Vegan London, Part Three

[pusskins]

The Vegan Society and Animal Equality both posted about it on Facebook. My Mum is even excited about it! She's a foreigner who loves anything quintessentially English. So a tea shop is perfect! And we can all go there and it looks like a place where she'll feel very comfortable.

[pusskins]

My other half and I had been looking on Happy Cow for a vegan restaurant to go to for my birthday meal tomorrow evening in central London. We've done Tibits, and the Rootmaster bus off Brick Lane, and want to try somewhere new and reasonably priced. We saw about a restaurant called Itadaki Zen in Kings Cross, which would be handy as we will be going to the Vx shop at Kings Cross. However, I read this thread on the forum about it, and am now a bit worried. From what others have said on here, it isn't great and is very pricey for what it is. Does anybody have really recent reviews of it? Or please could anybody recommend somewhere in central London? We want to go somewhere where others would say "Wow! Yes, definitely go there! It's a great place!".

Thank you!

[harpy]

I've only been to Itadaki Zen that once, so can't say what it's like now. I didn't dislike it but found the menu a bit challenging. There are some more recent reviews on HappyCow I think.

We always have a jolly time at Sagar (usually the Catherine Street one) and they have a vegan menu, but perhaps that's not fancy enough for a birthday? What about 222, is that not central/festive enough?

The food in Mildred's is usually pretty nice (haven't been for a while) but you sometimes have to queue.

ETA near Vx there are the Indian veggie places in Drummond Street - Chutneys is possibly the best of the bunch these days.

[VeganMonkey]

Pusskins, have you been to Manna? It's not quite central I guess but only a 5 minute walk from Chalk Farm tube. I've always really enjoyed it there. It can get pretty expensive (about the same prices as Rootmaster I'd say).

If you want something more central and reasonably priced I'd agree with Harpy - I think Mildreds is always very good. Although definately more of a sense of occassion at Manna.
Have a lovely day!

[pusskins]

Thank you, harpy and VeganMonkey! Will let you know how we get on

[Marrers]

You may not see this in time but I'd definitely go for Manna - nice and romantic with very good food. The 'build your own meal' main course taster plate is great as you can choose which 4 starters you have a mini portion of as a main, this way you get to sample more of the menu. I really like their starters so usually go for that.

Amico Bio (Cloth Fair, near Barbican tube) and Zilli Green (in Soho) might also be worth considering. Have a lovely day and evening.

(By the way Rootmaster is currently closed.)

[Marrers]

New vegan tea shop/patisserie opening up! October Cafe. Based on Old Street in London.

Website here

I went there this week. The food is very nice, everything is presented on sweet mismatched vintage crockery. The seating area at the front of the shop is bright and airy and there is another room at the back.
They usually have cakes, scones, savoury pasties and sweet pastries as well as afternoon tea for £7.50 which includes sandwiches but as they are just getting into the rhythm of things in their opening week they may not have everything every day. (Check their Facebook page for details and opening hours as they vary at the moment. They also have photos of all the lovely food they do on there.)

[harpy]

Thanks for the report, Marrers - must go to October Cafe. Also to Manna which I haven't been to for many years.

I quite liked Zilli Green when I went a while back but I have read some mixed reports recently - anyone been lately?

[Marrers]

Manna has really improved imo - all vegan now harpy!

I haven't been to Zilli Green for a while but they are no longer opening for lunch every day during the week so I'd advise checking by phone before you go during the day as in my experience the website isn't always kept up to date (sadly I didn't get to try the lunch buffet which was well reviewed on this thread a while back) but apparently they have a new dim sum menu available. I understand their tiramisu is no longer vegan . . . but talking of vegan tiramisu they now have a very nice one at Tibits - though if you're making a special trip you might want to check they have it as I'm not sure if it will be available every day.

[harpy]

Yum, I'm sure they didn't have the vegan tiramisu at Tibits last time I was there but it was a few weeks back.

I read a report about someone being served instant mashed potato at Zilli Green, which if true would be outrageous at those prices.

[Risker]

I need some suggestions of thai/chinese/indian restaurants in central London that serve both meat and vegan food. Preferably either as a buffet or set menu's.

It's for a stag night so would need to be somewhere that we can book and sit and eat (not a tiny cafe) and would need to sell alcohol. The reason for the buffet/set menu is that the guy organising it wants us all to be able to pay the same amount so we don't have to argue over a bill or worry about eating too much.

[Gwydion]

Not sure if any of the current set menu's would appeal (), but throwing out the Mango Tree as an option - as it was the first thing that sprung to mind. Perhaps they'd be able to do something especially if enough people are going?

[Risker]

Thanks Gwydion, I should have said I already suggested the Mango Tree and Wagamamas. I think there might only be 2 vegans going so I'm trying to persuade the guy organising it that the meat eaters could all have a set menu and us vegans could sort out our own bill between us.

[Risker]

Seems I might be the only vegan so can do the above, they can all get set menu's or a buffet and I can pay for my meal separately.

[pusskins]

VEGAN TIRAMISU!!!!

I am going back to London ASAP!!!

We went to 222 last night, and had the most amazing meal. The staff are super friendly. The food is just out of this world. We shared a starter, kind of shared each other's mains (I had a cooked meal, the other half had a raw meal, plus plantains as a side) and shared each other's desserts. I just can't praise the food or the people enough. And it was very reasonably priced!

And I got to meet harpy, which was lovely Thank you for the beautiful card! I hope you enjoyed your meal, too!

[harpy]

It was lovely to meet you both pusskins - hope to have a proper chat next time but didn't think you'd want to spend your special evening hanging out with a load of old codgers

We did have a very good meal. I think 222 has actually got better the longer it's been open which is unusual with restaurants. The raw avocado soup was especially delicious and I had some kind of raw cake for pud. (Ate far too much again :/ )

[Marrers]

I went to October Cafe this week. The food is very nice, everything is presented on sweet mismatched vintage crockery. The seating area at the front of the shop is bright and airy and there is another room at the back.
They usually have cakes, scones, savoury pasties and sweet pastries as well as afternoon tea for £7.50 which includes sandwiches but as they are just getting into the rhythm of things in their opening week they may not have everything every day. (Check their Facebook page for details and opening hours as they vary at the moment. They also have photos of all the lovely food they do on there.)

Here is the photo of the food we had - prices may have been adjusted since then. Potato bread £2, baby fairy cakes (gluten-free?) chocolate with mint frosting and lemon drizzle, £2 each, plum frangipane £3.50 a slice and a 'twinkie' £2.50 - all delicious - as well as the 'afternoon tea' you can see on the tied cake stand (costing £7.50 then*) which consisted of cucumber sandwiches, cream 'cheese' sandwiches, 2 scones with jam and whipped cream and a slice of victoria sponge - plus a pot of tea of course.

* I went in the opening 'test' week - I believe the prices of afternoon tea is now £9.50.

[twinkle]

Is that price per person, or price for the tea as a whole, Marrers? Seems very reasonable if it's the latter. I can see the sandwiches are cucumber, what was in the savoury pastries though?

[Marrers]

Is that price per person, or price for the tea as a whole, Marrers? Seems very reasonable if it's the latter. I can see the sandwiches are cucumber, what was in the savoury pastries though?

Sorry, I've only just realised I hadn't listed what we had on that table so I've now edited my post. We had one cream tea and a selection of other things, all sweet except for the potato and rosemary bread. (They aren't licensed to sell hot food so the savoury pastries will be cold.)

[Gwydion]

Awesome! Thanks Marrers.

If anybody is going a over a weekend sometime soon and fancies a brew and bread buddy, please let me know.

[Marrers]

Went to October Cafe again recently. I tried a savoury pasty (would be better warmed so I might take one home next time) as well as tasting the Rum Ball and St Clements cake of my companions - both delicious. I also had a very nice chai latte. They now have boxes of chocolates for £9 too, I think you can buy them mail order via the website. It was open til 9pm and you can bring your own alcohol.

Talking of mail order I can't praise Accidentally Vegan's pastries highly enough - profiteroles and eclairs are wonderful and they do macaroons and various other goodies. Vx also sell them but no need to miss out wherever you live as you can buy some things via their Facebook page.


In Wholefoods (Kensington branch) today I found a frozen Luxury Vegan Nut Roast, £7.99 made by Thank Goodness (they do a veggie one too so make sure you pick up the right one).
On the deli counter they had a NY Times black bean burger and a Quinoa & Sweet Potato cake which looked nice.

They are also selling Saf chilled goods - marked 'Vegan & Raw' - cakes, cashew cheese and sweet mousses. Also crackers.
The fresh cashew cheeses are £4.49 each and comes in a reasonable sized plastic cup. Mine weighed 162g but they will vary a little. They had Olive flavour, Herb flavour and Sundried Tomato flavour. They had two triple layered mousses for £4.29 each - Rose, Lavender & Lemon (I got this one - very tasty) and Chocolate, Mint & Vanilla - in same sized plastic cups as the cheese.

On the downside I found 4 packets of sausages which were 17 days out of date and two mousses which were 2 days out, so check the dates carefully.




(I couldn't find a 'New Foods' thread or a Wholefoods thread but if there is please quote any part of this post in those or any other more relevant threads as I'm very rarely on here these days.)

[harpy]

Vegan choux pastry at last? Hallelujah!

[CoolCat]

Vegan choux pastry at last? Hallelujah!

The picture doesn't look like they nailed it yet. It might taste good but they aren't true eclairs

[Marrers]

The appearance of the eclairs varies (in the picture you are probably looking at they are on their side and they have extra filling). They also do a fab Mille Feuille.

Here is a (frozen) cherry eclair.

[CoolCat]

I looked at the inside of the dough part in the picture of the site linked. Eclairs puff up in the oven and turn out completely hollow by themselfs. In the picture it looks like there is more a cake-like interiour to the eclair than there should be. Mille Feuille is easier to veganize.

[harpy]

I would certainly be prepared to risk it I'm trying to eat healthily at the moment though so perhaps I'll wait until I can get to Vx rather than ordering a cwt over the web.

[dtno]

The Rootmaster has been listed as part of Time Out's new 101 things to do in London...get down to Brick Lane soon before it starts getting ridiculously busy!

[harpy]

Has Rootmaster reopened then? Their website still says they have "no plans to reopen"

[Gwydion]

Yeah - someone's a bit out of sync here. Also heard today that they are not planning to re-open. They haven't been based at Brick Lane for quite a while now. Hmmmmn.

[harpy]

Glad I didn't rush off to Brick Lane then

[rainbow]

I'm back in London! Slowly getting out there and having fun. Went to Amico Bio last week. Thought it was pretty good. The food was tasty, although the prices were a bit high relative to the portions (you have to order potatoes and vegetables separately in addition to the main course, so it quickly adds up). The only vegan desserts were ice cream and sorbet, but I tried the vanilla and chocolate ice creams and they were home-made and very tasty. They also did a delicious seitan dish and yummy focaccia.
Then Chutneys buffet - fantastic as usual.
And today, Vx - pleasantly surprised by their range. Had my first ever mille feuille - it was really good! I don't usually care much for pastry, but this was a pleasant surprise. Better than the neapolitan cake, which was good but needed the (very rich) icing to compensate for being slightly dry. I prefer moist cake without too much icing. I also loaded up on jerky, Vegusto cheese, Wheaty products and nutty chews.
Table booked for Manna on Sunday - can't wait! Will also try to squeeze in 222 Veggie Vegan if we get the chance. From next Monday it's back to work so trying to get as much vegan tourism done in London as time and budget permit!

[harpy]

Welcome back to civilisation, rainbow

I really like Amico Bio, and it stays open quite late so you can sometimes go after a concert at the Barbican. I invariably have the affogato for pudding - vegan icecream doused in espresso (which I suppose one could easily do at home if one had an espresso machine or went out and bought some). I hope they still have that? I don't normally bother with side dishes.

Please report back on Manna as I haven't been there for yonks.

[Gwydion]

Although the website could do with a bit of work, A Taste Of Heaven could be interesting. Think it is brand new, so not sure if anybody has had the pleasure of sampling yet?

[harpy]

Does look interesting, Gwydion. Maybe 7th Day Adventists as they are shut on Saturdays and don't like booze or caffeine?

I thought we had discussed this already but I can't find a mention of it so I will just remind people that if you're stuck for a vegan restaurant Le Pain Quotidien has quite a few branches in London now and usually has several things that are marked vegan, including a salad and a mezze platter. I went in the Victoria branch today and had a vegan muffin which was a little on the chewy side but quite acceptable.

[Gwydion]

Hmmm, good point Harpsickle! Didn't even notice that. I have the observance qualities of a quilt. Cheers for Le Pain recommendation, good to know.

[harpy]

Harpsickle? I used to like that other Adventist place, Country Life, that was near Piccadilly Circus a few years back, so I have high hopes of this one. You can always get tanked up afterwards - with coffee I mean, of course .

[Gwydion]

[Marrers]

I was thinking of going to Zilli Green for lunch today so looked up the website to check opening times and found it closed on 25th July and is supposedly moving . . . I wonder if it will ever reopen. Does anyone have any further information?

Zilli Green is being relocated from Monday 25th July 2011 and will no longer be in Dean Street. To make sure our vegetarian customers are not neglected whilst this transition happens we have a selection of Vegetarian Dishes from the menu available in Zilli Fish restaurant, this will be cooked by our Zilli Green Head Chef to ensure the quality of the meals. Please call 0207437 4867 for more information or to make a reservation.
Our apologies for any inconvenience caused.

[rainbow]

No idea, but I certainly won't be going to Zilli Fish - ugh!

[Marrers]

Nor me. However, I hope they don't take our lack of interest in ordering vegetarian food at Zilli Fish as a lack of interest in Zilli Green reopening.

[rainbow]

That's a fair point. But to be honest, after reading the reviews on Happy Cow (http://www.happycow.net/reviews.php?id=20547), ("don't be surprised to find dairy products on your shared vegan plate for two or the occasional milk chocolate item in your dessert"), ("Smash powdered potato and dorritos"), I'm not sure I am that interested in Zilli Green reopening. There are so many better veg*n restaurants in London!

[Marrers]

I hear Otarian has 'temporarily' closed in the UK also. Will we ever see it again I wonder?

Dear London,
We are currently working to expand our eco friendly range and to improve our offerings to you. During this time of development, we shall not be functioning in UK. We realize this will come as a disappointment to all the Otarian London fans, but rest assured that we shall soon be bringing back a tastier, yummier Otarian experience that will make you forget that we were ever gone!!
You can catch up with us at our fully functioning New York stores anytime! If that's hard on your schedule, visit us at our website, FB or Twitter pages and we will keep you updated about what's going on with the Otarian way of life! Keep doing your best to save our planet, London.
We will soon be back to help you better, one delicious Otarian meal at a time!

[Gwydion]

'Marrers' : Bringer of nothing but good news.



Cheers for the info!

So is anybody else planning on going to the London Vegan Fayre? Yes? Perhaps you'd like to post here so we organise some little meet n' greets or somesuch?

[Marrers]

'Marrers' : Bringer of nothing but good news.

Sorry to add to it but October Cafe has now closed too.

[sandra]

London is starting to sound very like Belfast. No vegan places to eat and the riots aswell.

[leedsveg]

I now wish even more that the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games had been won by Paris...


lv

[rainbow]

Sorry to add to it but October Cafe has now closed too.

Aww poo.

Leedsveg: Paris would have done a great job of hosting the Olympics, but London is still hands-down better for vegan restaurants. You can get good things there in health-food shops, but for eating out, there's no contest.

Ms. Cupcake gave away her entire stock the day after the Brixton riots, to remind people of the good things about Brixton and to support the clean-up effort. I think it's time we all went to show her the love.

[Gwydion]

^ Aye. Due a Cupcake OD anyway.

Edit: Weird! A friend has just emailed me saying 'what are you doing on Saturday? Wanna got to Ms Cupcake? Like a few mins after the above post. Strange. And obviously meant to be.....


Anyway.

Sorry to add to it but October Cafe has now closed too.

Oh noes!!

[twinkle]

That's a real shame about the October Cafe, they didn't last long at all! I wonder what happened?

Ms. Cupcake is obviously as sweet as her name, though

[harpy]

Update on Le Pain Quotidien - some current versions of their menu don't have the vegan things marked but the waitpersons seem to know what's vegan if you ask. Melanie and I asked them about this on Facebook and they said

'We are currently in the phase of redesigning our menu and we also have a range of new seasonal specials coming up, which will include additional vegan offerings on top of our current tofu salad and puy lentils evening dish. Our new menu will also display a new “carrot” symbol indication vegan options more clearly.'

So that it will be good... I do find them a useful standby when there isn't a vegan or vegetarian place nearby. They seem to be international now but I don't know whether the non-UK branches are equally vegan-friendly.