Flicking the Vs: September 2012

veganmofo 2012

VeganMoFo is nearly here...

VeganMoFo is almost here! October is VeganMoFo (or the Vegan Month of Food, to give it it's full title!) - a month of posting abou...

barcelona

Other vegan-friendly places we found in Barcelona and Madrid

In a recent post reviewing Barcelona's Juicy Jones , I said I'd stumbled on the cafe. In the comments, Theresa who writes the (exce...

burrito

Loving Hut restaurant review Madrid

I've been to a branch of Loving Hut once before , and I wasn't impressed. But it was the last day of our holiday, and we were hungry...

Mr Flicking the Vs is developing something of a reputation as a food psychic. If we both order off the same menu, he'll end up picking something far tastier than me. If we're wondering what to cook for tea, he'll instantly know if it's a jacket potato and beans day, or if a vegan Wellington is called for.

Our first night in Madrid saw us wondering what to get for tea – it had been a long day enjoying the city, we'd been enjoying a few cold ones in the Retiro gardens, and now we were getting hungry.

We decided to go for a mooch and see what we saw. It was at this point Mr Flicking the Vs stumbled on Yerbabuena.

Yerbabuena describes itself as high end vegetarian cooking, and has a lot of vegan dishes on the menu and many more than can be veganised, all clearly marked on the menu.

After my experience with Biocenter in Barcelona, I checked with the friendly waiter if the food marked as vegan really didn't have any milk, eggs etc in it and, bless him, he looked a little hurt and said no, no it was all definitely vegan.

Before we got cracking with the mains, we were given a little amuse bouche – two little pots of guacamole with a couple of tortilla chips and two little cups of pineapple and, I think, soy milk with a tortilla chip stuck in. Observe:

The guacamole and chips are clearly a good thing, the pineapple shot was a bit off-kilter – it was sweet, the tortilla was on the soggy side and the whole effect was like a tiny Pina Colada without any rum.

Things looked up with the mains – I went for something that sounded like pipperana (my bad for not writing down the name) and Mr Flicking the Vs went for a more pedestrian sounding arrangement of tofu and veggies. You guessed it – while mine was perfectly nice, his was amazing.

Mine was good , healthy fodder – black rice cooked with a nice subtle note of thyme, veggies, tofu (alas, unmarinated or otherwise interfered with), and a huge wodge of that lovely guacamole - all dotted around with a vibrant basil sense.

It was all good stuff, but a bit lacking in flavour and a victim of someone being a bit heavy-handed with the olive oil. That said, I was craving freshness that day - and that's exactly what this plate hand in abundance.

But Mr Flicking the Vs' meal was an absolute wonder. Behold:

It was big pile up of tofu (again, alas, not overburdened with a marinade), veggies, fried potato and a mild sauce, all topped off with a big bird's nest of fried rice noodles.

It came with a side of Padron peppers - vegetal-tasting, sometimes hot, deliciously deep fried - that I had to restrain myself from stealing. There was a pot of smorzar (I think that's how you spell it), typically a Spanish soup of tomato, bread and olive oil, turned into a little sauce here. It was gentle foil to the amazingly smoky and flavour-packed chunky salsa next to it. It was beyond good. I'm slightly dribbling thinking about it now.

Yerbabuena's upward trajectory continued with dessert. By the time we were ready for pudding, it was knocking on 10pm and we were pretty much the only people left in the restaurant, so we decided to take a wander. But wander off without some cake in my bag? No chance.

The ever-helpful waiter walked me through all the vegan dessert options (happily there are a good few). I chose chocolate cake, which was brought back -- along with a couple of cups of lightly aniseedy tea -- with a generous slice of cake, topped with cream (soya cream, the waiter reassured me), a cherry and a mint leaf.

It wasn't cheap at €8 (almost as much as the mains) but it was WONDERFUL. Thick, heavy, chocolately and swimming in icing. Mr Flicking the Vs tried some (yeah, I grudgingly gave him a tiny bite) and said "Wow, that's good".

Here's a tiny look - it's encased in its plastic travelling case here:

It's an imperfect look at what perfection looks like, but there you go.

Yerbabuena didn't get everything right, but when it hit its stride, it was some of the best cooking I've had in a while.

Yerbabuena
http://www.yerbabuena.ws/
3 Calle de Bordadores
28013
Madrid, Spain
(+34) 915 48 08 11

cake

Yerbabuena Madrid restaurant review

Mr Flicking the Vs is developing something of a reputation as a food psychic. If we both order off the same menu, he'll end up picking ...

So, after the visit to Biocenter put something of a crimp in my vegan (or in their case, not so vegan) experience of Spain, it was off to Madrid, and the balm that was Green Break vegan takeaway.

A few caveats about Green Break: it's tiny. Like box room, couldn't stand with both arms outstretched tiny. And all food is kept in a little refridgerated cabinet, not really shown off to its best advantage, and then popped into the microwave if you want it hot.

That's the less-good side - now the pros. It's all vegan. It's got cake. The food's nice. And the staff are just the loveliest people you could ever hope to make you a burger.

It's got a bit of a fast foody vibe, with burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, waffles, croquettes and such like, along with a nice sideline in homemade salads. There were four when we visited: potato salad, raw vegetable spaghetti, quinoa with veggies and a pasta salad.

Mr Flicking the Vs opted for a burger, which after a stint in the microwave, was put into a bun and topped with salad (including the slightly wonky addition of sweetcorn), tomato ketchup and mayonnaise. I would have preferred a deep fried burger and a slightly warm bun, but no matter - Mr Flicking the Vs gave it a thumbs up, and on my test bites, it was a solid example of burgerdom, if not one you'll be telling your grandkids about.

I went for potato salad and a vegan Spanish omelette - the country's speciality of fried onions and potatoes cooked in a chunky egg-base (replaced with tofu here) and a side of potato salad.

To be clear, as I've mentioned before, I love potato salad. If I was on death row, I'd probably pick it for my last meal, I love it that much.

You wouldn't know it from looking at the picture underneath, but this potato salad was just the kind I like - thick, soft, slightly herby and covered in enough mayonnaise to give a nutritionist the fear.

And what of the omelette, my first chance to try an authentic Spanish dish? Oh alright, as close to authentic as I might get given the omelette here was was a tofu one.

Another big hit - the fried potatoes and onions were set off something beautiful by a bit of a mystery herb (thyme maybe?) It might be as dainty or soft as the typical Spanish omelette, but it was another stodgy, comforting treat.

The real star of Green Break wasn't the food though, it was the lovely lady behind the counter, talking us through the dishes, giving us some hummus to snack on while she prepared the food and generally being an absolute charmer.

As the Green Break is takeaway only, we whisked the three containers of to enjoy outside in the warm Madrid evening.

Its food might not be the most sophisticated or the most high-end you'll try in Spain, but it's a great place with interesting dishes and lovely staff.

Green Break Vegan Takeaway
(no website)
17 Calle de Segovia
28005
Madrid, Spain
(+34) 638 161 454

burger

Green Break Madrid takeaway review

So, after the visit to Biocenter put something of a crimp in my vegan (or in their case, not so vegan) experience of Spain, it was off t...

Here we are, the fourth restaurant into my stay in Barcelona, and things are going pretty well – not a duff meal among them. I had high hopes for my next meal out, at Biocenter. The menu looked good, the place itself was pretty and there were already a good few diners getting stuck in.

Biocenter is a veggie place with a good few vegan options marked on the menu, and a pick-and-mix approach to its food – a bit of French here, a bit of Thai there, and why not some Japanese for a laugh too? It looked a bit all over the place, but there was a lot that appealed, so me and Mr Flicking the Vs went in anyway.

There's also a three-course set menu for €14.95 that looked pretty good value – on our visit, it was salad or a choice of soups for starter; breaded seitan, gnocchi in pumpkin sauce and something non-vegan I forget for main; and a dessert of your choice.

We both body swerved the set menu and picked from the standard offerings – I went for sushi, my other half for a cheesy aubergine dish (he's not vegan, as you probably spotted).

The two meals emerged a good while later, while we developed food envy watching a big table of diners brought their set menus – the soup wasn't stingy and the seitan looked phenomenal.

By the time our meals turned up, expectation was high. On looks alone, the sushi didn't disappoint – dainty pinwheels of colourful rice, a heap of seaweed salad, and a big pink bloom of pickled ginger like the plate's corsage.

Then... my spider-senses went off. There was some white stuff in the middle of the sushi – I crossed my fingers it was tofu and called the waitress over to check.

It wasn't. It was goats cheese.

But it was vegan on the menu, I said. Yes, she said, but it was goat's cheese, it was the first time it had happened, and if I had told her I was vegan...

If I had told her I was vegan? The dish was marked as vegan on the menu! What was called for after that fuck-up was a grovelling apology and a vegan sushi replacement. Neither were forthcoming – the best I got was a sort of disappointed shrug. The non-vegan sushi was taken away, and a couple of minutes later, the waitress returned and said that the chef couldn't make up a completely vegan sushi for me (despite the fact that the menu described the sushi as vegan to start with, and at least half the rolls didn't have any goat's cheese in).

I could, I was told, have anything else I wanted. I'd rather lost my appetite after the run-in with cheese, but I opted for the seitan (again, marked as vegan on the menu and the waitress confirmed it was animal-free, for whatever that's worth.)

The replacement seitan came after my other half had finished his cheesy aubergine dish (it was marked as having parmesan in, which also set off alarm bells – doesn't true parmesan have rennet in it? Fingers crossed they were using a parmesan-like veggie equivalent. How likely that is, I leave to you to work out.)

The seitan, when it arrived, was lovely – four huge slabs of chewy, flavourful seitan wrapped in breadcrumbs and seseame seeds, perched on a mound of a tiny bit lumpy mashed potatoes, and covered in a big load of red wine sauce with a nice tang of orange running it through it.

It was delicious. If only I could have got that first and been spared the sodding cheese.

For reasons that aren't overly clear in hindsight, we opted for dessert. Again, I ran through the pantomime of 'what's vegan on the menu? Is it really vegan?' with the waiteress and ended up going for the carrot and tofu cake.

It was fairly light, lightly cinnamon-y, but a bit dry and disappointingly parsimonious with the icing. Say carrot cake and I think of icing laid on with a trowel, rather than with a paintbrush.

It was fine, if unmemorable. If I only I could have said the same for the rest of the meal – alas the visit to Biocenter is one that sticks in the memory, as much for the un-vegan veganness of the sushi as for the deliciousness of the seitan.

Biocenter
www.vegetarianobarcelona.com/
25 Carrer del Pintor Fortuny
08001
Barcelona, Spain
(+34) 680 14 62 52

barcelona

Biocenter Barcelona restaurant review

Here we are, the fourth restaurant into my stay in Barcelona, and things are going pretty well – not a duff meal among them. I had high hop...

Maoz falafel joints are apparently not uncommon around the world - there's a chain of them that covers the US and Europe, taking in the Netherlands and France along the way. There's even a branch in London, where I live, but I've never stopped in for a falafel fix - a situation that a night on the tiles in Barcelona prompted me to fix last week.

Maoz's Barcelona branch is a tiny one, with a few benches where the falafel hungry can stop for a bite and, handily, rest their fries in specially constructed divots, leaving hands free to tackle the stuffed pittas in front of them.As the nature of my excellent photography may attest, this visit to Moaz was paid after more than a couple of falling down waters.

Happily, Maoz is just what you need after a night on the beers - falafel served in a big pillowy pitta with enough salads to satisfy the hungriest herbivore and enough hot sauces to damp down the sort of bravado that Spanish beer can inspire. (Maoz is not entirely vegan, but the vast majoity of what it serves is animal free, and those things that aren't are obviously so - coleslaw in mayonnaise, for example.)

Maoz gives you two falafel-y options: three falafels in a pot which you fill up with salads, or four in a pitta that you pull off the same stuff-as-much-in-as-you-can trick with. I opted for the pitta, and got heartily stuck in to the Jenga-like game of seeing just how many different types of salads, veggies, and sauces I could forcibly wedge into the bread. Deep fried cauliflower (deliciously greasy) made the cut, as did olives, cornichons, a fairly bland carrot salad and a more interesting caraway-flavoured cabbage arrangement, some hot sauce and a pickled chilli for good measure.

And that's about half the range of extras that Maoz stumps up, alas, my pitta was already bursting at the seams and was promptly whisked outside to be swallowed down in record speed.

There are many falafel places in the world, and Maoz isn't particularly unique or outstanding among them, but as a tasty means of sopping up beer, it definitely gets my vote.

Maoz Vegetarian
http://www.maozusa.com/
13 Carrer de Ferran
08002
Barcelona, Spain
(+34) 678 604 946

barcelona

Maoz falafel Barcelona takeaway review

Maoz falafel joints are apparently not uncommon around the world - there's a chain of them that covers the US and Europe, taking in the ...

We stumbled on Juicy Jones – our second near-Ramblas eaterie of the trip – after a long day of walking and sightseeing, ready to eat food the size of our heads. Happily, that's exactly what Juicy Jones is in the business of serving.

The restaurant itself is big and colourful, a flouro-walled, hippie-spirited place that was packed out with both locals and tourists on our visit.

The menu's a simple (and all-vegan) one, mainly sandwiches, salads and tapas, with a very appealing three course set menu and, as the name suggests, a mean line in juices.

We both cut straight to the chase with bocadillos – big, chunky sarnies served in wholemeal bread that you need both hands to get around.

I opted for the Tofu Bocadillo, filled with lettuce, sprouts, red onion, carrot, deliciously chewy and toothsome tofu and a big splash of soy sauce. Soy sauce in a sanger is a new one on me, but I can't say it didn't work – the salty tang was a welcome addition.

The tofu bocadillo pulled of the cunning trick of being healthy, hunger-killing and tasty all in one – full marks!

My other half's sarnie – the Toscano Bocadillo – was a big riot of greenery, with lettuce, green beans (another new and welcome addition to may sandwich repertoire) and sun dried tomatoes, served in equally two-fist-needing bread. The boyfriend had food envy for my tofu bocadillo, but the toscano seemed a close second to me.

As well as a cold red wine (cold appears to be the way vino tinto often gets served in Spain), we both got juices – his a deliciously fresh, slightly acidic apple and kiwi, and mine a more milkshake-y affair, called the Banana Gogo.

Seriously, it was one of the best things I put down my neck during the holiday – a wonderously sweet, thick, rich moreish mix of coconut, banana, soy milk and I forget what else, served in a pint measure.

And if that hadn't filled up what remained of my empty stomach space, the basket of sliced bread definitely did. Maybe we didn't need more bread after our sandwich odyssey, but it would definitely have been a welcome addition to the three course menu.

We didn't try that, but it looked like a steal at €8-ish – a choice of soup, hummus, salad or more for first course, a thali or wok dish for main, and desserts including cake, cookies or fruit.

The only downside was the service – slower than a dog doing algebra, although none the less friendly for it.

Juicy Jones has two locations in the city, both offering cafe style grub. On the basis of our visit, it's clear why they're packed.

Juicy Jones
(no website)
74 Carrer de l'Hospital
08001
Barcelona
Spain
(+34) 934 439 082

or

7 Carrer del Cardenal Casañas
08002
Barcelona
Spain‎
(+34) 933 02 43 30

barcelona

Juicy Jones Barcelona restaurant review

We stumbled on Juicy Jones – our second near-Ramblas eaterie of the trip – after a long day of walking and sightseeing, ready to eat food t...

barcelona

Vegetalia Barcelona restaurant review

Hola chicos y chicas! I've just got off a plane after a few wonderful, wonderful days in Spain, visiting two lovely cities - Barcelon...

avocado

Hearts of palm salad and the end of summer

Summer in the UK is coming to end. I'd forgive you for not noticing, it's not been a season over burden with sun, but still, it'...

My name is Joey and I really don't like pizza.

Yep, I know, it's not something a lot of people will admit to, but it's the truth - whenever my boyfriend suggests we go for a pizza, my stomach shrivels and winces in fear.

Even before I went vegan, I really didn't like pizza, and now my options in most mainstream pizza joints is the same as everyone else's, just without the cheese - so that's a floppy, slimy piece of weird tomato bread, then. Grim.

You might then think that I'm not the best placed person to be reviewing a vegan pizza, but hey, stick with me here.

In a recent trip to my local Holland and Barrett, I stumbled across this Redwood Vegan Meatless Feast pizza:

When I see a new vegan product, I'm powerless to resist buying it, even if it's something that I normally really don't like! Not only do I not like pizza, I'm not a huge fan of vegan cheeses either, unless they're of the fresh nut-based variety. And, add to that, I decided to cook this stomach-threatener with a massive hangover.

It's fair to say then that Redwood had a bit of a mountain to climb to convince me to fall in love with pizza again. So how do it do?

The pizza's a thin crust, single-serve kind of deal with vegan pepperoni, ham and spicy beef on top, along with some grated Cheezly.

And you know what? It wasn't bad - not even for a confirmed pizzaphobe like me. But was it good? Alas, not so much - the three meat and one cheese substitutes added up to a bit of a claggy, weirdly-textured whole. I'm not shy of Redwood's meat analogues - I love their fishless fingers in particular - but you can have too much of a good thing.

The Cheezly was the biggest surprise for me - there was a sharp tang that reminded me of cheese - but it became cloying a bit quickly, and I couldn't finish the last piece of the pizza.

Despite Redwood's valiant effort on the pizza front, it wasn't enough to convert me from pizza-fearer to pizza-fan. But fear not, I've not given up on vegan pizza altogether - take a look at this lucious looking vegan cheeseburger pizza on Keen on Food and tell me it's not worth just one more try...

convenience food