Superstar vegan restaurant chain Arancini Brothers now has a fourth location in London, this time south of the river!
The 100% vegan restaurant chain is famous for its Sicilian risotto balls, flavoursome wraps, and decadent burgers. With much-adored outlets in Old Street, Kentish Town, and Dalston this fast and nutritious food chain has already established a solid hold north of the river.
Owner and founder Dave told me:
“We are opening our fourth location at Arch 34 Maltby Street, Bermondsey. We have come such a long way since we started with a simple street food concept in Brick Lane Market almost ten years ago!”
You can eat with Arancini Brothers at their Maltby Street location between 9:30am and 9:30pm, 7 days a week. The location is good for dining in, taking away, or having food delivered.
In other huge news, Arancini Brothers has become the first ever UK chain to offer a franchise opportunity.
Yes, it is your chance to franchise a vegan restaurant!
Arancini Brothers are now looking for franchise partners to open and run versions of their wildly successful business all over the UK and the planet.
If you think you have what it takes (including the funds!) to open a location of this popular vegan food business in your area, click here to read more about the franchise opportunity.
Be sure to get into the Bermondsey location as soon as you can in order to eat some amazing vegan food and congratulate Arancini Brothers on their deserved success.
Extra news: to help Arancini Brothers celebrate the opening of their fourth London restaurant, I am running an Instagram follower drive. I am trying to get them to 15,000 followers! They are just short of 10k so we need to work hard to get them there. Follow them on Instagram now.
I need to remind you that GreenBay Supermarket in Fulham still exists and as one of London’s best independently-owned vegan businesses, you should take a moment shop with them when you have the funds.
GreenBay has just started selling copies of my first ever book. Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t costs £8.99 and if you buy from them online or in the shop, they get to keep half of the money!
Click here to buy it from their online store. While you are there, grab a basketful of vegan groceries and enjoy next day delivery in the UK!
GreenBay is a fully-stocked vegan grocery store located on North End Road but if you can’t get in there, you can shop online and they will bring the good stuff to you.
The shelves are overflowing with all manner of compassionate products including cheese, meats, pastas, personal care items, drinks, yogurts, chocolates, and pretty much anything you could want or need.
Unless some breaking news of unexpected hugeness comes along in the next few days, the follow list shows the most-read blog posts on fatgayvegan.com over the past 12 months.
Let’s count down the top ten starting from the 10th most read:
10. My exclusive look inside the new Temple of Seitan location in Camden drew big numbers, landing them just on the top ten list. Click here to see original post.
9. Owners of Loaf BnB in Northumberland were attacked by online trolls. My post showcasing the abuse and lending vocal support to the business drew in thousands of readers. Click here to see the original post.
8. You all can’t get enough of Temple of Seitan, can you?! A few days after the post sitting at number 10 on this list, I shared more exclusive photos from inside the Camden location and this time it came in even higher. Click here to see the original post.
7. It is no surprise that my ‘best things to eat in London’ list came in strong in the year’s end. Vegan are ravenous and insatiable! Click here to see the original post.
6. I had a mini meltdown/rant on Instagram a few months ago about non-vegans running vegan events, products, and services simply for profit. This blog where I elaborated on my rantings was extremely popular. Click here to see the original post.
5. Big news this year that almost broke the vegan Internet involved Heinz baked beans. The original flavour are vegan but we were all told by the company that the sugar free version are not?! Click here to see the original post.
4. It’s not uncommon for an old post to hit the top ten in subsequent years, but I was surprised to see this post about vegan mince at Tesco come in at such a high placing when it was originally published in 2014! Click here to see the original post.
3. Another oldie that just won’t quit is the post from 2016 all about why toilet paper is sometimes not vegan. It stirred things up back then and is still keeping them coming back in big numbers. Click here to see the original post.
2. Once again an old post has garnered HUGE numbers. My post from 2017 about LoveSeitan launching a new seitan company in the UK is bizarrely popular. Click here to see the original post.
1 . By far the most read story on this blog during 2018 was this April piece I wrote about why, after decades of being a super fan, I could no longer support pop singer Morrissey. This piece went viral with tens of thousands of viewers from all over the planet. Click here to see the original post.
Thank you for joining me for another year of product talk, community activism, and delicious food photos.
As long as you keep coming back, I’ll be here waiting.
My friend (and all-round vegan yoga superstar) Louise Wallis is hosting an amazing yoga retreat in May 2019.
And you wanna get booking because space is limited and these retreats ALWAYS book up super quickly.
Celebrate the May Day Bank Holiday weekend and the first stirrings of summer with 4 days and 3 nights of yoga and delicious vegan food in an idyllic location. Take a dip in the indoor heated pool, walk to the beach, or sit by the campfire (or wood burner) and relish every moment.
Treat yourself to:
4 x days and 3 x nights full-board stay in a beautiful eco-Retreat
Exclusive use of the venue & all facilities, including heated pool (see photo below)
8 x Yoga / Meditation / Relaxation classes
Delicious vegan meals prepared by the resident Chef (mainly organic, local produce)
Complimentary gift bag
Free WiFi and parking
The venue
Bonhays Retreat Centre is a magical place. A secluded sanctuary, nestled in Dorset’s rolling hills between Bridport and Lyme Regis, and just 2 miles from Charmouth beach. With its heated pool, comfortable accommodation, valley views, and tranquil location it’s the perfect getaway.
If you are interested in finding out prices, accommodation types, and the yoga schedule for this May 3 – May 6, 2019 retreat, see all the information online now.
In celebration of Veganuary 2019, All Star Lanes is collaborating with Biff’s Jack Shack and creating a one-off menu showcasing Biff’s vegan junk food. Featuring the signature and infamous Crispy Fried Jackfruit, the menu will run across all All Star Lanes’ sites from January 8th- February 3rd.
Dishes will include Biff’s Wingz – formed of jackfruit and an ingenious sugar cane ‘bone’ – which guests can dress up with a selection of sauces. First off is Soyz in the Hood which covers the wingz in a sensationally sticky maple, soy and ginger garlic glaze with red chilli and crispy onions. Another option is the Cheezy Barbie sauce which gives you wingz smothered in a bourbon infused BBQ sauce, beer cheeze and spring onions. Prices vary from 2 wingz for £6 to 4 for £10.
The one-off burger special, ‘El Jackitan’ (£9) combines a jackfruit patty with zesty guacamole, tortilla chips, nacho cheeze, beef tomato, red onion, maple chipotle hot sauce and torn coriander. Add a side to your order with the ‘Dirtbag Melt’ (£) – skinny fries covered in beer cheeze, topped with seitan ‘bacun’ and sweet pickle sprinkles.
The menu will be served across all All Star Lanes’ sites in London (White City, Brick Lane, Holborn, Stratford) and Manchester from 8th January-3rd February 2019.
If you often find yourself in or around the Hampshire region of the UK, you need to make time to dine with these two family-owned vegan eateries.
Offbeet have locations in Wickham and New Forest… and the food looks sensational, as does the decor.
Vicky from Offbeet gave me a bit of an insight into what makes them tick:
Here at OFFBEET we offer innovative plant based food and drink in a unique setting. We’re passionate about sourcing the best, ethical and sustainable ingredients and products for our customers; better for us and better for the planet! Our menu is kept local and seasonal, with our organic fruit and veg coming from the vegetable farm we are located on, so we always have new and exciting dishes being developed. We have an onsite cookery school offering intimate classes focusing on practical learning and challenging the status quo of vegan cuisine. Come and check us out.
Before I show you some of these glorious food photos, I want you to know you can follow the eateries on Instagram. The Wickham location is here and the New Forest location here.
How fabulous!
This food looks world class.
You can see the exact location of each restaurant thanks to Google Maps. Click here for Wickham and here for the New Forest.
Click here to find out more information about the Offbeet cooking classes.
I’m not wasting your time here. You just need and want the cheesy facts.
We have three days of fantastic vegan Christmas markets coming up this week in London, so that means plenty of opportunities to grab your festive cheese supplies.
Take note of which brands are appearing where and get there EARLY on the day. The cheese always sells out quickly at this time of year:
Support these independent cheese traders and make your festive table extra special.
Extra note: the markets will be overflowing with hot food, cakes, drinks, and gift ideas so please make an effort to support these traders on the final weekend before Christmas.
UK company Norty is making delicious vegan desserts in Bristol before shipping them all over the UK.
And you can order online!
Check out these gorgeous flavours:
The Norty puds come in three flavours: Banoffee, Salted Choc, and Xmas Choc Orange.
You can also pick up some nut butters (Chai Spiced Peanut Butter, Choc Hazelnut Butter, or Salted Caramel Cashew Butter) and drink blends (Hot Chocolate or Turmeric Latte).
Superstar street food trader Greedy Khao had such a great response to their last supper club, they have just announced another… and you can choose from three dates!
Get all the info on Greedy Khao’s Aharn-Jaan-Deaw below. It sounds truly sensational.
Thai food is often enjoyed in the ‘family-style’ of eating, where a range of mouth-watering dishes are placed in the centre of the dinner table for everyone to share. This is a beautiful way to appreciate food while bonding with loved ones, but it isn’t the only way that Thais eat.
Sometimes Thais enjoy individual dishes, similar to the Western style, whether they are grabbing a bowl from a street food vendor with friends, or simply eating alone. As such, some Thai dishes are designed to be one perfect, complete meal, where all components are carefully selected to complement one another, and the goal is one plateful – or bowlful – of pure culinary satisfaction.
This event is a showcase of some of chef and co-owner Faai’s all-time favourite aharn-jaan-daew. Each dish is deeply connected to a special time or place in Faai’s life, from her childhood, to moving to London four years ago, to her life in the UK capital today.
Vegan fried egg
View the menu below:
APPETISER Satay Khun-Ying | สะเต๊ะคุณหญิง Khun-Ying’s Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce and Aa-jaad Relish
Faai’s grandmother, Khun-Ying Uraiwan, was very picky when it came to her Satay platter. Everything had to be right – succulent and well-marinated meat, rich and moreish peanut sauce, a side of perfectly balanced sweet & sour aa-jaad relish, and of course some warm, toasted bread. Yes, Thais eat their Satay with bread, and that’s exactly how they are serving theirs.
MAIN KAA-MOO MANTOU | ขาหมูหมั่นโถว Stewed ‘Pork Knuckle’ with Mantou
An homage to Faai’s memory of the first time she had this combo – at the seaside town of Hua Hin with her best friend Pat and her parents. Five-spiced stewed ‘pork knuckle’ with pickled mustard greens, Chinese broccoli, and chilli & vinegar dip. Served alongside a fluffy Chinese steamed bun.
This is a true street food favourite, and exists in various forms throughout South-East Asia. It’s also the first dish that Faai cooked for her whole family, impressing and surprising them in equal measure! Tender ‘skin-on chick’n’ with ginger and garlic infused jasmine rice, and traditional fermented bean dip.
PAD-KAPRAO NUERSUB KAI-DAO | ผัดกะเพราเนื้อสับไข่ดาว Spicy Stir-fry with Thai Holy Basil, topped with ‘Fried Egg’
Dubbed ‘Aharn Sin Kid’ (lit. ‘food that requires no thought’) by Thais – this dish is a true crowd pleaser & the nation’s favourite. There has been endless debate amongst Thais whether a Pad-Kaprao should have added veggies or not. Greedy Khao side with the Traditional approach – no unnecessary fillers, only beautiful Thai Holy Basil. Topped with their famous and much-anticipated sunny-side up ‘egg’.
DESSERT WOON-MAPRAO-ONN | วุ้นมะพร้าวอ่อน Young Coconut Jelly
Faai’s mum Skowrat loves everything floral, and food is no exception. She shared her creations and they were so jaw-dropping that they just had to share it on this menu! Cool and refreshing young coconut jelly, filled with handcrafted flowers made from coconut cream. Light, delicate – an exquisite way to end a flavour-packed meal.
Young coconut jelly
This is the Thai food of a true Thai foodie, and Greedy Khao can’t wait to share it with you.
Greedy Khao’s Aharn-Jaan-Deaw is taking place at 10 Cable Street on Thursday January 31 2018, and Friday 1 and Saturday 2 February 2018.
Extra note: Greedy Khao are celebrating reaching 10k Instagram followers by giving away a pair of tickets to this event. Get over to their Instagram account for details.
