Vegan Brighton (1)

[Gorilla]

i've been going to Pulse for ages, it's not that new ;) i buy all my dry foods there because you can use your own boxes so there's no packaging, and i refill my Ecover bottles there too. :)

i agree, it'd be good if the Cowley Club was a bit more accessible, i personally find the members-only idea quite daunting, and can't get there when it's open to all.

[Gorilla]

i spotted this in the local paper and thought it may be of interest to some people in the Brighton area:

a green architecture exhibition organised by Brighton Permaculture Trust will be held on 4th March, at Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove. it will show how straw and wood can be used to make strong and environmentally-friendly buildings.

it will also include illustrated talks on some of the greenest architecture projects in Sussex: David Saunders, manager of Weald Woodnet, will speak about projects using local timber in construction and renewable energy from wood. straw bale houses will also be discussed as a sustainable solution for urban housing.

other speakers will examine prize-winning eco-home develpments in Brighton and Crowborough that feature geothermal energy and wind power.

see www.brightonpermaculture.co.uk for more details and ticket prices.

there are other events listed too, i like the sound of the introduction to biodynamics: www.brightonpermaculture.co.uk/courses_events/biodynamics.htm

[Marrers]

Suddenly got an alert to new messages on here and found I'd missed loads of posts! So, to catch up . . .

Paskins Hotel on Charlotte Street is good for vegan breakfast too, prob not so luxurious as Granville though!

Dreadful about the egg in the 'vegan' sausage at Kensingtons.

I have had trouble with savoury food at Wai Kika Moo Kau before - being told different things were vegan/not vegan on different visits - some staff can be clueless.
I prefer to avoid it as the service can be so slow, they often make mistakes (fried egg on your vegan breakfast) and then take 10 years to bring back the revised order (by which time your companion has finished eating), and I find a lot of the stuff very greasy and any fried stuff usually over-cooked.

I do like it for cakes though, so that comment was a bit worrying - maybe the symptoms the next day were because of the mistake with the milk in your drink Hemlock?
Also they are meant to be opening some evenings and having a special evening menu - has this started yet?

I'm meant to be getting membership at Cowley Club Gorilla - if it comes through I'll sign you in one evening or for Sunday Lunch!

[gertvegan]

Talking of Infinty, theres an article about Infinity Wholefoods, which appeared in A Vegan Guide To Bristol 2004 here. (http://www.veganbristol.makessense.co.uk/articles/218.html) :)

[Spiral]

I went to the Infinity Cafe recently and had a lovely piece of vegan mango, coconut and lime cake and a hot soya Green & Blacks chocolate. Yum.

I go to Infinity Foods occassionally to stock up on things I can't get elsewhere, but I agree with Hemlock that they are more expensive than other health food shops. It's still a bit of a vegan haven though and I spend a long time in there when I do go.

[Marrers]

You really should check out Taj on Western Road (opposite Waitrose and The Mad Hatter cafe). Bigger and better than Infinity in my opinion, at least for the things I want - but I don't buy much in the way of dried beans and pulses.

Great selection of vegan and veggie stuff, though they do sell meat too. I go to stock up on expensive US ice cream - but worth it, it's divine! And large range of pasta sauces, unusual pestos, convenience foods etc incl lots of organic stuff. They also sell toiletries, cleaning stuff, fresh organic and non-organic veg, frozen food, have a deli counter. :D

[Spiral]

Thanks for that Marrers, I'll check it out next time I'm In Brighton.

[mango]

i agree, it'd be good if the Cowley Club was a bit more accessible, i personally find the members-only idea quite daunting, and can't get there when it's open to all.

That's true, it's a shame, but there is a reason: members only => alcohol licence => income => paying off mortgage. It's not supposed to be about exclusivity (the decor takes care of that ;) ), it's a compromise that was seen to be necessary for the club to exist. But I will be suggesting at the next meeting that we have more unlicensed events so we can be open to the public. And I would also be pleased to sign you in if you'd like to go to the club.

[Gorilla]

i understand why the Cowley Club have the members-only thing, i'm just not happy with the idea of it. i have been along there in the evening with someone who could've signed me in, but i found the atmosphere and door staff quite hostile.

[VeganLiz]

Thanks Gorilla for the link to the green architecture day. I might go and drag the boyfriend along....

Marrers - you are so right about taj - it is much more spacious and better and I go there a lot. I do find though that often when they are restocking they have products all over the floor and you can't get past and the staff take ages at the till.

Liz X

[Gorilla]

Seedy Sunday - 5th community seed swap

www.seedysunday.org

12th February 2006, The Old Market, Upper Market Street, Hove

bring vegetable, herb and flower seeds to exchange, organic local produce, speakers on bio-diversity, seed saving, all garden/allotment topics, organic seed potatoes, stalls, organic cafe.

:)

[Gorilla]

i went to the Kensington Cafe at the weekend to see what they'd done about their non-vegan sausage in 'vegan' dishes. they still do vegan breakfast rolls but with no sausage and an extra slice of Redwood bacon instead.

i'm glad they seem to have sorted it out but it makes me sad to think i'd eaten that sausage a few times and took it on good faith that it was vegan. :( :mad: i don't know whether to eat in there any more as i'm not sure i can trust them now, but i really like it in there... :( :o

[Marrers]

You think that is bad Gorilla? Imagine how I feel having gorged myself on TONS of Tiny Trapeze vegan marshmallows in New York, and brought stacks home for myslef and my vegan friends - only to find that the vegan gelatin they used was REAL. :eek:
It wasn't their fault - the company they got it from had lied about it, you may have seen the outrage on the internet about it.

But it makes me feel sick to think of it (gelatin of all things - BSE etc) after 10 years vegan and a further 8 years as a veggie before that.

[Michael Benis]

Hi Gorilla,

All the places in Brighton make mistakes. We just have to keep on the ball. Sometimes the mistakes go the other way. For example, the George were for a while convinced that Harvey's is vegan when it isn't even veggie, but on the other hand they think that Hoegararden isn't when it is. I've also had to shout across the bar there like a total madman (which I am anyway) to remind them that I've asked for a soyamilk capuccino as the get diary milk out instead. And that's when I'm not getting cups smeared with what is very probably non-vegan lipstick (crap dishwasher + dim lighting makes it very easy for the bar staff to miss - I'm not blaming them).

Wiakikka have also made mistakes, though again they're normally very helpful. I don't like the new fishy Sanctuary much, but they're also helpful and yet still make mistakes.

Still, there are plenty of places in Brighton where we can have decent enough food and a giggle. Only places where I've never had a "misunderstanding" are terre a Terre (which I find too precious and pretentious) and Infinity.

Cheers

Mike

[Gorilla]

i understand what you mean. most places i've eaten out haven't made any mistakes with my food - as far as i know. maybe i've just been lucky so far.

[VeganLiz]

In case anyone on the forum is interested:

Brighton Bisexual Festival (Bifest): Saturday 11th February
ALL WELCOME!

12.00-7.00 tea, cake, social space and workshops at the Cowley Club,
London
Road, Brighton, http://www.cowleyclub.org.uk/
8.00 till late at the one-night-only BiFest Club, Brighton Royal Hotel,
76
Grand Parade, Brighton (next to Top Totty)

12-7 at the Cowley Club
Day space with workshops and alongside these a café with social space,
badge-making and an art activity.

1200-1.00 Welcome and warm up games

1.00- 2.30 Workshop one: Why are we here, what is bisexual, being bi?
Workshop based on why people want to come to a bifest, what identifying
as
bi or not means, discussing what it means to live as bi in
straight/LGBT
space, and also what bi-identified space is about. Featuring
discussion,
games, and short presentations from members of the local and wider bi
scene,
to tell you what’s out there.

3.00- 4.30 Workshop two: Labelling
Discussion: Are labels useful to us or not? Why might we want to label
ourselves? What are the advantages and disadvantages of labelling?
What labels do we give ourselves, what labels are imposed on us? Ending
with
game: beyond identity politics.

5.00-6.30 Workshop three: Flirting
So. Flirting if you are attracted to one or more genders. How does it
work?
Do you find you’re better at flirting with one gender than another? A
light-hearted look at flirting, some useful tips on how to do it, role
play
games.

Evening activities
The day workshop will take us through till 7.00, when we’ll send you
off to
get some dinner before the BiFest Party, where members and friends of
the
Brighton Bi group will be DJ’ing and welcoming you to the BIFest club
night,
with dancing, drinking and socialising.

Suggested donation: £3-£6 all in aid of Brighton Bisexual Group
www.brightonbothways.org

Bifest is taking place as part of Brighton LGBT Winter Pride festival -
http://www.brightonpride.org/whats-on/ , so there’ll be lots going on
in the
city aside from BiFest that you might want to dip a toe into.

[Gorilla]

yesterday i went to the George to try out their Sunday menu - i'd never been there for Sunday lunch before :eek: ;) it was really busy in there so i'd advise getting there early (it was full by about 1:00). i overheard quite a few people saying they weren't veggie, but just liked the food in there. :)

there's loads of choice and nearly everything was vegan (or vegan option). i had a carrot and parsnip soup to start, followed by mushroom and nut roast with loads of veggies, my boyfriend had a lentil and spinach strudel. the portions were huge :p we were totally stuffed for the rest of the day :D

[Hemlock]

The George is great:)

[aubergine]

The roast at the George was very rewarding after two and a half hours on uncomfortable trains. Mmmm.

http://static.flickr.com/39/99619621_80dc8baaf7.jpg

[Troutina]

There's a pastie shop on Bond Street, opposite Punktured, it does a scrummy vegan pastie, full of veg and beans and spicy tomato sauce, mmm so good!!!

[Gorilla]

i went to the Komedia (http://www.komedia.co.uk) to see Tim Vine's stand-up show a few days ago, and decided to have a meal there as well as they have a few vegan items on the menu.

i had a wild mushroom casserole which was gorgeous, with a side order of crispy potatoes and guacamole dip. it's not particularly cheap but it was lovely and turned up really quickly. unfortunately the club didn't seem to have any non-smoking areas at the moment though.

[Troutina]

Help! I want to take my boyfriend out for a meal on Wednesday evening- in Brighton- and Im having a tough time trying to decide where to go!

The George: Is it very 'pubby' in the evening- not a sort of evening meal type of place?
Terre A Terre: Is it really mega expensive? How much would the average meal without alcohol cost?
Food For Friends: Seems a little pricey for not that nice sounding food...!

Are there any other restaurants in Brighton that aren't vegi/ vegan but cater very well for them? My boyfriend's vegetarian.

Any help is very much appreciated!!

[Gorilla]

Hi Troutina

the George is usually a mix in the evening of people eating and people just drinking. it can get a bit smoky in the evenings but there is a non-smoking area. it's also fairly noisy so not a great idea if you want a quiet chat! ;) the food's fab though (and if you're a member of Viva! you get 25% off).

Terre a Terre is mega-expensive in my opinion - i went there with my boyfriend for my birthday, two courses with a bottle of wine cost us about £80. :eek: the food's nice but i'm not sure it's worth the money, there's surprisingly little choice.

i've never been to Food For Friends, i keep meaning to go sometime! i've heard it's under new management and i've read some good reviews.

there are other places like Bombay Aloo which is cheap but you need to check with the waiters which dishes are vegan. there's also Wai Kika Moo Kau which has a nice atmosphere, it's a bit more like a cafe than a restaurant but they do serve food in the evenings and you get quite large helpings, not a great deal of vegan options though. i don't think Infinity is open in the evenings. i think Red Veg is but probably not a great dinner option!

i don't eat in non-veggie places much but there is the Little Buddha Thai restaurant who have a great selection of tofu and veg dishes, the waiters should be able to confirm which ones are vegan and it's not too expensive. you can take your own booze if you want. Wagamama can be good, busy and noisy though and obviously part of a chain so i prefer to visit the local restaurants more.

phew! hope all that helps :)

[harpy]

For Terre a Terre you usually need to book a while in advance (for the evening anyway) so I'm not sure if you'd get in on Wednesday. Food for Friends is a bit less busy I think so worth a try. I have been once since the change of ownership and quite enjoyed it though some of the people I was with weren't so impressed. I think it's trying to be more like T a T.

The George is cheap and cheerful and the question of booking doesn't arise. I like it in there but there are no two ways about it, it's a pub :D

[Troutina]

Aww thankyou both so much for your help!
I don't think T a T is much use by the sound of it; I may have just been paid but I am by no means a zillionaire..!
Food For Friends had an OK menu, but at the moment I think my boyfriend and I still like simple, tasty food- nothing too weird!
I didn't think Wai Kika Moo Kau was open in the evenings? I've looked at so many websites maybe I'm getting it confused with Infinity.

Well thankyou for your help, I'll let you know where we decide to go!
Just don't want to resort to our usual Chinese- as much as I love it, I always have it because I know what I can eat there!