Tea & mid-afternoon snack at Asher’s Africana

Masala Mogo and Chutneys – mouth-wateringly good

Rating: 10/10

Nearest Tube: Alperton (Piccadilly Line)

Service Time: 20 minutes

Address: 224 Ealing Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA0 4QL.

Asher’s Africana is an affordable, canteen style, Gujarati restaurant on Ealing Road in Wembley. The food is distinctly Indian, but is influenced by East African cuisine due to the settlement of Indian communities in places like Uganda and Kenya during British Colonial rule. History lesson over. All you need to know is that the flavours are out of this world!

We stopped by after a trip to the temple, which is just a few minutes walk away. The staff are friendly, but speak limited English.

We ordered Masala Mogo (fried cassava marinated in a tomato and chilli sauce) and Mehti Bhajia (fried dumplings with fenugreek). It is served with incredible coriander and tamarind chutneys. We washed it down with a few cups of chai (spiced tea.) The food cannot be faulted – simply delicious!

This place is also very good for typical Gujarati Thalis – a metal dish filled with curries, breads, rice and dhal. If you’re popping in for dinner, be sure to try this. You really can’t go wrong for £6! There is little sense of urgency here, however, so don’t expect your food to arrive within minutes of ordering. Typical wait times are between 20- 30 minutes. It’s worth it though…

Bill:

2 x Masala Chai = £2.00

1 x Masala Mogo = £4.50

1 x Methi Bhajia = £3.00

TOTAL BILL = £9.50

Breakfast at Dishoom

Yummy Indian Breakfast at Dishoom in Covent Garden – we couldn’t wait to tuck in otherwise we would have taken a pic when it first arrived!

Score: 9.5 / 10

Website: http://www.dishoom.com/covent-garden/

Address: 12 Upper St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9FB (nearest tube: Leicester Square – Piccadilly Line)

Dishoom for breakfast on a Sunday morning is a must for everyone! This Indian Mumbai style cafe serves traditional Indian street food (rather than the Bangladeshi food we are used to seeing on many high streets across the UK). It offers great dishes for both meat eaters and vegetarians alike given the predominance of vegetarianism in Indian society. There are a few outlets across Central London, but our favourite is the one in Covent Garden.

The ambiance is bustling and informal. The staff are friendly and knowledgable and the food is wholesome and reminds me of home. It is incredible value for money, however, the winning combination means that you invariably queue for table – on occasion for over an hour. The trick is turn up for breakfast at the weekends at around 11am to avoid a large queue. Also great for our meat eating counterparts who will not be left wanting. In fact, Bloomberg voted Dishoom’s take on the full English as the best breakfast in London.

On our last visit we both had masala chai (Indian tea cooked with ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and other spices) which is refillable free of charge if you come for breakfast and is a must for newbies! To eat, we had “Kejriwal” – two fried eggs cooked in Indian spices on chilli cheese toast served with tomato chutney. Also be sure to ask for the complimentary chutney tray when ordering food as the condiments are great. To accompany the cooked breakfast we shared a bowl of their Granola which is awesome and possibly some of the best I’ve had in London.

In summary, a must visit for anyone who is partial to a bit of spice. You will not be disappointed!

BILL:

2 x Kejriwal = £9.80

1 x Side of Mushroom = £1.50

1 x House Granola = £5.20

2 x Masala Chai = £5.00

TOTAL (incl. service @ 12.5%) = £24.19

Coffee & Cake: Princi, Soho

Heavenly selection of Cake!

Score: 9.5/10

Website: http://www.princi.com

Address: 135 Wardour Street, London W1F 0UT (nearest tube: Piccadilly – Piccadilly Line)

As part of this blog, I will be scouring London (in my free time, of course) to find the City’s best sweet delights. In my house, we all have a penchant for all things sweet so we’ll happily oblige in this selfless task to bring you the best that the City has to offer.

The first post in this series is an old faithful which I have been visiting since it first opened, and which never disappoints. The establishment stays true to its roots in Milan, the authenticity of which comes across in the food. The ambiance is relaxed and has a Mediterranean feel about it with communal tables and no table service – although there is now a slightly formal table service area . It is an all-day eatery which serves pizzas, pastas, salads, desserts and artisan bread. They also serve great smoothie, juices, wine and cocktails.

This may seem silly, but we also love the loos – they are always fresh smelling, clean and stock good quality hand wash. For a place as busy as this, this is nothing short of a miraculous.

On our last visit, as is customary on many a weekend,  we popped in for fresh mint tea and cake. The cakes really are something special here and the selection varies from week to week – the staff are always happy to explain what’s what so don’t be afraid to ask. Our personal favourites are the Pear and Chocolate Cake and the Praline Cake. You know you’re on to a good thing when you’re grinning like a Cheshire Cat at the prospect of good cake! Need I say more? Get yourself down here for a slice of heaven on a plate without breaking the bank.

Bill:

2 x Pear & Chocolate Cake = £8.80

2 x Fresh Mint Tea = £5.00

TOTAL = £13.80

Fresh Mint Tea (cinnamon optional)

Tredwell’s for brunch

The view of the ground floor restaurant from the mezzanine floor

Score: 7.5/10

Website: http://www.tredwells.com

Address: 4A Upper St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2H 9NY (nearest tube: Leicester Square – Piccadilly Line)

In my quest to find the best vegetarian brunch in London, I recently visited Tredwell’s. Tredwell’s is a chique and trendy restaurant, opposite the hugely popular Dishoom on St. Martins Lane in Covent Garden. It has a mezzanine floor, which feels modern, spacious and airy. The menu for vegetarians is fairly small, but there is more than one option and great dietary labelling to suit all.

We had ‘The Full Veggie’ – the kitchen were happy to substitute the oven roasted tomatoes for beans. The presentation was fantastic, the food, on the whole, was good. The dish comprised a portobello mushroom, tomatoes, sourdough toast, eggs and guacamole. The eggs were a little over cooked and the toast was slightly caught on the edges, but very kindly, we were offered a free coffee to make up for it – which was very good quality.

Overall, a fairly decent, reasonably priced veggie breakfast. My only complaint in terms of value for money was our juices, which were very overpriced at £4.50 each for a small glass.  A great option if you’re coming out to brunch with a meat eater at short notice as there is usually no problem getting a table. It’s also a short walk from from both Covent Garden and Picadilly underground stations.

Bill:

2 x veggie breakfast = £19

2 x fresh small mixed juices = £9

Service charge = £3.50

TOTAL = £31.50

About me

I am a young vegetarian living in London with a passion for good food. I feel lucky to be living in one of the most diverse and eclectic cities in the world, both culturally and gastronomically. I find, however, good and affordable vegetarian food difficult to find wherever I go in the world, hence my reason for creating this blog.

This blog will provide you with an indispensable resource for how to navigate your way around the delights that London has to offer when it comes to vegetarian and vegan food for all budgets and tastes. The blog will only list those places that I love and visit regularly. I hope to share with you those places that are off the beaten track and some hidden gems.

In addition to suggestions for eating out, I will also list some of my favourite recipes which I have collected and adapted over the years, providing both nutritious and delicious meals from all cuisines.

It’s time for vegetarians to stop feeling like they’re an insignificant minority and an inconvenience when dining out as part of group – after all, we should be able to enjoy our food as much as our meat consuming counterparts! I hope you find this blog helpful in finding London’s best restaurants serving vegetarian food and if so, please share it with your friends. Enjoy!