London’s vegan scene may still be burgeoning, but it’s a behemoth compared with when King Cook, founder of iconic vegan spot Cook Daily, first opened a pop-up in Shoreditch’s Boxpark back in 2015. Inspired by the south-east Asian flavours he grew up with – as well as the huge range of cultures in the capital – King serves up steaming bowls of pad thai, jungle curry, jerk chicken and even chicken and mushroom pie, all with puffed tofu, or seitan chicken and king prawns that are eerily realistic, to curious carnivores and committed vegans alike.
A pioneer of the scene, King makes it his duty to see what the new kids on the block are offering. From market stalls and makeshift pop-ups to full-blown fine dining, he has the inside track on where to find the best vegan breakfast, lunch, dinner and quick bites in the city. Once you know where to look, you’ll discover even the most ordinary of streets are hiding a vegan gem or two ...
VX in King’s Cross, captured on the Google Pixel 3
Grab an authentic vegan breakfast
“VX, London’s OG vegan restaurant in King’s Cross, was one of the first vegan restaurants I’d go to before the scene was as busy as it is now. They do their own version of a fry up, with vegan mac’n’cheese and seitan wings, hash browns and baked beans. But for a really authentic vegan breakfast, you can’t beat dosas. These breakfast pancakes – stuffed with creamy potato and served with a cosy lentil and vegetable stew called sambar – are from south India, which has an ancient vegetarian and vegan food culture. To get the best, you have to travel to East Ham – it’s the only place I’ll eat south Indian food. There are a few places to try, but my favourite spot for dosas is Vasanta Bhavan, on the high street. You can’t argue with the food there, and most of the customers are south Asian – always a good sign.”
Temple of Seitan and Broadway Market, captured on the Google Pixel 3
Lunch at London’s coolest food markets
“If you’re out and about on the weekend, markets are a good place to explore vegan food. East London is the mecca of vegan food at the moment, and Broadway Market by London Fields has loads of options to try, such as Indonesian vegan rendang curry and vegan burgers complete with vegan bacon. It’s open every Saturday, and in London Field’s schoolyard – right next to the main strip of stalls – there’s a vegan-only market. I can’t talk about London Fields without also giving my own place a shout out – I opened a Cook Daily under the arches by London Fields station in October.
“For junk food lovers, Temple of Seitan is your place. It started off as a street stall, but now has two restaurants on Mornington Lane and Camley Street. Their vegan fried chicken is really realistic – they were the ones who first put vegan fried chicken on the map here in London – and their vegan beef burgers and mac’n’cheese are great too. The owners are good friends of mine, so show them some love.”
Vanilla Black, near Holborn, captured on the Google Pixel 3
Tuck into a photo-worthy dinner
“If my partner and I want to do something romantic, we’ll go for dinner at Vanilla Black on Took’s Court, tucked away on a little street behind Holborn station. It’s a mix of vegetarian and vegan dishes and they avoid meat substitutes like seitan, instead serving plates of cauliflower croquette with endive (from the chicory family), and fried shiitake with pine-nut puree and enoki mushrooms. Most vegan places in London are pretty casual, but if you want to get dressed up and go out, this is the place. Their vegan tasting menu has five courses, which is a great way to get a sense of the full range of what they do.”
“Antonio’s Vegan Kitchen on Cambridge Heath Road is a great shout for fans of Italian food. They make their own vegan pasta, and have twists on all the traditional favourites such as arancini, lasagne and carbonara. The owner is another friend of mine, and the restaurant is pet-friendly - but don’t worry, they won’t expect your dog to be vegan. It’s the perfect place for a vegan with a sweet tooth, with tiramisu, cheesecake and crepes filled with vegan Nutella all on offer.
Identifying ingredients with Google Lens. Captured on the Google Pixel 3
“If you’re more interested in street food, on the first Thursday evening of every month, Brick Lane’s Truman Brewery transforms into Vegan Nights, a huge vegan market. There are loads of stalls with vegan takes on food from all over the world – hot dogs, shawarma, tofu-fish tacos, bao buns, even ice-cream – and also DJ sets, drinks and dancing to keep things social. If you want to meet more vegans, this is your place.”
Drink like a vegan (you probably already do)
“Pretty much all spirits are vegan, so hard liquor lovers don’t have to worry about how their favourite drinks are made; if it’s clear and doesn’t contain honey, you’re usually OK. Beer is mostly vegan, but not every beer brand is transparent about it. Wine can be filtered through animal products such as bone marrow or chitin when it’s made, but vegan wines are widely available and clearly labelled. If you’re out at a bar and in doubt about your drink’s vegan credentials, barnivore.com is a huge online database of 40,000+ drink brands, so you can run your poison through there to be sure.”
Take your home-cooking up a level
“Unless you’re rich, you probably can’t sustain a vegan diet on dinners out alone. I get all of my ingredients from my restaurant supplier, but fresh vegetables are best from your local market. London is blessed to have almost every spice on Earth available, so try Longdan Express on Hackney Road for Asian herbs and spices such as Thai basil and galangal, almost any corner shop on Bethnal Green Road for fenugreek or harissa, and markets in Peckham for Caribbean spices such as pimento and jerk seasoning. My kids have always been vegan, and seeing them enjoy healthy, cruelty-free food inspires me to keep the movement going. So cook for people you love, experiment with flavours, and make veganism social. The more people you have to go on your journey with, the more likely you are to keep to it.”
