Oh my god!!!!!!

[hiddenfromview]

In my search for Plamil chocolate spread (see my other thread), I was in one of those Thai Vegan buffet places (on Greek Street in Soho) and saw some in the fridge.... so inquired as to how much they were.... anyway long story short, they weren't for sale, but the manager told me that they were used in a showcase for their new branch. The restaurant is moving next door, and in that place they're opening a place called V&M which is going to have Vegan ice creams, milkshakes etc.... omg! I couldn't believe it and I can't wait!!! Finally something like this has opened!! THE EXCITEMENT!!!

[BlackCats]

That is great news.

[Gorilla]

you're kidding! that's fantastic! i already love going to that buffet and soon i'll be able to go next door and have ice cream and milkshake for dessert too!

[Stu]

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper!!!

[Mr Flibble]

It's about time they started selling food that is meant to be cold

[bryzee86]

It's about time they started selling food that is meant to be cold

haha!

[jonnie falafel]

Didn't anyone see the expose on the Thai Vegan Buffet mini chain on BBC recently. Their hygiene standards were rubbish and they illegally employed immigrant labour at below minimum wage rates. Depends what you want - cheap or good. Mildreds is only a hop skip and a jump away.

[twinkle]

Didn't anyone see the expose on the Thai Vegan Buffet mini chain on BBC recently. Their hygiene standards were rubbish and they illegally employed immigrant labour at below minimum wage rates. Depends what you want - cheap or good. Mildreds is only a hop skip and a jump away.

Have done a few searches on google trying to find more about this but not coming up with anything - do you know when the programme was aired or what it was called?

EDIT: not to worry - just found a thread on here about it from August-ish.

[Buddha Belly]

Local food producers and farmers who grow for local independant stores mostly use cheap illegal labour to work for them, kept in housing that would be not be inhabited by those with a choice. I work with people who have been forced to work in farm communities for local independant producers, their plight has been highlighted so many times but no one checks the working conditions when they nip to the farm shop.

The restaurants in question were employing illegals, i challenge you to find many restaurants in any city that at one stage or another that has not. There are raids on an almost daily basis on well respected restaurants.

Their hygiene was crap, have you looked in the local pub/ restaurant kitchen? If it was not for enviro' health and immigration investigating them they would continue to work in such a way. The chain in question will be under such scrutiny that they will have the best working practices and hygiene levels possible.

To abandon using a very rare vegan commodity would be shooting ourselves in the feet.
I love Mildreds but can not always afford the prices. The Thai buffett is ok but reasonably priced, yes i know money again.
Yet again a thread on this forum has degenerated into a question of ethics rather than celebrating something that is good and i feel the need to rant on yet again.

Is it the vegan need to feel special and unloved by a community at large? I despise big business and corporations, but anyone willing to change years of not catering for me will be regarded politely with a nod of thanks that thing are slowly changing.

I am in London soon and will be eating vegan ice cream after a delightful Thai buffet next door.

[Gorilla]

the ethics of the Tai buffet chain has been discussed here, why not use that thread if you wish to continue the discussion.

[Mr Flibble]

Depends what you want - cheap or good. Mildreds is only a hop skip and a jump away.

Mildreds is neither

[Gorilla]

haha i've only eaten at Mildred's once but found it noisy, cramped and expensive, the food wasn't bad but nothing amazing.

personally i think the Tai buffets are both cheap and good

[flying plum]

i quite like mildreds, though i do find it a bit dear for just a quick lunch.

i'm quite fond of food for thought for cheap, tasty goodness. you have to go at odds times of day though, otherwise you can't get a table. i quite like going in there at 4pm ish for a flapjack and a cup of tea. i think, if they did ice cream, i'd be in heaven.

i miss london! lol

amanda

[saycheezly]

i loved mildred's food but found the service fairly appalling. i love tai .. didn't realise it was dodgy.. i go the one near greek street every time i'm in london before going to redveg to get takeout for the train home followed by a msg/ carb induced sleep.

[BlackCats]

I quite like Mildred's, I might be there tomorrow in fact, it's expensive though I think. I've never tried the Tai Buffet.

[flying plum]

i loved mildred's food but found the service fairly appalling. i love tai .. didn't realise it was dodgy.. i go the one near greek street every time i'm in london before going to redveg to get takeout for the train home followed by a msg/ carb induced sleep.

yes...they're quite often understaffed, and the one or two servers aren't always that friendly. i had a good experience there after i finished my finals this year though. we were there at a quieter time and the server was very chatty and found me some vegan custard (it said on the board either cream or ice cream) to go with my crumble

amanda

[jonnie falafel]

Mildreds is neither

Well I must admit I haven't been to Mildreds in four years so I bow to your superior knowledge. It certainly used to be good. (like El Piano in York used to be good and it's just so awful now) Anyhow, there are other options not so far away e.g. World Food Cafe... and yyou can see the food being prepared there right before your eyes... so no dodgy backroom hygiene.

[jonnie falafel]

BTW - I liked food for thought, but boy was that place cramped! I was practically eating off someone's lap... good way to make friends.

[jonnie falafel]

the ethics of the Tai buffet chain has been discussed here, why not use that thread if you wish to continue the discussion.

Thanks for the link.

[mjnewbould]

I love food for thought - I've always got in and got a table (though I mean sharing with other people - not one just for me!). I love world food cafe also. Its making wish i was there instead of here (work with lots to od before I can go!)

[hiddenfromview]

Interesting discussion regarding the ethics of eating in restaurants... I'm kinda inclined to agree with Buddha_Belly though. I personally only eat in vegetarian restaurants, as they will be much more receptive to understanding what Vegan food is and know about cross-contamination etc.
I think it is much more important to relish in the variety of veg*n restaurants available and putting our cash into them so they stay alive as businesses...and also so that more omnis eat meatless meals. Tai is popular with all types of people, as is Mildreds. If vegetarian/vegan only restaurants did not exist, those people would probably have a meal of animal products. The whole world probably isn't going to become completely Vegan, so we should base our actions on 'lesser of the two evils'. I'd much rather give my money to Tai than an omni restaurant which is going to use some of my money to buy murdered animals.

And btw - Isn't the Tai place on Tottenham court road owned by different people? (this is the one which was on that documentary) They offer deserts there outside of the buffet prices. Once I ordered one, which they told me would be soya ice cream (I don't think they understood my question), then it arrived with milky icecream. If it is owned by the same people who are making a Vegan ice cream joint then why have milky ice cream at this place...?

And to add further... in Golders Green branch of Thai, I once saw a member of staff with a big bowl of liquid stock and a chunk of meat!! This one is also Kosher certified, so I hate to think how the Jewish community would react to this peice of knowledge.

[Gorilla]

are you sure it was meat?

i thought the one featured on the programme was the one on Greek Street, and they've never had separate desserts when i've been there. not sure where on Tottenham Court Road you mean as the ones i know in that area are all on side streets.

[hiddenfromview]

are you sure it was meat?

i thought the one featured on the programme was the one on Greek Street, and they've never had separate desserts when i've been there. not sure where on Tottenham Court Road you mean as the ones i know in that area are all on side streets.

yeah it is on a sidestreet...

yes it was definately meat, a huge lump with a bone sticking out of it too!!!

[jonnie falafel]

are you sure it was meat?

i thought the one featured on the programme was the one on Greek Street, and they've never had separate desserts when i've been there. not sure where on Tottenham Court Road you mean as the ones i know in that area are all on side streets.

Hi.. I can confirm it's the Greek St branch in the programme as its the only one i've been to.

[gogs67]

And to add further... in Golders Green branch of Thai, I once saw a member of staff with a big bowl of liquid stock and a chunk of meat!! This one is also Kosher certified, so I hate to think how the Jewish community would react to this peice of knowledge.

Excuse my ignorance of Jewish law but how would that mean it's not Kosher?

[Troutina]

Oh yuck, I always go to the one on Greek Street!!

[jonnie falafel]

Double yuk.... slave labour and clostridium with the noodles

[hiddenfromview]

here is the site of the new place... they have vegan nuggets for 99p, vegan chicken and mayo sandwiches... vegan milkshakes with soya cream on top too... and the prices are good!

http://www.vandmrestaurants.com/

[hiddenfromview]

Excuse my ignorance of Jewish law but how would that mean it's not Kosher?

Well as per Kasherut (rules of kosher), meat and milk cannot be mixed. This extends into use of cutlery.

Apart from the meat probably not being kosher, the restaurant is certified as PARVE, so it is free from meat and milk. Thus if the cutlery has been used with meat, the products used in that cutlery and all those washed with it will render all dishes that are used in the cutlery forbidden (IF the meat was not kosher meat), or make all of the food considered as meaty. If it was kosher meat then a meat meal is being eaten without them realising, thus violating the principle of not mixing meat and milk, as a parve meal allows meat or milk to be eaten straight after... so they might have milk after thinking theyve not had a meaty meal when they have...

hope this made sense lol

[Gorilla]

here is the site of the new place... they have vegan nuggets for 99p, vegan chicken and mayo sandwiches... vegan milkshakes with soya cream on top too... and the prices are good!

http://www.vandmrestaurants.com/

looks good!

[BlackCats]

Wow, I'm going to try there.

[harpy]

http://www.vandmrestaurants.com/

It's a good job they're in the dinning/dining business and not the spelling business Definitely looks worth an investigate though.

[Stu]

Sounds good. Might take some forummers there this weekend.

[Gwydion]

Looks interesting!

Fooooooood.

[flying plum]

out of curiousity, they mention in the menu 'feta' and 'monterray jack' cheese. are these goign to be soya substitutes??

amanda

[hiddenfromview]

out of curiousity, they mention in the menu 'feta' and 'monterray jack' cheese. are these goign to be soya substitutes??

amanda

Yep, all vegan

[bryzee86]

i've never heard of vegan monterray jack...

[hiddenfromview]

well they're vegan society approved...so should be ok

[Zero]

Vegan monterey jack would be very cool

[treaclemine]

For the record, The Vegan Society doesn't 'approve' (nor 'endorse' etc.) products. They REGISTER products for the Sunflower Trademark

[squigaletta]

v and m is pretty great. really nice chocolate milkshake and really good chicken nuggets, plus the guys in there are sooooo friendly (and offered me a franchise for bristol).

[squigaletta]

oh and also theyre opening a fine dining place next door ont he 14th of december, just sos you know