restaurant review #342 – We were in London in March for the final shows of GENESIS (see some clips below and more on my YouTube). The O2 is a very large venue, with dozens of restaurants and stalls in the surrounding hallways.
restaurant review #227 – Vanilla Black is a vegetarian gastronomic restaurant in the city center of London, close to Chancery Lane. We were here before two years ago, and really enjoyed our visit (see review). We saw there was still place for lunch when we were in London last October (after VegfestUK), and we decided to make an online booking for lunch.
restaurant review #221 – The Gate is vegetarian restaurant in London. Actually there are already three The Gate restaurants in London (Islington, Marylebone, Hammersmith), and in March 2019 a fourth one will open (St. John’s Wood). We had already been to the one at Marylebone (see review here), so this time we went to the one in Islington. This was during our stay in London for VegfestUK, in the Fall of 2018 (see post here). The Gate at Islington is a spacious place, and nicely renovated. A combination of old and new. There’s a restaurant room at ground level, and a room in the back which is up a few steps. I had made a reservation online, and we were warmly welcomed and took place in the ground floor restaurant room, with a view at the bar. Everything on the menu at the Gate is vegan, except for the non-vegan options labelled as such (NV = not vegan). We had a lovely dinner. Mezze platter (£22) to share as a starter. Mushroom risotto (£16) and …
restaurant review #212 – By Chloe is an American chain of vegan fastfood restaurants. It has two locations in London. We went to the one in the Theater district (Covent Garden) during our last London trip (to visit VegfestUK). By Chloe is selfservice (order at counter, go pick your food up at counter, and clean up yourself). People at the counter were very friendly. We had the meat balls with pesto (£9,60), and toast with smashed avocado, cauliflower and radish (£8,40). That was a very awkward tasting combination. Fries on the side were airfried (£4). I was amazed by the amount of waste that was produced in the restaurant (also a lot of plastic). Not really big portions too, and all in all quite expensive. We found the seatings to be very uncomfortable, and there was loud music. Nice 70’s-80’s music though, I think we were the only ones at the restaurant who were actually around when this music was aired on the radio (lots of millenials on the tables around us) 😉. The place …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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! …
restaurant review #147 – VBurger is not really a restaurant, but a foodstall at Camden Market. There is a bench in front, so there are some seating places. As the name says, VBurger sells burgers, with a selection of different sauces and with vegan cheeze. Everything is vegan. We strolled through Camden market after our visit to the Jewish museum where we went to look at the Amy Winehouse Exhibition, which was really moving. Camden Market is very touristic and very busy. Not really our cup of tea. We briefly took in some of the atmosphere, but it was too much bling bling, crowded, and noisy for us. And most of it is paved in cobblestones, which is a pita when using a wheelchair. Our main motive was to find VBurger (and also to see the Amy Winehouse statue, which we spotted later on, see pic below) and luckily it was in the first market place that we passed. When we ordered, there were some available spots on the bench, so we could eat our …
The Bruges Vegan 