Loving Hut

London vegan restaurant gets an overhaul

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Loving Hut in Edgware, London has long been a favourite eating destination for people in the capital looking to eat with compassion.

The restaurant (run by followers of the teachings of Supreme Master Ching Hai – Google it if you wanna know) has been serving delicious vegan savoury food for years and favourites include mock meats, noodle dishes, and flavoured rice.

I was planning a trip to Loving Hut Edgware a few days ago when I discovered that it no longer exists, but has been remodelled and renamed.

Zen Buddha still sits at 236 Station Road but has enjoyed a makeover. The restaurant has been polished to look more modern and new booth seating has been added.

The people working in the restaurant are the same and, thankfully, the food is still the same delicious crispy goodness I know and love.

Check out my most recent meal below and see the exact location of Zen Buddha online thanks to Google Maps.

Best vegan Sunday roast in the UK?

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I think my buddy Kay likes to tease me.

There I was minding my own business in Mexico, considering what I should put on my tortillas for Sunday brunch, when Kay taunts me with a photo of one of the best vegan Sunday lunches I’ve ever seen.

Check it out.

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For those of you unfamiliar with a Sunday roast in the UK, this one appears to have all the crucial elements. Right down to a Yorkshire pudding!

Get along to Loving Hut in Brighton so you can let me know if this is the best vegan Sunday roast in the country.

You can find the location of Loving Hut Brighton on their website.

Extra note: Londoners can check out this Sunday roast option while people in Leeds might want to try this.

south of france cruise

Overeat with friends

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A recent trip to Loving Hut Archway resulted in a mammoth amount of vegan food being ordered. Seriously. So much food.

I was hanging out with Ange and James of glorious ethical boutique The Third Estate and we were all hungry. Even though we all knew we would be unable to show any form of restraint, we boarded the 390 bus in the direction of north London suburb, Archway. We ate everything.

James has spent the most part of the time I have known him raving about the vegan duck rolls at this Loving Hut location. He had convinced me my life was a devalued experience without them. I succumbed and it was the first thing we ordered. Old Jimbo might just be onto something. The build-you-own pancake rolls were tasty.

But the food didn’t stop there.

For some reason we ordered three types of crispy vegan chicken, a sizzling dish of vegan beef, side of rice, a vegan chicken burger with fries and a vegan fish burger. We all had to pull together as a team to chomp through the mound of deliciousness placed before us. Vegans united in greed.

Check it out below.

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Up in Archway

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Some of you probably think that if a restaurant in London is serving vegan food, the FGV must have been there. Right?

Sorry to disappoint, but even after all this time eating and reporting back to you there are still eateries that have escaped my fat clutches. Loving Hut in Archway was one such destination and I was constantly being asked for my opinion on their food. I couldn’t take the harassment from curious vegans any longer, so I made a special trip to the north London restaurant just to get you all off my back.

Just like Loving Hut locations the world over, the Archway version serves a completely vegan menu and is staffed by followers of the Quan Yin Method (Google exists for a reason, people). The menu is much more extensive than the recently-closed Camden branch but I do believe the Edgware location still holds the title of most gigantic Loving Hut menu in the world.

Josh and I ordered like the professional eaters we are. Wanna see what we got our teeth into?

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When they’re halfway down your gullet…

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Loving Hut in Camden is a good place to go for cheap, tasty food. Like all of the Loving Hut locations worldwide, the food is plant-based and the menu never breaks the bank. I have written about it previously here and here.

So, how could this vegan eatery with cheap prices and tummy-filling vegan food get any better? Read on and then start planning your next trip…

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Rescued by Loving Hut

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My recent trip to the gorgeous Mexican city of Xalapa was downright sensational. I enjoyed a long hike through coffee and banana farms, I took in the sights of the glorious Teocelo waterfall and I swam during a torrential tropical rainstorm.

Oh, I almost forgot. I ate a lot of vegan food, too.

The city of Xalapa in the state of Veracruz won’t win any awards for being vegan-friendly. Heck, I even passed a restaurant that proudly proclaimed ‘NO VEGETARIANO’ on its front sign. Yes, it can be difficult to eat plant-based in Xalapa but the addition of a Loving Hut to the landscape has certainly brightened the outlook.

Loving Hut in Xalapa, Veracruz

Loving Hut outlets are seemingly popping up everywhere and it is making vegan travel easier. After our gruelling day of hiking and sightseeing, Josh and I were desperately in need of some recharging. Loving Hut Xalapa came to the rescue in a big way.

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Edgware of glory

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There is something comforting about the international chain of franchised vegan restaurants known as Loving Hut. They are simply everywhere. I have eaten in LH locations in Brisbane, Australia and Madrid, Spain. Outlets have popped up in Philadelphia, Nice and Xalapa. When you are in an unknown city and feeling a bit challenged in your quest to find a vegan meal, Loving Hut can really be a welcome sight.

The finest Loving Hut I have eaten in is definitely the restaurant located in Edgware in London, UK. Yes, it still comes with the sometimes intrusive Ching Hai information espoused in all Loving Hut locations but their menu is by far the most expansive and impressive I have seen.

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Amazing cheese now in Camden

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Remember how I went on and on about Vegusto vegan cheese? You don’t? Surely you recall when I announced it to be amongst the finest in the world. No? Take a quick trip back in time to refresh your memory here and then hold onto your fedora with a faux feather because I have some exciting news for you.

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London Animal Charities Fair

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I have ceased overeating for a few moments in order to tell you about an exciting event coming up on the London animal welfare calendar.

London Animal Charities Fair is sweeping into Kings Cross on Sunday November 6, 2011 between the hours of 10am and 4pm. Housed in The Camden Centre, the day-long event is being staged as a fund-raising endeavour for a huge range of animal charities, welfare groups and activists.

Admission to the fair is £2 or £1.50 for pensioners while people under the age of 16 are admitted free of charge. Money raised through admission goes to covering the ongoing running costs of the fair. There will be a children’s activity area and a vegan cafe run by Loving Hut where you will be able to buy hot food, cakes and drinks.

Charities will be hosting stalls selling gifts, books, bric-a-brac and more in order to raise funds for their crucial campaigning. Stall holders will include Animal Aid, The Vegetarian Society, Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary and Animals Asia. A number of talks will be given, including a session by Darren Collis of Sea Shepherd.

Scribble the date in your diary, tell your friends and put away a few pounds for a good cause disguised as a good day out. I’ll see you there.

London Animal Charities Fair, Sunday November 6, 2011, 10am-4pm

The Camden Centre (Euston Road Entrance opp. Kings Cross St. Pancras) WC1H 9LZ

Visit the official website

Join the Facebook group page

Here we go, I’m hanging out in Camden

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Camden is famous for a lot of cool, outsider culture that eventually works its way into the mainstream. The historical Camden Market is now a must-see for thousands of tourists every year, the underground music scene exploded out of the borough in the 90’s spawning the Indie craze and more recently, the tragic demise of Amy Winehouse has been inextricably linked to the area as her Back to Black album became the highest-selling release of recent times in the UK.

It is understandable when members of minorities bemoan their insider knowledge being shared with the world. To have something intimate blown up to a global scale can be extremely challenging and confronting. However, there is one alternative happening coming out of Camden that I hope continues its explosion into the mainstream… vegan dining.

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