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: http://www.brightonpermaculture.co.u...iodynamics.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.

[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.

[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. 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...

[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.
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 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 we were totally stuffed for the rest of the day

[Hemlock]

The George is great

[aubergine]

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

[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 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. 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

[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!

[Gorilla]

maybe you're right about Waikikamookau, i haven't been there for a while so perhaps i'm getting confused LOL!

where do you normally go for Chinese? i know quite a few good takeaways but i haven't eaten in a Chinese restaurant in Brighton for ages.

[harpy]

You might think the food in Food for Friends was a bit weird, Troutina - my neighbour had some kind of fried sushi and I remember there was something on my plate that I couldn't identify at all (got a short memory so couldn't remember how it was described on the menu either!). I'm going again soon, for lunch, so I'll report back.

[Troutina]

Gorilla- I dont live in Brighton, so I get chinese from Crowborough and Burgess Hill, sorry! Though I would love to hear if someone has been to the Chinese all you can eat opposite The George, that smells amazing!!

OK the dinner has been postponed to this coming Wednesday (4 Year Anniversary, woop!!) and I still havent decided where we're going! Has to be quite cheap now, we're a bit broke....!

Today I went to The George- it was YUM!!! I had spicy tofu balls in sweet chilli sauce with salad and pitta. Oooh it was great!! My friend had sausage in a baguette with slices of tomato and a mild mustard dressing, came with chips and salad. They were both around £5.80 or so. Pretty much everything can be made vegan- they do vegan garlic bread and swedish glace!! Down side is that they have a lot of Schweppes sold there, as well as Green and Blacks hot chocolate. Though they had another brand of Orange juice, so I was happy! Other things on the menu- spaghetti bolognaise, stuffed peppers, full Sunday roast. During the week they do smaller things like houmous and pitta, salads etc.
Definetly worth the money, though I would go at lunchtime not in the evening. There's a really nice atmosphere during the day when I went.

[Gorilla]

Gorilla- I dont live in Brighton, so I get chinese from Crowborough and Burgess Hill, sorry! Though I would love to hear if someone has been to the Chinese all you can eat opposite The George, that smells amazing!!

oh sorry, i thought you were saying you went out for Chinese meals in Brighton. i used to live in Burgess Hill, i used to like going to the Golden Dragon restaurant although i haven't been there since i went vegan.

i haven't been to the Chinese buffet in Trafalgar Street, i had a look through the window and it seemed nearly all meat dishes... i don't like the odds of someone getting meat in the veggie dishes, personally. the vegan Chinese buffets in London totally rock though

[Troutina]

I can't remember the name- the one in Burgess Hill we go to is along the parade as you walk down to the station- theres a bar, the chinese, an indian, fish and chip shop, flower shop, opticians, computer shop. Its pretty good, but the one in Crowborough is better. My boyfriend lives in Burgess Hill, hence why I go there!

[Gorilla]

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.

i went to Taj yesterday and i wasn't impressed to be honest... they didn't have any of this American ice cream i've heard so much about!!! i didn't see anything i can't get in Infinity or Holland & Barrett and the prices are about the same. the shop itself may be larger but they didn't have much of anything i hadn't seen before. although they do seem to have stopped hanging up large pieces of dead animal at the back of the shop...

just my opinion though

[Troutina]

No I gotta say I wasn't as impressed. It would be better if I did a weekly shop there, but I go to Infinity for treats- vegan spring rolls, chewy fizzy sweets, cola bottles, vegan chocolate, cheatin' garlic sausage etc and I dont remember fun things like that being there!

[Marrers]

i went to Taj yesterday and i wasn't impressed to be honest... they didn't have any of this American ice cream i've heard so much about!!!

Oh, I'm sorry you were both unimpressed - hope you didn't make a special trip cos of my post!
As for the ice cream I hope they still have it as I need more! (It used to be in the upright glass front freezer to the right of the deli counter.)

[Troutina]

I was in Brighton anyway and was curious!
I know the freezer, and I think I saw the ice cream you mentioned, but there's no point in me buying it, it would be even more runny than vegan ice cream normally is by the time I get home!
Unless I eat it all while still in Brighton....
Now there's a plan...

[Marrers]

The first itme I found it I ate the whole tub on a bench in the Churchill Centre (with a spoon from Starbucks)!

[Gorilla]

yeah i checked for the ice cream in the big upright freezer by the deli counter but all they had was Swedish Glace, which i love, but i can get that virtually anywhere these days.

they did have Fiorentina pesto, which i'd been trying to find for ages, so i bought some - but it turns out i actually prefer Zest vegan pesto now after all.

btw i wouldn't say i made a special trip, i was in town anyway and it's not that far from where i live.

[Marrers]

Re Trountina's quest for somewhere to eat on Wednesday!

I really like Food For Friends - was in there on Saturday night. They take bookings at 7.45pm but I think some tables are always kept unbooked for people just walking in. Check out the menu - not exactly cheap but costs less than Terre a Terre. http://www.foodforfriends.com/food.asp
I like all the vegan main options. They are a lot nicer than they sound.

WaiKikaMooKau was due to start opening in the evenings at the weekends, presume they have now started this. (Friday, Saturday and Sunday only I think, although maybe it included Thursdays as well). So no use for you on Wednesday Troutina.

What about the Joogleberry? Not heaps of vegan choice but you can eat fairly reasonably there. There were a couple of things that looked as though they would be vegan to me, although not marked as such (eg Potatas Bravas) and I was told they were in fact vegan when they checked with the kitchen. So maybe you could have tapas pits to keep the cost down? http://www.joogleberry.com/menu_evening.htm

There is also Sawadee (thai) on St James's St. They have a good veggie selection and quite a few things are vegan. Once we explained what we could not have (incl fish or shrimp in the sauces) they told us what was suitable. http://www.sawadeethai.co.uk/vegetarian_dishes.html

[Troutina]

Wow thanks very much Marrers!
Well our anniversary is tomorrow and apparantly it's my responsibility to choose! I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing!
We're both vegan (woop, boyfriend is newly vegan!) so that probably makes it easier.
Im quite interested in going to a restaurant where I dont have to explain what vegan is- where the menu just tells me!
Looking at Food For Friends menu again it does look quite tempting, hopefully the meal wont cost too much as we're not too flash with the cash at the moment!

[Marrers]

Glad to be of service - let us know how you get on! And congratulations on becoming a vegan couple by the way - life will be so much easier, I'm very jealous!

I should just point out that most vegan things on the Jooglebrry menu are marked as vegan - it didn't come across too clearly in my post but you'll see it from looking at the link to the menu webpage.

I seem to recall you don't drink much or at all, but it's worth bearing in mind that it's only in the veggie places that you can be sure of being able to get vegan alcohol.
I have found this to be problematic in most omni places - even though they are serving veggie and vegan meals they generally do not know that alcohol might not be veggie or vegan (from the confused reactions I've had it seems none of the veggies who eat there have ever asked )

[Gorilla]

that's been my experience with alcohol too Marrers, although i don't usually ask because i know which lagers are vegan and mostly stick to those when eating out

it's also worth remembering that a veggie place isn't a guarantee that all the alcohol is veggie - the George sell all the usual range of pub drinks, including non-veggie ones, but they're good at labelling wines and such.

[harpy]

Last week I went to Food for Friends for lunch with three other people and I liked it better than last time - nothing inexplicable on my plate It was also quite good value I thought - only about £50 for the four of us. It probably helped that three people had the "special" and that we didn't have any alcohol this time.

I had soup followed by tofu pockets, and both were good I thought.

[Troutina]

Glad to be of service - let us know how you get on! And congratulations on becoming a vegan couple by the way - life will be so much easier, I'm very jealous!

I should just point out that most vegan things on the Jooglebrry menu are marked as vegan - it didn't come across too clearly in my post but you'll see it from looking at the link to the menu webpage.

I seem to recall you don't drink much or at all, but it's worth bearing in mind that it's only in the veggie places that you can be sure of being able to get vegan alcohol.
I have found this to be problematic in most omni places - even though they are serving veggie and vegan meals they generally do not know that alcohol might not be veggie or vegan (from the confused reactions I've had it seems none of the veggies who eat there have ever asked )

Yes it is much easier being a vegan couple!!
We ate vegan all the time when together, because it's easier- but I felt a bit bad at times- like I was depriving him of things he liked; pizza, filled pasta, cheesy/creamy sauces etc. But now its cool!

Well in the end we went to London, but all your advice is really helpful when we next go out to dinner! I did take a look at the menus, after I posted, thanks for them!

No neither of us drink, which does make a meal much cheaper (and for me, more enjoyable).

[Gorilla]

Pah, I must go in at the wrong time!!
It is a little pricey, but its one of those things that I'm prepared to pay for because its all organic and fair trade.

I had the vegan BLT and I literally looked like this:
It was AMAZING!!
I imagined it would be a sandwich- but it was sooo good!
It was a large piece of ciabatta bread, with rocket salad piled on top, with strips of cucumber sliced lengthways folded on top, 2 slices of 'bacon', then this gorgeous oil/mustard sauce and a ton of seeds on top, and sauce running around the edge with cress.

UNBELIEVABLY NICE!!!
It was around £6. And I had carrot cake, mmm!

i tried Infinity's BLT for the first time at the weekend. i can't believe i hadn't had it before - i think the price put me off a little, but luckily i wasn't paying it really is good. i also had a slice of black forest cheesecake - gorgeous

[dharma]

i tried Infinity's BLT for the first time at the weekend. i can't believe i hadn't had it before - i think the price put me off a little, but luckily i wasn't paying it really is good. i also had a slice of black forest cheesecake - gorgeous

I've had the black forest cheesecake. It's a taste sensation! I've though of having the BLT, but it looks so huge that I don't think I could manage it all.

[Marrers]

I've though of having the BLT, but it looks so huge that I don't think I could manage it all.

You can always leave some! Lol. I never let such thungs put me off (and sadly I somehow usually manage to surprise myself and scoff the lot!)

[dharma]

You can always leave some! Lol. I never let such thungs put me off (and sadly I somehow usually manage to surprise myself and scoff the lot!)

I couldn't waste good vegan food My other half is vegan too, but he said he didn't fancy the BLT. Next time we go in the Infinity cafe I'll make him share it with me

[Gorilla]

my new favourite cake from the Infinity Cafe - chocolate and blueberry cheesecake

the BLT isn't as big as you might think instantdharma - maybe i'm just fat though!

[aubergine]

the BLT isn't as big as you might think instantdharma - maybe i'm just fat though!

We all have our weaknesses

[dharma]

the BLT isn't as big as you might think instantdharma - maybe i'm just fat though!

I'm not exactly wasting away, believe me I had the BLT on Saturday, and you're right Gorilla, it's not as big as I though it was, so I managed to polish it off all by myself I may have got it confused with something else.

[Troutina]

Went out for two meal yesterday hehe, boyfriends 21st!
Went to The George for lunch, as usual it was loooovely- had burger and chips haha.
Then went to Food For Friends and was so impressed- my first visit.
The atmosphere was really nice and the decor was beautiful.
So much choice on the menu, and all the food looked and tasted really nice.
About £15 a head (without alcohol) for main and dessert.
I would say about 75% was vegan/ vegan option.