We think it’s fair to say that London has gone a bit crazy for all things vegan at the moment – never more so than in the fast food/burger department. It’s literally never been easier to stick to a plant-based diet than it is right now (even as meat eaters, we recently found ourselves having two vegan burgers in as many days!). One of which happened to be at The Vurger Co’s new joint in Richmix Square.
Having gained popularity on the festival circuit, plant-based burger company The Vurger Co are joining the likes of Club Mexicana and swapping their street food for a more permanent home in Shoreditch.
There seems to be two camps of fast food vegan. Those that use products like seitan and jackfruit to mimic the texture of meat, and those that just stuff the patties full of veggies. The Vurger Co definitely fall into the latter category. Their classic is a mix of black beans, chargrilled peppers and corn which formed a soft ‘burger’ which is then topped with tomato, red onion, gherkins and burger sauce – just like a regular meaty version. There’s also an aubergine version with tabasco and chickpeas, the MLT which is packed full of baked mushrooms and rocket and if you like it hot there’s the Holy Habanero corn fritter. All of which are available stuffed into a vegan brioche or as a salad bowl.
The sides shouldn’t be overlooked though – the sweet potato fries were crisped to perfection (why do ours never go like that!) and the mac n cheese was so damn tasty I would never have been able to tell you it was vegan had I not known. The vibe is pretty relaxed and fast paced but you can get beer and wine (by the glass or bottle) if you’ve got a little more time. May we suggest getting a hardshake instead? We’re literally the biggest fans of boozy milkshakes but always feel terrible after them (not to mention super full!) – not so after a vegan version it seems. Go for the banana caramel with added rum.
We welcome ‘vegan’ as a new food category, rather than a lifestyle choice (although we obviously have nothing against this either). Instead of saying, whaddya fancy – Thai, pizza, or burritos? Next time we’ll be including vegan to our list…
