Kentish Town

Exciting vegan brunch in London

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Hey, London. Where do you go for vegan brunch each weekend?

If you answered anywhere other than Arancini Brothers in Kentish Town, I’ve got news for you that might shake things up.

Arancini Brothers is the superstar fast food chain focussed on risotto balls, with locations in Old Street, Maltby Street, Dalston, Ely’s Yard, and Kentish Town.

In exciting news, the Kentish Town location is trying something new by opening only for brunch on the weekends.

And what a brunch it is!

Check out the photos below:

First of all, that fry up tray looks sensational. Furthermore, I say a big YES PLEASE to peanut butter jam toasties.

The rest of the brunch-only menu is stuffed with filled fococcia, salads, croissants, and sausage rolls.

Get along to Arancini Brothers Ketish Town every Saturday and Sunday between 10am and 4pm.

The restaurant is located at 115A Kentish Town Road. You can see the exact location thanks to Google Maps.

Follow Arancini Brothers on Instagram.

Best vegan burger in London

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Got plans for eating out over the next few days? Now you do!

I know I have a big mouth with opinion-making skills to match, but please don’t think this is an example of me trying to oversell something.

What you are about to see really is (in my FGV opinion) the best vegan burger currently available in London.

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Decadent, sloppy, juicy and exquisite burger goodness right there.

Now for the surprising part?

The best vegan burger in London is made and sold by a non-vegan food provider.

Arancini Brothers is a food business based around arancini. You know. Little savoury, crunchy rice balls. These irresistible balls have been perfected by the company over years and have grown to become some of the most loved items at street markets and events around London.

In addition to a mobile food truck, Arancini Brothers currently have three permanent restaurant locations. I was invited to dine at the Kentish Town outlet while the other two are placed in Old Street and Dalston.

The menu at the restaurant features a handful of vegan items alongside the non-vegan food, with a small broccoli outline indicating which items are plant-based.

Owner Dave was keen for me to try the specialty Vegan Burger. Rude to say no, right?

This burger blew me away. The gorgeous arancini have been crafted into a burger sized patty, placed inside a fresh bun, doused in onion jam and slathered with aubergine tomato sauce.

Three word review? To die for.

My tray also featured a side serving of arancini (which I could eat all day quite happily thank you very much) and a basket of fries seasoned beyond perfection.

I’m desperate to get back for the morning menu which includes a Vegan Recovery wrap that sounds truly spectacular. There is a vegan salad box that looks intriguing and mushroom/zucchini risotto balls that I MUST try soon.

In both the Kentish Town and Dalston (next to FED By Water) outlets, all of the vegan options are cooked separately from the non-vegan food, with dedicated plant-based fryers used in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, the Old Street location has room for just one fryer so vegan items go in with the non-vegan. If vegan food touching non-vegan food is not your thing, stick to Kentish Town and Dalston.

You can visit the Arancini Brothers website for more details such as locations, opening hours and the full menu.

south of france cruise

Closed in Kentish Town

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First it was Mella Cafe, then it was Saf Restaurant and Bar. Now a vegan friendly restaurant and coffee house in north London has also disappeared.

If you ever got the opportunity to dine at Muya Ethiopian Restaurant, you undoubtedly loved their cuisine. It was irresistible. It wasn’t a vegetarian restaurant but they had a separate vegan menu that was unrivalled in the capital.

But they have closed and London vegans are the poorer for the loss.

Closed
Closed

The vegan menu featured delicious traditional Ethiopian stews packed with vegetables and spices, served with a seemingly never-ending supply of injera. A vegetarian platter was always more than enough to fill us up and truth be told, we often struggled to finish.

I phoned the number listed on the Muya website and a recorded message instructs callers to keep checking the website and Facebook page for updates on where the company will show up again. I hope they resurface soon.

Did you ever eat at Muya? Share your memories below.

 

Brecknock Road Vegan Festival

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London vegans, friends and the vegan-curious are invited to a day of celebrations along the plant-eater friendly Brecknock Road in Kentish Town.

Brecknock Road Vegan Festival
Brecknock Road Vegan Festival

The local business holders have come together to celebrate everything they have to offer in the way of vegan food, goods and services on Saturday November 9th, 2013. It is an all day shopping, eating and social event from 11am, culminating with a party in the pub from 6pm until late.

Attractions on the day include:

– The Third Estate who will be launching Wills Vegan Shoes winter collection as well as their new website

– Bumblebee Health Foods serving Manna vegan cakes all day and will be sampling Fry’s Vegetarian products

– Muya Ethiopian restaurant with a separate vegan menu

– Salvino Italian deli serving vegan food and groceries plus will have live music in the store

– The Admiral Mann pub hosting the official afterparty (with vegan bottled beers by McMullen Brewery) featuring Motown/R&B/Soul singer Steve Lucas

– The Mighty Fork will be selling their delicious range of gourmet vegan hot dogs until 4pm

– The Vegan Society will be on hand to spread the vegan message and sell merchandise

– More stores, products and specials to be announced

Every visitor to the street will be given a vegan loyalty card. When you buy a vegan item from any of the participating stores on the day, your card will be stamped which you can then use to collect a very special gift bag from The Vegan Society stall.

The Vegan Society will be filming the entire day for a video to be shared on their website and social media platforms. It is our opportunity to show on a grand scale how London vegans and their friends can come together!

Please stay tuned for regular updates to this event. It is a real first for London and an amazing way to encourage local businesses to take notice of vegans. The event aims to support local traders while promoting and supporting the vegan community!

**Entry to the after party is FREE**

¡comamos! happened

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Welcome to Messy Vegetarian Cook. She is a dear friend, an amazing artist and one of the best vegan cooks in London. She wants to tell you all about her enjoyment of the ¡comamos! vegan tapas club organised  by yours truly last weekend that featured the gorgeous food stylings of Vegan Peasant Catering and cruelty-free wines supplied by Vegan Wines Online.

Once you have feasted on her words, make sure you take advantage of this very special vegan wine deal: FGV readers simply enter code FGV5 for 5% off all purchases at Vegan Wines Online. Valid until August 31, 2012. Click here to shop.

Got your wine? Good. Take it away, Messy Cook!

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What is The Third Estate? Everything.

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London, finally your time has arrived. It is my immense pleasure to introduce you to the capital’s number one destination for vegan shoe shopping… The Third Estate.

The Third Estate now in London

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London happy, Leeds sad

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The Third Estate in Leeds

This news is simultaneously good and bad. The phenomenal clothing and footwear retailer The Third Estate has announced its final days trading in Leeds city centre and the subsequent move they are making to London. Like I said, happy London but sad Leeds.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will recall a story I did on The Third Estate back in January. This shop has been a haven for vegan shoe shoppers for many years and also has been one of the most comprehensive stockists of cruelty-free footwear the UK has ever seen.

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