All posts tagged: London

#199 Nice vegan lunch from the buffet at Tibits, London

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restaurant review #199 – Tibits is an international vegetarian restaurant chain. There are several locations in Switzerland, and also two restaurants in London (in Soho and near Waterloo station). We went to the one on Bankside (Waterloo station) a couple of months ago, for lunch. Tibits offers a buffet, where you can choose yourself, and one pays at the counter (where you also get your drinks). Price is per weight of food on your plate. The buffet was quite varied, and the vegan options are clearly labelled (seemed that most of the buffet was vegan). Lots of choice! There’s also a buffet with several vegan desserts. We had a vegan raspberry pie and a chocolate and pear cake. Delicious! I don’t remember the exact prices, but it was somewhat on the expensive side though (it is the city centre of London afterall). There was a relaxed atmosphere, with plenty of space inside the restaurant. Not crammed together like we have encountered at many other London restaurants. There’s also a nice veranda room at the back, which is bright …

#197 Loved it! Lunch (twice!) at vegan resto Wulf & Lamb, London

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restaurant review #197 – Wulf & Lamb is a vegan restaurant in the city center of London. It is located south of Hyde park, about a 10 minute walk south from shopping gigant Harrods and west from Buckingham Palace (just mentionning these as a geographical reference, not as an endorsement of any kind 😉 ). We went here twice during our trip to London a couple of months ago (Spring 2018). There are only a handfull of places downstairs (some tables, and a bar-like area with higher chairs). There’s also an upstairs area, but that was not accessible (did not see an elevator, only stairs). The interior is bright and stylish, very modern and everything seemed new. The menu is noted on the large boards above the counter. When we arrived for lunch the first time, the breakfast menu was still up, but was soon changed into the lunch menu. One goes up to the counter to place an order, pays at the counter, and then the food is served at your table. So much …

#185 Voluminous lunch at vegan Black Cat Cafe, London

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restaurant review #185 – Black Cat is a vegan cafe in Hackney, on the East side of London. It is a workers cooperative. We visited Black Cat Cafe a couple of weeks ago (end of March 2018). We arrived at bit before lunch time, and the breakfast menu was still available. We were told we would have to wait a little bit for the lunch menu, which was no problem. About 10 minutes later, the chalk board was erased, and the lunch menu was written on it. We ordered the ‘beef style burger’ burger, with chunky chips salad (£8,50) and the lentil and sausage casserole, with mashed potatoes (£8,5). And lemonades to drink (no alcohol served). The food was good and both dishes were very large portions. We were too stuffed for desserts, although there were some nice looking cakes at the counter. Black Cat cafe seemed mostly frequented by locals (not many tourists, like us). Some working on their laptops, but there were also ‘laptop free tables’ (indicated on the tables) for those wishing to …

#179 Nice dinner at vegetarian restaurant Farmacy, London

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restaurant review #179 – Farmacy is a vegetarian restaurant on the north side of Hyde Park. We had already passed by Farmacy during our Summer visit to London in 2017, but then we had already eaten at nearby restaurant Redemption. Farmacy has a no reservations policy, which I find very unfortunate. I often avoid going to restaurants with a no-reservation policy, as I have mobility issues (sometimes use a wheelchair). When dining out, I will always try to make a reservation, as I want to be sure I will have a spot. It is not so easy to navigate in a fully packed restaurant. And if one is met with a long queue and not sure how long it will last, it is for me also not always possible to decide last minute to go somewhere else (especially if vegan options in that region are not so abundant). We took our chances and went for an early dinner, and luckily, were one of the firsts in the restaurant. Farmacy is a nice place. It has a …

#174 Sandwiches and wraps from Pret a Manger, London

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restaurant review #174 – Pret a Manger is a ‘healthy’ fastfood chain with several restos around the world (UK, US, France, and now also one in the Netherlands in Utrecht). One can easily recognise the restaurants with the distinguishable red logo. Pret A Manger offers light breakfast and lunch options, like soup, salads, baguettes and wraps, and has several items suitable for vegans. Some of their locations are also vegetarian (veggie prets, with vegan options) and have a characteristic green design. We have visited several Pret a Manger in London. Technically, this is not really a restaurant review, as we did not have our meals on site, but simply bought take away. But I wanted to post some photos of the food we bought at Pret a Manger during our last trip to London. All in all: good value for money, a good and freshly prepared snack. The amount of plastic packaging is a real pity though. The website mentions that Pret a Manger wants to have 100% recycable, reusable or compostable plastic, and eliminate all unnecessary …

#171 Vegan donuts at Dough Society, London

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restaurant review #171 – Dough Society is a vegan donut cafe in the far East of London, in Hackney. It is located in a side alley of Mare Street. — Update – see below Standard donuts are £3, specialties  (labelled with *) are £3,5. I have no idea whether that is considered cheap or expensive (no experience in donuts 😉 ) but it seemed fair value to us. We ordered two donuts, one with peanut butter and banana, and one with peanut butter and pretzel (both £3,5). And a latte (£2,8). The donuts were very nice! And they were rather big, we could have easily just shared one (seeing that this was meant to be just an in between snack). Although there was a wall with some plants at the back of the cafe, the atmosphere felt kind of cold and not so cosy. Not so comfortable hard wooden chairs and barstools (some cushions would be nice). Everything at Dough Society is at ground level, with a no-stepp access. Forgot to take a photo of …

#152 All you can eat vegan buffet at 222 Veggie Vegan, London

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restaurant review #152 – 222 Veggie Vegan is a vegan restaurant on the West side of London (West-Kensington). The 222 refers to the street number of the place (for some this might seem obvious, but it wasn’t at first to us 😉 ). It is just next to vegan shop Greenbay, so this is a nice combination to visit. 222 Veggie Vegan offers a vegan buffet for lunch. Dinner is a la carte. The buffet is all you can eat, and at £9,50 is very cheap, especially considering other prices in London. The buffet isn’t that elaborate, but certainly enough different options to fill a varied plate. There’s also the option to fill a tray from the buffet and take your lunch home with you. This was my lunch: The restaurant itself was really busy and we just managed to get a spot at the long communal table in the middle. Seats were pretty close to each other and it felt really busy and crowded. Not really that comfortable. Also sometimes quite a queue at the …

#149 Lovely dinner in Primrose Hill: vegan resto Manna, London

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restaurant review #149 – Manna is a vegan restaurant in London and has recently celebrated it’s 50th anniversary! It is located just north of Primrose Hill, where one has a lovely view over the city (see photos below). After a steep walk uphill (in my case a roll, which went much better downhill than up 😉 ),  we went for some drinks to a nearby pub, and then had dinner at Manna. It is actually also very close to Camden, so it could easily be combined with a trip to Camden market. We had some drinks. All wines were said to be vegan (also mentioned on the menu card). This is what we had for dinner: basil ceshew cheeze croquettes (£8) vegetable tempura (£8) bangers and mash (£14) chef’s special: nut roast (£14) mezze dessert: cheesecake, sticky coffee pudding, raw timbal tart, and sorbets and icecream (£23 for two) Although we were quite stuffed, we didn’t want to miss out on dessert and ordered the mezze dessert (shared platter for two). We got this. OMG! …

Bombed, shot, shell shocked and killed. Animals in War Memorial, London

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On our last city trip to London last Summer, we visited the Animals in War Memorial. It is located on the upper East side of Hyde Park at the Brook Gate.  On our previous visit to London (for the Intersectionality conference at VegfestUK, Nov 2016) we barely got a glimpse of the monument as we passed by with a cab on busy Park Lane, but a large truck in the lane next to us was unfortunately blocking our view on the Memorial. The memorial was designed by English sculptor David Backhouse to commemorate “all the animals that served, suffered and died alongside the British, Commonwealth and Allied forces in the wars and conflicts of the 20th century” (quote from Animals in War Memorial). It was unveiled in November 2004*. I have very mixed feelings about memorials and monuments dedicated to animals who have ‘served’ for law enforcement, as soldiers, as bomb sniffers or protection guards. One the one hand, it is heartwarming to see so many people care about the animal victims of war, and commemorate them …

Take a look inside vegan shop Greenbay, London

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shop review #41 – Greenbay is a vegan shop in London. It is located on the west side of town (West Kensington, West Brompton). Quite a bit away from the ‘centre’ of London. We visited the shop when we were in London for a couple of days this Summer. Practically next door is vegan restaurant 222 VeggieVegan, which we visited for lunch (review will follow). We also stopped at nearby Brompton cemetary, which was quite impressive – see pic. It is not really a ‘supermarket’ (as it says on their website), but a rather small store, with two aisles. Packed with vegan goodies though! From cosmetcis and body and care products, to vegan wines, vegan cheezes, candy, ice cream,  and other food items. We always find it so relaxing and reassuring to look around in a vegan shop. No sudden confrontation with freezers full of dead animal parts. And not having to check labels and just being able to choose whatever you want is so comforting. Although we saw a lot of products that we were …