vegan

FGV favourite vegan restaurants on the planet

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With all the intense and feverish attention given to mainstream non-vegan restaurant chains serving vegan options, I wanted to take a step back and give some space to the true legends of the vegan food scene.

I’ve compiled a list of my top ten favourite vegan restaurants and eateries on the planet as a way to celebrate the people who put animals first.

This list is current as of February 2020 and is as accurate as I can recall. Some places would have made this list had they not sadly closed. I also am aware that I am missing a whole bunch of amazing vegan spots that I haven’t had a chance to visit, so please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.

Are you ready for FGV’s Ten Favourite Vegan Restaurants On The Planet?

Por Siempre Vegana Taqueria (Mexico City, Mexico)

Tacos are more than just food in Mexico. They are an inextricable part of the culture. Late night and early morning taco stands are on every corner, making this cuisine the most popular and most eaten in the city.

Por Siempre launched a vegan version of a traditional taco stand six years ago and it quickly became one of the absolute must visit locations for vegans. The business has recently expanded and now boasts a second spot featuring chairs and tables.

Temple of Seitan (London, United Kingdom)

Temple of Seitan is more than just a place to get irresistible comfort food. It is a food company that has become world-famous and unquestionably legendary.

The first location of this fried vegan chicken powerhouse turned the world of plant-based eating upside down when it opened in Hackney, East London. With a second spot in Camden and more expansions soon to follow, Temple is set for world domination.

Vedge (Philadelphia, United States of America)

If you haven’t dined with Vedge, I promise you haven’t dined with the best vegan restaurant on the planet.

Until Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau launched their super swanky (yet still incredibly welcoming) Vedge restaurant, I wasn’t certain that I had ever truly eaten exceptional vegan cuisine. My multiple trips to the Philadelphia-based restaurant have forced me to reconsider everything I know about good food.

Eating at Vedge is bucket list material.

Tian Ran (Gold Coat, Australia)

This restaurant located at Mermaid Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast means more to me than I can effectively express. Living in nearby Brisbane wasn’t always amazing for vegans (it has changed BIG time) so Tian Ran was my sanctuary.

Their menu is overflowing with some of my favourite dishes on the planet including olive fried rice, crispy bean curd, noodles, and drumsticks. I adore Tian Ran and I miss them deeply.

Veggie Grill (multiple locations, United States of America)

The first time I actually adored a salad instead of eating it out of duty was probably at a Veggie Grill location.

This chain of casual quick service restaurants is consistently high quality. They serve the perfect mix of comfort dishes (wings, burgers) with decadent salads packed with kale.

Veggie Grill is expanding rapidly around the USA. Eat with them when you can for pure happiness and satisfaction. Extra note: make drinking their strawberry lemonade a priority.

Plant Power Fast Food (multiple locations, United States of America)

Vegan junk food (junk is not a bad word!) is a reality thanks to Plant Power Fast Food. With seven locations and a food truck spread out across Southern California, the chain is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in the fast food industry.

Plant Power recreate all your favourite foods of pre-vegan times without hurting any animals, including breakfast muffins, shakes, fries, and stacked burgers.

Young Vegans (London, United Kingdom)

Not only are Carla and Marco dear friends of mine, they are also bloody talented food creators. Their pie and mash outlet in Camden, London is unquestionably one of the best places to eat on this planet.

Crispy pie shells, hot savoury fillings, creamy mash, and decadent gravy will be your reward if you make the effort to visit the shop. I would eat there every day if I could.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6fcYzjHbZi/

Napfényes Étterem (Budapest, Hungary)

During my first visit to this Hungarian restaurant and gourmet bakery, I almost started crying from the pure joy. Seriously. It was an intensely emotional experience for me.

Traditional Hungarian cuisine turned vegan by their impossibly talented chef makes this the finest vegan restaurant in Europe. The glass cases near the restaurant’s entrance are piled high with pastry items that cannot be bettered in my opinion.

So What? (Rome, Italy)

Imagine traditional Italian food bursting with flavour. Imagine gnocchi. Imagine creamy tiramisu. Fried pasta. Ravioli. Now imagine this all done vegan.

So What? is the restaurant of your dreams if you adore Italian food. I was so shocked at how utterly delicious everything was during my visit, I kept pinching myself to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo0_FhaiNme/

Doomie’s Home Cookin’ (Hollywood, United States of America)

Imagine being the happiest you can be. Imagine your happiest of happy places. Where do you see yourself?

When I close my eyes and think happy thoughts, I picture myself sitting at a table in Doomie’s with a vegan chicken basket in front of me and a jumbo soda off to the side.

Comfort food rarely comes more delicious than at Doomie’s.

This list is of course my own personal opinion. Feel free to assert your thoughts and opinions in the comments.

A few notable mentions that didn’t make the top ten but came extremely close include:

V-REV Vegan Diner (Manchester, United Kingdom)

Wulf & Lamb (London, United Kingdom)

Sage Bistro (Los Angeles and Pasadena, United States of America)

What The Pitta (multiple locations, United Kingdom)

Arancini Brothers (London, United Kingdom)

Vinh Loi Tofu (Los Angeles, United States of America)

Grassfed (Brisbane, Australia)

Fry’s ditched by Ocado

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Since 1991, The Fry Family Food Co has been making meat alternatives and recent data sees the brand ranked as the 7th largest meat-free brand by retail value, growing at an astonishing +211% year on year.

Yay for vegan food and yay for animals!

But the bad news?

After stocking Fry’s for the last 6 years, Ocado online supermarket has decided to stop selling the brand.

Those who rely on home delivery for their shopping in the UK will now find it much harder to access the full Fry’s range.

The Fry Family Food Co is hoping their supporters and fans can show Ocado how many customers they are disappointing and get them to reconsider the sudden decision.

If you want to get involved with asking for a reversal of this decision, tag Ocado in your social media posts. You can also write to Ocado directly at ocado@ocado.com with your opinions.

Contact Ocado on Facebook and Twitter.

You can also buy Fry Family Food Co products from independent vegan and health food stores around the UK.

Celebrate anniversary of a London vegan Landmark

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How time flies when you are having fun being compassionate!

The legendary London vegan pub The Spread Eagle is getting ready to celebrate its two year anniversary.

The birthday party for the vegan pub is taking place on Saturday January 25, 2020 between 9pm and 2am.

Facts you should now:

  • Onsite food experts Club Mexicana (who run the regular kitchen at the pub) will be serving
  • Spread Eagle will be handing out 50 free margherita shots (be early)
  • The event is FREE ENTRY
  • A DJ will be spinning fab tunes

See the exact location of The Spread Eagle in Homerton thanks to Google Maps.

If you can’t get along for the birthday party, be sure to follow them on Instagram and visit ASAP.

Temple of Seitan sold in bars UK wide

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This is huge (and conflicting) news. 

Beer company BrewDog has announced an exclusive deal with vegan fried chicken pioneers Temple of Seitan to feature their signature seitan wings and burgers in BrewDog Bars across the UK available from Tuesday January 14, 2020.

I’m thrilled to hear my friends at Temple of Seitan are experiencing this phenomenal success.

But I’m not a BrewDog fan.

I genuinely hope BrewDog has morphed into a much more considerate and compassionate company following on from some of their thoughtless and unkind marketing campaigns and controversies of the (not too distant) past.

See examples here (sexism) and here (using dead animal bodies as promotional tools) and here/here (transphobia) and here (they were taken to an employment tribunal) and here (they sold a half meat/half meat alternative burger) and here (sexism mixed with misogyny) and here (explicit sexism and misogyny) and here (pay disputes and suggestions of intellectual property mishandling).

I will never personally drink a BrewDog beer again in my life however I wanted to report this news on behalf of my friends at Temple. I do not support the BrewDog company due to ethical and political reasons, but I love and support Rebecca and Patrick of Temple of Seitan even though I personally would have made a very different decision.

I wish they had found a less problematic beer brand for a partnership. I know this blog post makes me sound like a hypocrite by saying I don’t support BrewDog but here is some information about BrewDog.

I’m not the boss of vegans so I’m giving you the info and you can do what you want with it. Perhaps you can walk into a bar and only buy the Temple food? LOL.

And perhaps by reporting this news spliced with commentary on their shitty marketing, I might get BrewDog to take a little bit of notice. Perhaps it will encourage other vegan consumers to say ‘thanks for the vegan wings from a legendary vegan company but please be better people as well’.

If you are a BrewDog customer and are excited to dine with Temple of Seitan while in one of the bars, perhaps you can also take the time to voice your opinions to the company whenever they do something shitty.

Patrick from Temple of Seitan said they were sold on the deal due to BrewDog paying Living Wage to their employees.

BrewDog is launching this partnership with Temple of Seitan in their UK bars before expanding the supply to their European locations soon.

Temple of Seitan has been featured in ‘best of’ lists across numerous publications – from Time Out to Easyjet Traveller. In 2017 Temple of Hackney won the best UK restaurant in the public voted VegFestUK Awards and in 2019 the ‘Nashville Hot’ burger was the number one selling vegan item on Uber Eats, London.

You can follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram.

New vegan takeaway in Covent Garden

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YEDA just told me that they serve food that is good for you and the planet at their Covent Garden location.

The grab and go restaurant opened its doors just before Christmas, in the vibrant Seven Dials in Covent Garden, London. The full address is 55 Neal Street, London, WC2H 9PJ.

YEDA focuses on delivering good food on the go. They serve delicious satiating food that is good for you, the environment, and the planet. The place was developed by Elena, a 27-year-old UCL graduate, who felt London was missing delicious vegan food available on the go.

On the menu YEDA has loaded salads, several tasty sandwiches and wraps that can be toasted in a grill, and an already popular Breakfast Burrito. The selection of hot mains includes shakshuka, creamy mac and butternut squash, chickpea and coconut curry, and a sweet potato jackfruit waffle.

There are two elements to the YEDA space: the ground floor that is all-hands-on-deck for quick grab and the lower ground floor lounge with comfy seating and a relaxing atmosphere. The shop itself is bright and vibrant with natural woods, terrazzo tiles, and modern chic fittings.

The food is not the only passion YEDA wants to share with the city. They are trying to do their bit to be kind to the planet by using recyclable and compostable packaging that is both practical and Earth-friendly.

Follow YEDA on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

South London pub gets a vegan kitchen takeover

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The White Hart is the legendary beer-focussed pub in South London that is turning its kitchen vegan for January 2020 with a little help from a gorgeous street food business.

What The Fattoush? is well-known for serving up delicious plant-based food inspired by Palestinian cuisine, culture, and people. The compassionate foodies started their business in order to support charities and groups working to improve lives of the people of Palestine.

For the entire month of January 2020, you can buy and devour the delicious cuisine of What The Fattoush? and drink beer at The White Hart in SE14.

What does the vegan food menu feature?

  • Hummus and Chilli confit £6.5 – Creamy hummus topped with smoked chilli oil (mulato, pasilla, ancho), chargrilled sweet peppers and smoked paprika served with warm Arabic bread
  • Fatteh (Middle Eastern style nachos) £10.5 – Pitta chips loaded with a chunky tomato, pepper and aubergine stew, Gazan guac (avo, sumac & sesame seeds) and pickled chillies
  • Imam bayildi and vermicelli rice £9.5 – Slow cooked aubergine. Red pepper and chickpea stew in a rich and silky tomato sauce served with vermicelli rice and chopped salad
  • Black lime ‘lamb’ and courgette with vermicelli rice £12.5 – Chunky ‘lamb’ pieces, courgette, and our 7 spice mix served with vermicelli rice and chop salad
  • 9″ Loaded Arabic flatbread with either falafel / seitan shawarma ‘meat’ £10.5 / £12 – Arabic bread topped with hummus, chopped salad and pickles with either falafel or seitan
  • Mezze plate £11 – Falafel, chopped salad, stuffed vine leaves, Arabic bread, hummus, olives & pickles
  • Tempura okra s/w a date and tamarind sauce £6 – Beer battered okra with a sweet and tangy sauce
  • Cauliflower poppers £6 – Spiced cauliflower florets in breadcrumbs served with harissa yoghurt
  • Fries £4

You can follow What The Fattoush? on Instagram and see the exact location of The White Hart thanks to Google Maps.

Eat up, London!

New vegan pop up in East London

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Tendril is a brand new vegan pop up restaurant starting its residency at The Hive in Bethnal Green from January 10, 2020.

Tendril is the brainchild of Chef Rishim Sachdeva and there more plans to spread his tasty food far and wide around the capital in 2020. Tendril is just the first stop.

So what exactly will Chef Rishim be serving at Tendril in Bethnal Green?

A sample menu highlights the following:

  • Zucchini Pancakes with creamy turmeric puree and chives
  • Homemade crispy potato terrine, smoked ketchup, Butter beans, scallions and roasted mushrooms
  • Purple sweet potato fritters with pea puree and burnt cabbage salsa
  • Crispy Salt and Pepper Mushrooms with sweet chilli dipping sauce and shaved almonds
  • Roasted brussel sprouts with chilli oil, hazelnuts and black garlic
  • Cauliflower and leek XO with cacao nibs and hazelnut
Purple potato fritter
Mushroom and leek truffles

You can follow Tendril on Instagram and see the exact the location of The Hive online thanks to Google Maps.

New vegan joint in York

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How many reasons do you need to adore the northern English city of York?

There are pubs named after torture devices. They have haunted buildings all over the place. A cholera burial ground greets you as you exit the train station.

York is one of my favourite places on the planet!

If all of these glorious, creepy facts aren’t enough to get your rushing there, maybe this news of a new vegan döner and cocktail restaurant will have you making plans for a York visit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B67yT8hnqC4/

Döner Summer is a vegan eatery and cocktail bar located in Spark:York creative and retail space in York city centre.

The restaurant has Berlin-inspired cuisine that will make your mouth water.

Take a look at some of this.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B65BhpsHRjN/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6AjL8-HrvF/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5hov2in8CA/

The exact location of Döner Summer can be seen online thanks to Google Maps. The restaurant/bar is open Tuesday until Sunday each week.

Follow Döner Summer on Instagram.

Top nine Instagram posts of 2019

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It’s the end of 2019 so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and highlight the most liked posts from my Instagram post from across the year.

Here is an overview of the nine most liked of the year.

Let’s break it down into individual posts.

Here are the top nine posts from my Instagram account for 2019, with the most popular at the bottom.

Enjoy… and please follow me on Instagram if you don’t already.

The ninth most popular post was a photo of me accompanied by a plea for people to not buy or breed dogs. It resonated with a lot of people and is a message for the ages!

There was a HUGE response for this photo of my Follow Your Heart pin. I never expected this to be on the end of year list, let alone come in at number eight.

This is the first of two photos of London vegan cheese shop La Fauxmagerie to make my top nine Instagram list for 2019. Having two entries is proof of how excited vegans were about this shop opening.

Vegan food in airports can be a bit uninspired so this photo of my breakfast at Wagamama at Heathrow got a lot of likes. It was a tasty treat to enjoy before a long haul flight.

I shared this message from Chapter One coffee shop in Edinburgh and it was popular enough to land at number five on my top nine list for the year. People loved reading news of this popular café switching to become a totally vegan business.

I am surprised this post took off like it did because it is kinda an ugly photo! The Wicked range in Tesco is one of the most successful product launches I have ever seen and this photo being in my top nine is evidence that people can’t get enough.

This post is not a happy read and contains a few upsetting memories of bad times from throughout my life. People who follow me on Instagram were kind and supportive, making this the third most popular post of mine for 2019.

Warning: it is a very upsetting read so do proceed with caution.

LOTS of people responded positively to this photo I took in Heathrow airport. It is exciting to see so many mainstream business be so open about their vegan options.

La Fauxmagerie took the number one slot on my Instagram account for 2019. News of this vegan cheese shop opening in London broke the Internet and more than 4,500 people liked this photo.

Much love to everyone who has helped make my blog and social media accounts viable for another year.

All of this is done to help promote veganism and independent vegan businesses. I want people to go vegan and stay vegan to help improve outcomes for animals.

Vegan Christmas pizza in London

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Vegan pizza is everywhere.

I’m in no way saying that is a bad thing, I’m just commenting on how it seems to be popping up everywhere in London.

One of the most-loved vegan pizza joints in the UK capital is Good Belly which is located inside The Railway Tavern just a few steps from Dalston Kingsland Overground station.

The pizzas at Good Belly get rave reviews from those in the know, so I can only imagine how delicious these two Christmas-themed specials will taste.

The first seasonal special I want to tell you about is their Christmas Day Pizza. It is constructed from a cranberry & merlot tomato base, mushrooms, red onion, stuffing crumbs, bacon bits, parsnip puree, and shredded sprouts.

That is one dreamy Christmas pizza!

Another special they have is their flaky (and delicious) Santa’s Sausage Roll. Good Belly assure me it is one of the best sausage rolls on the planet.

Check it out.

Both of these specials from Good Belly will be on their menu until December 22, 2019 so hop along rapidly if you want some seasonal treats.

You can see the full regular menu from Good Belly online here, follow the restaurant on Instagram, and check out the exact location of The Railway Tavern thanks to Google Maps.