Earlier this year, I went to the Free From Show and ate all the vegan things. I had a great time, and found loads of new vendors to try, as well as revisiting some old favourites. One food truck I didn't buy anything from was Sonny's.
Sonny's describes itself as the first coeliac-safe fast food brand. It sells a small menu of toasties, bowls and sides. There were so many great places to try, I ended up walking past Sonny's in search of more exciting-sounding fare.
A few months later, and Sonny's opened its first bricks and mortar location in London, in Shoreditch's Boxpark. Happily, I happened to be east London the other day and needing lunch, so I dropped by. What I learned was that walking past Sonny's the first time was a real mistake.
 |
| Sonny's in Shoreditch - find it upstairs at Boxpark |
There are five toasties to choose from, one of which is vegan. All of the toasties can be made into bowls, where the bread is swapped out for wild rice and grains. As a newly-diagnosed coeliac, I'm still learning about how different each brand and type of gluten-free bread is - some are dense and dry, others sweet and bouncy (and if you're a vegan, you have the added complexity that a lot of gluten-free bread has eggs in it).
If you're going to a gluten-free place, especially one that sells toasties, it seems rude not to check out the bread. I ordered a 'mushroom one' - a toastie with roasted peppers, mushrooms, and vegan cheese. I really don't love a lot of non-cashew-nut-based cheese, which this was. I think this is the exception that proves the rule - it was actually great, soft and gentle tasting, and didn't overwhelm the generous helpings of vegetables.
A toasted sandwich with veggies and vegan cheese doesn't sound like the most exciting thing in the world - it might be the sort of thing you're going to make for lunch yourself. So why would you pay Sonny's to make one for you (apart from because you're coeliac!)? For one reason - because they're great!
 |
| Sonny's 'the mushroom one' toastie |
I think I walked past Sonny's because I thought I would be underwhelmed by the food. In fact, the opposite happened - it was so much better than I'd been expecting.
I think the price for a toastie, fries, a drink and a dip came out as £16, which doesn't feel bad for this part of London (or most parts of London, really). I would have got a milkshake (everything at Sonny's is dairy free, and the person behind the counter assured me that they were vegan) but they weren't available on the day I visited.
0 comments