VEGAN HEAVEN (5/5)

42 Juice

By our last day in Brighton we were feeling a bit bloated and sluggish, after all the amazing food we'd stuffed ourselves silly with (see previous posts 1-4) - which you know is nice from time to time but it really does make you appreciate healthy food and how great it makes you feel afterwards. That's where 42 Juice stepped in, we were headed for our train home and decided to do our bodies a favour (and start as we meant to go on) by grabbing a 'Skinny Green' juice. 

I've never seen a more beautiful concept for a store, this juice bar looks like it just landed straight out of Scandinavia with it's fresh, white, minimal interior. All juice is cold-pressed, raw, organic and vegan and the choice, oh my! There was something to suit every mood or ailment - everything from your standard green juice to a 'hungover' smoothie and even a charcoal almond mylk! Some of the colours I'd never seen as a beverage in my life (they actually looked more like delicious bottles of paint) which shows how ahead of it's game this juice bar really is - or how far behind I am?!

Having been so impressed with the whole concept of the store (can you tell by how many pics I took?), I decided to find out more. It turns out the story of how the co-founders created 42 juice is just as impressive as their menu. If you have a spare minute go have a read and get ready to feel seriously awe-inspired (note: juicer purchase may ensue). They also create handy juice cleanse bundles which are available to buy through their website.

VEGAN HEAVEN (4/5)

Wai kika moo kau

By now I'm probably boring you with all these Brighton posts but there really is a lot to say on the matter! It has without doubt been the easiest place I've found to holiday and eat 'normally' without having to worrying about a thing, which is exactly what you want from a relaxing trip away - alas if only vegan was the norm worldwide, but for now we have Brighton!

Wai kika moo kau (or Why kick a moo cow) is a strictly veggie/vegan cafe situated in the laines. It was our breakfast place of choice for the last morning of our stay, we chose pancakes as I'd been craving them for quite some time! They came nicely presented in a fluffy stack of 4, with cinnamon and sugar dusted all around the plate and a large pot of maple syrup for pouring - they were light, fluffy and absolutely divine. We decided to go all out, seeing as it was our last morning and ordered a creamy banana mylkshake to go with, the whole breakfast could have been straight out of an American diner.

I like that it took a while for them to arrive as this is usually a good sign (i.e no microwaves). The menu was also surprisingly cheap for the quality and quantity received. The place itself was light and airy with a fun cow print adorning the counter and walls. It also had a good energy about it, which I usually find with most strictly veggie/vegan places, I believe like-minded people coming together in this kind of environment in a great inducer of mindful conversation and feel good vibes. I would be interested to know if this is something other people have experienced while visiting all veggie restaurants and cafes, let me know in the comments below!

VEGAN HEAVEN (3/5)

Terre a Terre

Terre a Terre has a really special place in my heart as it opened my eyes to the wonderous possibilities of vegan food and made me confirm in my mind that I'd made the right decision by turning vegan. It's also the very reason we came back to Brighton in the first place, it's THAT good, albeit an indulgent treat. I've never had such beautifully presented plates that taste better with every bite, you won't want to waste a morsel! It deserves 10/5 for everything; food, presentation and service - no exaggeration.

This is a predominantly vegetarian restaurant but the menu is clearly labelled with what dishes are vegan or have a vegan choice and the same goes for gluten free. We were so excited to eat we actually forgot to say that we wanted the vegan option and had to hurriedly change our order!

While we don't normally drink wine this was organic and vegan so we decided to give it a try. We had it with our meal last year in celebration of my birthday and enjoyed it so much we had to order it again. You can even buy their wine, condiments and sweets to take home which I thought was a clever idea, especially for those that live out of town. Fyi these products are also available through their website if you can't make it all the way to Brighton. 

We skipped starters and went straight for the main. I fully recommend you go for the Terre a Tapas Plate to share as you get two of every mini dish (one on on either side), again much like the Food for Friends mezze it gives you a chance to sample a variety of different dishes the restaurant has to offer. The creamy possibly(?) cashew cheese dip in the middle was to die for and the grapefruit tucked into a Japanese style bun initially looked like salmon so that was a fun detail. To top our meal off nicely, for dessert we chose churros that came with 3 incredible dipping sauces: salty caramel, vodka cherries and dark chocolate, mm mm!

VEGAN HEAVEN (2/5)

Rock-Ola

After having a large dinner at Food for Friends the evening before, coffee bar Rock-ola was our port of call for a late all-day vegan breakfast. While it's not a strictly vegetarian/vegan place, what first attracted us to visit Rock-Ola over all other breakfast joints was the fun 50 and 60s diner theme, which made it so much more than your typical greasy spoon.

The attention to detail given to the theme can be seen throughout the diner, from the wall hangings and shelves of memorabilia, right down to the retro salt and pepper shakers. The cafe even joins on to a record shop, which was a nice continuation of the music theme, there's also a free jukebox complete with songs from the time for you to peruse and play records while you dine.

The breakfasts were naughty but super tasty, we'd never tried fake bacon before (or fakon if you will) so that was a nice change, it really just tasted like the smokey bacon flavour found in crisps, so it wasn't as scarily meaty as it first seemed. While I wouldn't normally eat this much 'bad food' or buy fakon myself, I feel it's fine to splash out on holiday and try something different once in a while (providing it's vegan!), to me life is about balance.

We had the option of chips or hash browns and beans or tomatoes, being the opposite couple we are we had to choose differently but then try each others - which were equally delish in different ways. We had it with a cup of soya milk tea and the breakfast came with a huge plate of (vegan) buttered toast - bonus! If I lived in Brighton I'm sure this would be a regular haunt of mine.

VEGAN HEAVEN (1/5)

Food for Friends

Last week we decided to treat ourselves to a weekend away from the big smoke, we wanted somewhere by the sea where we could relax but have fun and not have to worry about where to eat. Brighton seemed to fit the bill perfectly. We'd been before and visited a veggie restaurant called Terre a Terre which made us hungry for more! - (not literally we were stuffed to the brim). It turns out the rumours were true, Brighton really is like being in vegan heaven. All the food we had was to die for, I could not recommend it more for a completely indulgent mini break. There's plenty of healthy and raw vegan options too so there really is something for every mood.

We visited Food for Friends on our first evening in Brighton for dinner, as I'd done my research before our trip we knew it was a highly rated vegetarian restaurant with lots of vegan options so we were prepared to have an amazing meal. It didn't disappoint, the ambience was sophisticated and special enough for occasions but still felt homely and warm. The food was hearty and filling with a rustic feel and we got to sample all kinds of vegan options from around the world. I liked that everything was clearly marked on the menu as to whether it was vegan, gluten free or contained nuts, making us so called 'fussy-eaters' feel normal by not having to ask. The little bowl of complimentary vegetable crisps on the side were also a nice touch - though definitely not needed due to the vast portion sizes!

To start we ordered some bread which came in huge chunks (there's that rustic feel again) with a sesame breadstick and some balsamic and chilli dipping sauces. The cocktail to the left was a non-alcoholic strawberry and elderflower mixer and like everything else it was delicious so I savoured every sip!

If your one of those people that likes to try what's on everyone else's plate (hands up thats me - much to the annoyance of my bf) the best thing to do is to share a mezze platter. It's a real experience for the senses and that way you get to sample a variety of dishes the restaurant has to offer. Food for Friends even has a sweet platter made up of 4 different desserts complete with different sauces, cream and garnishes - it was out of this world! 

BRIGHTON BIRTHDAY

I wanted to get away from crazy city life for my Birthday this year (I must be getting old), so my boyfriend took me on a trip to Brighton for the day. The sun was shining and it couldn't have been a better day to have fun and enjoy the last of the Summer sun.

First we had a little stroll around the lanes then went for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant called Terre a Terre (sorry don't know how to do the accent on the a!). We opted for the sharing platter which comprised of mini versions of all the popular main dishes - we were blown away! There were mini nachos and guacamole, sesame tofu, wasabi cashews, aubergine zhuganoush and a teeny weeny glass of kale soup to name a few. 

All of this was followed by a chorus of Happy Birthday which was sung to me by the waiter (highly embarrassing but very sweet) and an amazing dark chocolate ganache and mixed berry birthday cake to take home - all vegan of course. 

The food was out of this world and we will definitely be visiting this restaurant in the near future (if not just to sample the churros). I'd recommend this place to everyone from veggie to meat eater as the quality of food is top notch, the service is excellent and presentation is incredible - what's not to like! All in all it was the perfect Birthday meal.