36 HOURS IN LONDON

We’ve been going out for 8 years now and can you believe we’ve never been to London together!? So a trip was long overdue and it goes without saying that our focus was going to be on food. Everyone who knows us says we are hard to please so here is our honest review of everywhere we tried -

Mallow

First stop was Mallow, the little sister of Mildred’s, right by Borough Market. We didn’t book and rocked up right in the middle of the lunchtime rush so it seemed we were lucky to get a table upstairs. It was a lovely setting – the décor, the atmosphere, the crockery etc - all very well put together. Knowing this was the first stop of many, we just ordered 3 small plates to share –

• Shiitake and chestnut mushroom croquettes with umeboshi mayonnaise and plum ketchup
• Courgette samphire carpaccio with whipped mascarpone and preserved lemon
• Vada pav slider - spinach pea bonda in a turmeric milk bun

Unfortunately, they didn’t have the vada which was probably the option we were most interested in… Instead we went for the Green oil gyoza with crispy green chilli and ginger teriyaki. It was all enjoyable but none of the dishes really blew us away. However we would happily go back and try more.

After School Cookie Club

Just a few minutes from Mallow, next to a very cool cookware shop is a little corner unit selling cookies and ice cream. We grabbed a chocolate orange cookie. It wasn’t the most ‘Instagramable’ cookie being rather small in size but it was chocolatey and orangey and had a nice gooey texture. Would we go again? Yes, if we happened to be passing but there’s probably not enough on offer to make it a ‘destination’.

Dauns

Before going, we asked our Instagram followers where we needed to try and so many of the suggestions were around the Spitalfields Brick Lane area, so next we headed up there. Just as we were passing Unity Diner, on the other side of the road we saw Dauns, a vegan Scandinavian cafe. It wasn’t on the list but we went to have a look. The café had a charming vibe, some interesting sounding options on the menu and a fridge selling some nice cheeses and other bits. Being a marathon, not a sprint, we just got a cinnamon bun to have later.

We incorrectly assumed everything in ‘the big city’ would just be open all the time but no… We were frustratingly just a little too late for lunch and our next 2 stops on the list (Bubala and Club Mexicana) weren’t going to reopen until dinner. So, sooner than anticipated, we had the cinnamon bun from Dauns. It was tasty but rather dry – we will give them benefit of the doubt though as it was the day after the long Easter weekend.

Cook Daily

And then we found Cook Daily - this wasn’t on the list either, again we just happened across it and it was open in the lost hours between lunch and dinner! It was a small place but busy and the menu was simple – 10 different ‘bowls’ to choose from. Leaving the decision to Matt, he went for the ‘Hard Bowl’ – with ackee, okra, dumplings, plantain and cassava, we were expecting some strong Jamacian flavours in the sauce but instead it tasted more of Asian flavours… not a bad thing but just not what we were expecting with those ingredients! It was ‘London priced’ but a decent portion size. Certainly a good option if you need something hearty and warming.

Our lack of research on opening times left us wondering around Brick Lane and Spitalfields and by the time things were opening again, we were legit hungry.

Club Mexicana

This was recommended to us by a group of students from Newcastle who recently joined us on our Patisserie Weekend. Their recommendation was specifically the ‘short rib tacos’. Our plan was to just try these and then go across the road to Bubala, a veggie vegan middle eastern restaurant. But it was ‘Taco Tuesday’ meaning instead of being able to share one thing of tacos, the only choice available to us was to ‘eat as many tacos as you can in an hour’! Usually we would be happy to accept such a challenge but this time it meant no Bubala - ooops, another lack of planning on our account. We tried all the tacos and the short rib with garlic mayo and pickled onions were really good, certainly our favourite. With the exception of the crispy mushroom tacos, all the other options involved fake meats and for us it became all a bit too much. But the place had a cool vibe and the service was excellent, really friendly and thorough.

Now full and accepting of the fact Bubala would have to wait until tomorrow, we headed back – we were staying with an old friend so just hung out with them for the rest of the evening.

British Patagonia

We headed here for breakfast. Now this place confused us a little – on their Instagram it says ‘vegan vienoisserie’ and it is so nearly all vegan – all but one of the pastries on the counter were vegan and they only seem to use vegan cheese in things but then they also have bacon and salmon on the menu... But we are not complaining! I mean being able to walk in somewhere and have a choice on vegan pastries!? What a time to be alive!

We got a sausage roll, a pain au chocolat, a ‘sticky pistachio’ and a ‘ferrero rocher’ – after all, it’s all in the name of research right!? They were all delicious, the pistachio being our favourite but…. and maybe we are biased… they just weren’t as good as Matts…

Itadakizen

Once again, we were nearly caught short with the whole closing between lunch and dinner thing but made it here just in time! A very unassuming vegan Japanese restaurant not far from King’s Cross. We shared our choices – I went for the creamy Toncotsu ramen and Matt went for the Kitsune Udon. Portion size to price ratio was good and both were really very nice, delicately flavoured but for us the Udon was the winner.

Bubala?

The plan was to meet friends at Tofu Vegan for dinner. With 3 branches our friend had booked a table at the one just opposite … you guessed it… Bubala. After an afternoon of wondering along the Southbank my plan was to get to Bubala when it opened, an hour before our booking at Tofu Vegan. Plenty of time for a cheeky little starter of houmous and flat bread… But no, when we get there, we realise they only do a set menu in the evening. Once again totally my fault for not checking but damn you Bubala, I really wanted some houmous!

La Fauxmagerie

Now with an hour to kill, we realised we were back in the vicinity of La Fauxmagerie, the first vegan cheesemonger in the country (we would have gone yesterday but it was closed). Unfortunately, we didn’t get the full Fauxmagerie experience - their chilled counter was broken so we missed out on seeing (and tasting) the full range of cheese. Instead our choice was limited to prewrapped cheese in a small fridge. Many of these cheeses were from brands we are already familiar with and there were only 2 La Fauxmagerie cheeses available – Matt got the ‘Brixton Blue’. We didn’t try this until we were back home in Bath but Matt was very impressed, saying you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. I agree that it’s like the real thing too because, pre-vegan, I never liked blue cheese and I didn’t like this either! 😂

Tofu Vegan

We’ve heard A LOT about this place from students and it was certainly the most recommended – always risky to have the bar set high, especially as (if you couldn’t tell from all this) we are hard to please, but it certainly did not disappoint.

Our friend is a regular, so we left it to him to order. We all shared -

• Chilli vegetable dumplings
• Salt and pepper tofu
• Assorted dim sum
• Pecking duck pancakes
• Fried aubergine with bao buns
• ‘Fisc’ in sizzling oil
• Special fried noodles

It was delicious, reflected in how busy it was, with people waiting for a table the whole time we were there (so definitely book ahead!) We will definitely be going back – the menu is so extensive so there is a lot more to try but I would happily be left alone in a corner with the crispy aubergine and a plate of the noodles. The onlyyyy thing that is stopping me from giving it a perfect 10/10 score is that the salt and pepper tofu lacked the Sichuan pepper tingle that I like. Price wise it was ‘London priced’ but totally worth it. You should go!

Doughnut Time

Before heading home our friend took us to Doughtnut Time, not vegan but they’ve got lots of vegan options. He bought a box – I insisted that I only needed one bite of Matt’s, thank you. But after that bite, one thing lead to another and before I knew it I’d had half a classic iced ‘D’oh Nut’ and half a ‘David Hasselhoff’ (biscoff and caramel). Biscoff being biscoff, this one was pretty sweet but the ‘Homer Simpson’ doughnut was delicious – not too sweet and so light and fluffy. Doughnut Time >>> Crosstown.

Overall we are pretty pleased with what we managed to fit in given the time we had but lesson learnt – I will be more meticulous with my planning next time, not just looking at where everything is on the map but also looking at what time they are open! We will definitely be going back to Tofu Vegan. Also on the list, among other places, is The Gate, Farmacy, Jam Delish, Arapina and, god willing, Bubala! 😂