Vegan London, part 1

[bradders]

i'll be spending a lot of money at vitaorganic, £5 for a big box of amazing food that makes me feel so fantastic for a day after

[flying plum]

i've never been to vitaorganic....i tell you what though, as soon as i get back to the UK i'm going out for middle eastern food. you CANNOT GET IT HERE. i am missing houmous, babaganoush, etc etc. we made falafels the other day, which were good, actually, BUT, i want to have a massive fest of ones i didn't have to cook when i get home so, a question vegan london:

where is the best place for me to go to fulfil this craving???

i leave it in your capable hands - you have until december 16th to decide :)

amanda

[harpy]

I like Tas for middle eastern (Turkish) food though of course it's omnivorous. Not sure if they do babaganoush as such there; is it more of a Lebanese thing? Not sure what the best Lebanese places are these days but would be interested to know.

[flying plum]

there's a place up on Green Lanes that i've been too before that does great food. i'm just looking to branch out.

has anyone been to Blah Blah Blah?

amanda

[harpy]

Yeah, I've been to Blah Blah Blah a few times though not recently. I quite like it but there used to be one or two gripes, like no/hardly any vegan desserts, and they once tried to refuse to bring tap water saying they weren't allowed to. That was a while ago though.

[Marrers]

I went quite a while back so things may have changed. Although I liked the atmosphere there is often (maybe even usually) only one vegan main dish (so I had to phone first to check that I liked it) and as Harpy said no desserts.

[Stu]

there's a place up on Green Lanes that i've been too before that does great food.

Hey, that's near me. What's the place called? Which bit of Green Lanes?

[flying plum]

Hey, that's near me. What's the place called? Which bit of Green Lanes?

i actually don't know what it's called...it's down the manor house end, as you go north past harrigay GL station. you know where there's a whole load of turkish restaurants? it's the one with the big oven for pide in the front window, and i think they have a small coffeeshop nextdoor. as you walk up green lanes towards turnpike lane, it's on the right hand side, somewhere between Stanhope rd and the salisbury Pub (the big cool one on the corner, i think that's the name?). it's somewhat 'smarter' looking than the other ones along there (of which there are many).

sorry, i can't offer more than that! i highly recommend the houmous and babganoush though. the pide used to be vegan (and generally is i've found) and supertasty, but check before you rely on that as it's been a while since i've been there.

amanda

[Stu]

Thanks for the advice!
I know the area well. I actually live at Manor House, and I know the Salisbury pub intimately!

[flying plum]

cool :) my friend used to live on umfreville road when we were at uni, and i used to spend a lot of time in that pub also. we've probably bumped into each other and never known it!

amanda

[Zero]

Thanks for the advice!
I know the area well. I actually live at Manor House, and I know the Salisbury pub intimately!

I wonder which "intimately" you mean? :D

1.associated in close personal relations: an intimate friend.

2.characterized by or involving warm friendship or a personally close or familiar association or feeling: an intimate greeting.

3.very private; closely personal: one's intimate affairs.

4.characterized by or suggesting privacy or intimacy; warmly cozy: an intimate little café.

5.(of an association, knowledge, understanding, etc.) arising from close personal connection or familiar experience.

6.engaged in or characterized by sexual relations.

7.(of clothing) worn next to the skin, under street or outer garments: intimate apparel.

8.detailed; deep: a more intimate analysis.

9.showing a close union or combination of particles or elements: an intimate mixture.

10.inmost; deep within.

11.of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the inmost or essential nature; intrinsic: the intimate structure of an organism.

12.of, pertaining to, or existing in the inmost depths of the mind: intimate beliefs.

noun

13.an intimate friend or associate, esp. a confidant.

[Gorilla]

knowing Stu it'll be no. 6 :D

[bradders]

are you saying that stu did it with a whole pub?

[Stu]

I couldn't walk for a month.

[bradders]

oh dear

[RebeccaDye]

I've got a query;

For Christmas, instead of buying each other presents, my friends and I have decided to use the money we would have spent on presents to go out for dinner around Christmas time. I've managed to persuade everybody to go to a vegan restaurant, so I need a very nice one to go to! Does anybody know of a vegan restaurant that:

- Is preferably in South or Central London
- Is not more than £30 a head
- Will appeal to 15 omnis
- Will appeal to 16 year olds and has a relaxed atmosphere?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[flying plum]

you could look maybe at the Gate in Notting Hill - not sure how much that would be, but it's certainly very nice and drives the point home that veggie restaurants aren't all about tiny rooms with cramped tables.

I like Manna, also, but again, maybe a bit in the expensive side.

EDIT: manna have their christmas menu up, is £38 a head, but doesn't include beverages aside from an aperatif. menu looks tasty, but there aren't any options, which i find a bit strange and not great-value-for-money.... http://www.manna-veg.com/2008-xmas-menu.html

amanda

[harpy]

I may be wrong but I think it would be hard to get out of the Gate or Manna without spending more than £30/head unfortunately.

Wouldn't 222 be a cheaper option? I know it's not in South or Central London but it's quite easy to get to and omnivores I've been to liked it a lot. I think they have a flat-rate buffet at lunchtime don't they - maybe they could be persuaded to do something similar for a special dinner?

[Marrers]

Last time I was at 222 with a large group of omnis most of them thought the food was bland. The whole 'order your meal beforehand' kerfuffle is also likely to put some people off. (They didn't do that when we were there and it was a shambles with some people having finished their main courses before others had even been given their starter.) Sadly imo it is not the best introduction to vegan eating out.

[harpy]

Oh :( I haven't been with a big group and can see that the ordering-in-advance thing would be a downer.

Mildreds sounds like the best bet so far then, unless Manna and the Gate would do a special deal. What about those oriental buffet places, would they be any good? Do some of them have party rooms?

Am thinking some kind of buffet might be better because whenever I've been to a vegetarian restaurant with a large group they seem to have trouble co-ordinating the delivery of all the food to the table, like you said 222 did.

[flying plum]

I may be wrong but I think it would be hard to get out of the Gate or Manna without spending more than £30/head unfortunately.


yes...i just couldn't think of anywhere else that would be suitable for a large group for a special occasion. the only other place i could think of was Saf, but a) i doubt that would be anywhere near £30-a-head and b) not sure it would appeal to a large group of omnis. i think the manna set menu is vastly overpriced given what you get. i'd expect four courses for £38, given their normal prices.

but then, christmas set-menus are usually a rip-off...

i reckon marrers is on to something suggesting Mildred's, but i'd get in there quick as it gets pretty booked up...

amanda

[harpy]

The only thing about Mildred's is that it's not 100% vegan, but maybe they would do a vegan menu for the party if Rebecca asks nicely.

[flying plum]

i had another idea. what about the Oxo Tower Brasserie (not the restaurant, much more expensive in there). they do a set menu for £33.50 at lunch or £39.50 at dinner, and it's not exclusively vegan so would appeal to your family, but do very tasty vegan options (at least the few times i've been there). it's still a bit over budget perhaps, but i think if you want to go to a vegan place, you might have to consider a small budget upping...

damn london prices. for that money in zagreb i could eat out at a nice restaurant 3 nights in a row :D

amanda

[flying plum]

The only thing about Mildred's is that it's not 100% vegan, but maybe they would do a vegan menu for the party if Rebecca asks nicely.

oh...i didn't realise it was a vegan restaurant exclusively. i thought it was a place that did vegan food. scratch above about the oxo tower then...

meep...no idea what to suggest then.

amanda

[robb]

What about those oriental buffet places, would they be any good? Do some of them have party rooms?
The one on Percy Street (which I think is the best of them) has a "VIP area" that can be booked.