Veganeastlondon

Absurd Bird – Feb 2019

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I was made aware of Absurd Bird by an Instagram post from xanderspuppy. They are based in Glasgow and as I was visiting Glasgow for work this week (going up and back in a day) I headed to their website to see if I could have some tasty vegan chicken and waffles and possibly a side of mac and cheese deliveroo’d to the office. I was delighted to find they are actually a chain and have a branch a 15 minute walk from my London office!

I called in my regular lunch partner in crime, Mitsu to try out their vegan offerings.

Absurd Bird are not a vegan (or vegetarian) outfit but serve vegan chicken, burgers and sides. I have been wanted to try chicken and waffles for ages. (The aim is to get to Unity Diner for their weekend brunch menu soon).

I enjoyed this meal but at over £11 I thought I could do with some veg on the plate. I had a look but I wasn’t willing to pay an extra £4.25 for a corn on the cob.

Mitsu chose a salad with vegan chicken tenders. None of the dressings appeared vegan and when speaking to the server they said they could something with oil and vinegar. When the dish arrived it had a dressing on it and Mitsu queried with the server (a different one to the one who took our order) that it was vegan. They confirmed it was but this seemed contradictory to the previous conversation.

Our food took a long time to arrive despite there only being one or two other tables. The other downside is that they don’t do any vegan shakes or vegan desserts which is a shame when they have quite a few vegan mains/starters/sides.

I enjoyed my food but I don’t think I’ll be rushing back, although I think this great choice if you are eating with non-vegans.

Have you tried Absurd Bird? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

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Absurd Bird – Feb 2019

Plant Based Supermarket – Homerton

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I’ve been wanting to visit this place for a long time and this week I took the opportunity.

This little shop near Homerton station is packed with vegan goodies, from healthy organic dried goods to indulgent chocolate treats.

These seaweed crisps are a necessity and I love using them in things like crushed chickpea sandwich fillings in place of larger nori sheets so it’s more tuna like.

Stroop waffles are just amazing and these hazelnut ones are just too moreish!

The guy in the shop gave me this for free as it one day past its sell by date but it was still perfectly fine and a great snack on a cracker. These are artisan products and a bit on the pricey side so maybe reserve for your dinner parties to impress your non-vegan as well as your vegan guests.

I’ve tried a few vegan halloumi but I’m not sure if I’ve had this one. Mum and I are going to try it on lentil stuffed mushrooms (inspired by my friend Stella) next week.

I’d seen people post about these online and wanted to try them out. I didn’t realise these were mint when I bought them and the mousse is really solid inside.

I love a good kombucha and this was a fab flavour.

What are your faves vegan treats? Do you have good stockists nearby? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

Plant Based Supermarket – Homerton

The Junction – Greene King Pub

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It was my Brother’s birthday and he had decided to hold his annual drinks in The Junction in Upminster which is part of the Greene King chain. As we were going to be eating I took a look at their menu online and was pleased to see they had vegan options.

I originally ordered the mushroom and ale pie but unfortunately they didn’t have any left so I went for the vegan fish and chips instead. They use vbites “fish” which I have had in the past and it was very nice this time too. The chips were a bit pale but acceptable.

My Sister-in-law chose the falafel burger and was curious when it arrived with coleslaw, we double checked with the kitchen and they confirmed this too was vegan. It’s so nice to get a vegan version of the trimmings rather than just having them left off!

There was also a cherry chocolate torte for dessert but we decided to skip that after all the excess of Christmas. The menu isn’t as extensive as other chains and there is a Marston’s pub in the same road (which I reviewed here) but it is good to know if you are going to a Greene King pub you will be catered for as a vegan.

Have you tried the Greene King vegan menu? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

The Junction – Greene King Pub

New Vegan Options at Yo Sushi

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We often stop off at Yo Sushi when we are traveling through London as there are branches in Victoria station and Westfield City, Stratford. We stopped at the Stratford branch on our way home from Deal.

Monday is “Blue Monday” where 40 dishes are just £3. There is also “Green Wednesday” where many veggie dishes are just £2.30 each. I think all the veggie dishes are now vegan (apart from some desserts) thanks to vegan mayo and removing egg.

There was one new dish in particular I was interested in trying which was the mushroom bun. On quite a few places they do a couple of meaty buns but no veggie option so I’m glad this has been added. I had two medium mushrooms in a sticky sauce with a pickle. The mushrooms moved about a bit so I think it’d be better with one larger mushroom.

I also went for the spicy pepper cauliflower which is nice and not too spicy for wimps like me.

I also had the gorgeous fried vegetable gyoza with dipping sauce and the pumpkin katsu. I’m glad to see you can now get the tofu katsu on its own (without sauce and rice) although this wasn’t one of the 40 blue Monday dishes. I also had some noodles although I was already quite full so I didn’t manage them all.

Yo Sushi is one of the best High Street chains to get loads of vegan options. Have you been recently? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

New Vegan Options at Yo Sushi

Vegan Wine and Cheese – Guest Post

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My Sister-in-law Gemma went to a Vegan Wine and Cheese night last week and agreed to tell us all about it…

“I saw a “Free Vegan Wine and Cheese”event by plantbsd infused posted online and thought i would pop along and check it out with a couple of friends from work.
It was held at a private members club in Bethnal Green which I hadn’t heard of before. It was a indoor event with eight vendors.

We were excited to check out the cheese board from “Mouse’s favourites” which did not disappoint, the stand out cheeses were the classic camembert and the aged dulse. We all agreed that we would have to get this for our own Christmas cheese board.

Two of us tried out the wine on offer which was of a great quality, albeit a little pricey for such a small cup.

Next we tried two different creole wraps from Rainforest Creations. They specialise in Caribbean raw ingredients and both were super tasty and a nice healthy option.

My friend tried the curry plate from Rouge Vegan and we loved the jerk jackfruit curry.

To finish up we could not miss out on the options Black Milq had to offer.
Their ice cream base is a mix of cashew and coconut milks which give them there distinct flavour and texture.

We tried the dark chocolate and peanut in a cone and cookie sandwich and the black sesame. All flavours were amazing and I would definitely recommend checking them out online and at other events.

As it was advertised as a cheese and wine event we felt that was a little misleading as there was only one of each vendor. There could have been more vendors offering these exact things and perhaps the option to buy the cheese we loved so much on the night.

Overall the event had a great vibe, the food options were great and a little different to what I have seen at other food events before.

Gemma”

Well that sounds great. Yes I do think it would have been a good idea to be able to buy the cheeses you tried on the night. A missed opportunity there.

Would you love a cheese and wine evening? Have you tried any of the vendors featured? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

Vegan Wine and Cheese – Guest Post

Unity Diner – Guest Post

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I met John and Cathy when we started doing the Cube of Truth in Romford. Cathy had been vegetarian since the age of four (!) with John converting shortly after they got together and have now been vegan for a few years. John and Cathy take part in activism events ranging from the cubes, save vigils, protests at London Fashion Week and even braved the rain to attend the one year anniversary of Canada Goose opening in London so they could commemorate the animals who have died to make the garments purchased since it opened last year.

Unity Diner is the latest endeavour of Earthling Ed with all profits going to his campaign charity Surge. I haven’t made it to the diner yet but John and Cathy went on Friday and here’s what Cathy had to say about it…

“On Friday evening me and my husband John visited Unity Diner in Hoxton for the first time. The staff were extremely friendly and offered to go through the menu with us. We were seated in a very nice spot by the brilliant art work on the wall. We were pleased to see they had an alcohol licence so we ordered two glasses of sauvignon blanc which was very nice.

For starters we wanted to order the seitan chick’n wings and the cauliflower wings, but they had run out of the seitan so we went for tofish bites instead. Both were very nice and the cauliflower came with coleslaw and ranch mayo. The tofish came with tartare sauce, we both slightly preferred the cauliflower.

For mains John ordered the Surge burger with extra cheeze, bakon and chunky fries. I ordered the mixed leaf salad with potato wedges.

The burger was massive and very tasty and the fries were nice and crispy.

My salad was lovely and the dressing was very good, the wedges were full of flavour and came with a basil mayo. We also tried their hot sauce which is not for the faint hearted and comes with quite a kick!

For dessert John had the cheesecake which was absolutely delicious and I had an ice cream sundae with strawberry and yuzu and pistachio crunch with whipped cream.

We had a very nice evening, totally recommend it but make sure to book to be sure of gettinf a table. We will definitely be going back to try the rest of the menu as the loaded fries look amazing!!!

Cathy”

Well doesn’t that all sound fabulous? I’ve been eyeing up the weekend menu which includes chick’n and waffles as well as pancakes.

Have you been to Unity Diner? Or have you been somewhere else I haven’t featured on the blog yet and would like to do a guest blog like Cathy? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

Unity Diner – Guest Post

Genesis and Beanuts Shoreditch

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29th October 2018 marks 12 years since I met my Husband and four year since we got married so dinner was a must! I was looking around the new establishments that have opened recently (I’m saving Unity Diner for their weekend brunch menu!) and decided upon Genesis on Commercial Street in Shoreditch. I liked the look of their menu and it seemed like a cool place.

On the way from Liverpool Street station we walked through Spitalfields Market and came upon an Oatly van so I gladly picked up a cookie and some oat milk. Oatly have recently launched a £700k advertising campaign in the UK using the slogan “like milk but made for humans”.

We got to Genesis and I loved the whole vibe. All pink with copper notes I could definitely spend an afternoon chilling out here.

I chose a hoisin jackfruit taco while my Husband had an American woman burger containing barbeque sauce and onion rings. He added coconut cheese and put the coleslaw on the side as he’s always a bit suspicious of it! There was no need to be he loved the lot! We also got some fries with garlic mayo which had a lovely strong garlic flavour. Some garlic mayos I’ve had have barely a sniff of garlic in them!

My Husband is a sucker for an ice cream sundae so as there was one on the menu we had to get it. Chocolate buttons, brownie bites, strawberry and chocolate sauces and honeycomb pieces, this sundae had them all! It was delicious with the soft serve ice cream although my Husband did say it needed more focus!

Since choosing to go to Genesis another newly opened vegan venue was brought to my attention. Beanuts is located in Brick Lane in the site recently vacated by the vegan Buffalo Diner. They make all their own plant milks and served hot and cold food along with cocktails and mocktails. So we headed there for a couple of drinks before we headed home.

I went for a black russian of kahlua, vodka and cashew milk and my Husband had the sober version which came with chocolate.

We enjoyed our drinks and I’ll be heading back to try some of their food, I do regret not getting a portion of carrot cake to take home.

As they are calling this café a pop up I’m not sure how long they’ll be there so you’ll have to head down soon.

Have you tried out either of these places? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

Genesis and Beanuts Shoreditch

A Vegan Lunch at Temple Goods

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I jumped at the chance to revisit Temple Goods with Maxine after we had enjoyed breakfast there a few months ago.

It was a drizzly day and the café was very full. We managed to find a spot on the end of a sharing table which had another group of people dining.

I was hungry after having no breakfast so I had to go for the full English.

The beans were smoky the bacon was crisp but the star of the shoe has to be the fried “egg” I don’t know what it is made of but it so realistic tasting, the yolk pops and oozes gorgeously onto the sourdough toast.

Maxine went for a toasted sandwich of bacon and cheese with a coffee.

The Hackney Downs Vegan Market went from a one-off seasonal event, to monthly, then weekly and now demand has meant it is on both Saturday and Sunday each week!

The only disappointment came in the bathroom where the soap wasn’t vegan, I have contacted Temple Goods and will update when I receive a response.

Maxine picked up some vegan cheeses from New Roots as well as some pastries from Temple Goods and some spray cream from Vegan HQ.

If the weather had been nicer it would have been lovely to sit on the Downs with Maxine’s beautiful dogs, (who have featured on the blog previously) but we may have to wait for the spring to do that!

Have you eaten at Temple Goods? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

A Vegan Lunch at Temple Goods

Gallery Cafe February 2018

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I have visited the Gallery Cafe in Bethnal Green quite a few times and have blogged about it in the past but this was my first visit since they decided to go fully vegan at the beginning of 2018.

The Gallery Cafe is situated in St Margaret’s House, a charity supporting the local community and with 100% of the profits going back to the charity you not only get a tasty meal but a warm fuzzy feeling too!

My Mum and I were going to a gig in Bethnal Green so it was the perfect excuse to visit.

My Mum had never tried jackfruit before and wanted to sample some so she went for the tacos which are described as “Pulled jackfruit slow-cooked in our homemade smoky barbeque sauce in soft shell corn tacos; served with a crunchy red onion, carrot and cabbage slaw and a tangy lime, ginger, garlic and chilli ceviche; topped with fresh coriander”

She was rather taken by the blue corn taco and described the dish as “lush”!

I was toing and froing between the sweet potato masala and the gado gado chao with the latter winning out. It is described on the menu as “Our unique Indonesian mixed-vegetable stir-fry with a punchy peanut and lime sauce; served with tempeh, brown rice and fresh coriander“. The sauce definitely did pack a punch and the tempeh was so tasty. It really hit the spot on this freezing cold day and the vegetables were perfectly cooked.

I’m excited to go back to the Gallery Cafe to try out some more of their dishes.

Have you visited the Gallery Cafe recently? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

Gallery Cafe February 2018

Fed by Water Nov 2017

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My friend Jo and I returned to Fed by Water after about 2 years when we first started our monthly dinners. (I have been in-between with others).

Fed by Water is a fully vegan Italian restaurant in Dalston, just a short bus ride from work. 

I remember last time being very full from a starter and main so as I wanted to try their dessert menu we skipped the selection of homemade cheeses and went straight for the pizzas.

I had a sempre verde (always green) which came with cashew mozzarella, olives, capers, smoked tofu, rocket and lemon. Jo went for the Vulcano which had soy mozzarella, walnuts and pears. We both went for the charcoal base which doesn’t taste any different but does look pretty! I was very happy with my pizza and the pear on Jo’s added a lovely sweetness without being overpowering as it just thinly shaved.

For dessert Jo chose the chocolate mousse and I went for the matcha and an espresso martini. It was all delicious!

I couldn’t leave without a little something for my Husband so I got him some garlic bread to take away.

I really enjoyed our visit, the staff were lovely and it was a really relaxed atmosphere. It was quite quiet when we arrived as we had come straight from work but it soon started filling up and was jam packed by the time we left at 7.40.

Have you been to Fed by Water? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

Fed by Water Nov 2017