Vegan food in London is getting more and more creative and accessible and now pretty much every popular dish can be reimagined without meat, fish or dairy. However, it wasn’t until I went to Vegan Nights that my eyes were opened to the range of vegan street food and the culture around the scene.
The popular monthly night market brings together some of London’s best plant-based food vendors, DJs and musicians at 93 Feet East on Brick Lane. Spread across two warehouses and a spacious yard, it has a real festival vibe, plus you can bring your kids and dogs along.
When we visited, the food line-up included What the Pitta, Biff’s Jack Shack, Spicebox, Arancini Brothers, Dee’s Kitchen, Orang Utan, Hai Dozo, Pomodoro e Basilico and Vida Bakery, among others. Vegan Nights founder and Instagram food star King of CookDaily curated the entertainment and was also serving up sticky teriyaki chickn bites.
We started at Lazy Boy Kitchen and shared a big plate of Barbecue brisket with mac and cheese, jalapenos and ‘bacon bits’, washed down with a refreshing pomegranate cocktail and Brewdog Punk IPA from the rather jazzy bar. The brisket was so tender and satisfying with a rich, sweet glaze and the mac and cheese (made with cashew cheese sauce) had a subtle, creamy taste and wasn’t overpowering or too grainy. Vegan comfort food at its very best!
After a wander around, checking out DJ sets from Benj + Teaboyz, Jessica Skye and Melody Kane, it was time to eat again. The queue for stone-baked pizzas at Little Leaf Food was reassuringly long and we took that as a good sign. We ordered the seasonal pizza with roasted aubergine, cheese, red pesto, lemon, rocket and pickled red onion. The dough was chewy and nicely blistered and the toppings were well-balanced and full of flavour. The only thing I wasn’t so sure on was the vegan cheese, which I can only describe as ‘slippery’.
At the end of the night, we picked up some vegan treats from Cupcakes & Shhht to graze on at home. The Peanut butter brownie was an indulgent delight and we also loved the slightly more virtuous Peanut butter caramel slice. They also have a cafe at Elephant & Castle that I can’t wait to check out.
Vegan Nights is such a friendly event with a really inclusive atmosphere and everyone we met was there to party and have fun. Whether you’re a committed vegan or simply curious, it’s a cool place to catch up with friends and make the most of the summer in London.
The next Vegan Nights is on Thursday 7th June, from 5pm-11pm at 93 Feet East, Truman Brewery. Tickets are priced from £7 per person.
Chérie City was a guest of Vegan Nights
All photos by Chérie City
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