lemon.
I didn’t get to be the FGV by eating a well-balanced diet and attending pilates everyday. My kitchen has often witnessed crimes against food decency while oil, sugar and too much of too much are usually my staples.
However, I am trying to improve my outlook and intake when it comes to my health. For the past month I have been enjoying a breakfast of raw oats, fresh or dried fruits, seeds and almond milk. I have been devouring record amounts of fresh fruit and have managed to cut out most processed sugar.
Don’t fear, though. My run as the loveable gay carrying too much weight is not coming to an end anytime soon. I love cider and beer too much for that to happen. But I am searching out ways to eat more food that is less bad for me without giving up the sweet thrill I am addicted to… and today I hit the jackpot.
