Dining Out in London - Cookies and Scream

Cookie Dough Balls Shake - Cookies and Scream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Cookies and Scream, because it's just that good! I had this spot on my list for must-visit vegan spots in London and it was reconfirmed when my London-based friend said how delicious it was. I went to the Camden Lock Market after my slight disappointment at Borough Market for the lack of vegan options. Camden was a lot more crowded and dirtier than I expected. It's got a sort of punk rock vibe going on and the streets are overrun with souvenir shops and wandering tourists. I shuffled around in the food tent area for a while searching for Cookies and Scream until I finally had to ask for help. Turns out it's actually tucked away inside, with a permanent stake in a small building called the Dingwalls gallery area. This dessert bar is not only vegan, but also gluten-free! When I discovered them I realized I wasn't alone in my excitement. The other customers were equally overwhelmed by the looks of the freshly baked, heavenly treats for sale. The staff works in a tiny kitchen area right behind the counter and I commend them for working wonders in such small quarters.

Tiny Kitchen Space at Cookies and Scream

I ordered a Chico Cookie, which was a large peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips. It was super moist, gooey, and rich. I greedily also ordered a liquid dessert, the Cookie Dough Balls Shake thanks to a tip from Fat Gay Vegan and got a Gosh! Brownie to-go, which of course lasted a total of four hours post-visit. As I was drinking my shake all I could think was how unhealthy it must be because of how incredibly sweet and creamy it was, and I got a kick out of the "low-fat" label on the menu board. The huge chunks of cookie dough made it a more exciting and indulgent treat. Excluding my minor stomachache from all the (unrefined) sugar, my only complaint was that the baked goods were a little too moist and fell apart pretty easily. 

It was worth it, whatever damage Cookies and Scream did to my diet. Thank you for the delightful desserts, I will miss you back in the states!

Low-Fat Shakes?! Don't mind if I do...

  

Cookies and Scream

The Market Hall

Camden Lock Place

London, UK NW1 8AF

Cookies and Scream Website

Dining Out in London - Ms. Cupcake

Jaffa Cupcake - Ms. Cupcake

I had this on my list of places to try thanks again to Chef Chloe Coscarelli. She did a cookbook tour in Europe and actually hosted a book signing at this bakery, the first vegan bakery in London! It was far from my hotel but I went along my route home from Paris. They recently started selling their products in Whole Foods so I'm sure many more vegan-curious folks will discover them soon. The baked goods were so fun and colorful! It was hard to pick what to bring home.

I had been indulging a lot already so I opted not to get a box of cupcakes, knowing I had very little self control! I picked up a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie for my friend (who excitedly reported back it was very delicious!) and for myself I got a Jaffa Cupcake, something I had never heard of before. It was a chocolate cupcake coated in an orange marmalade and then topped with vanilla-orange and chocolate frosting swirl, with a candied orange piece on top. The cupcake was moist, not overly sweet, frosting was plentiful and I enjoyed the sweet, tangy orange jam that gave it a more unique flavor than the average chocolate cupcake. Two thumbs up. I also saw on their website one of the more popular flavors is the Ferraro Rocher inspired cupcake, called The Ambassador, I was never a fan of those hazelnut chocolate balls so I decided not to grab the last one on the tray. Instead I ordered the Double Chocolate Cookie Sandwich, based on looks alone. My gut instinct was right, this was my favorite pick! I really liked the large, chewy cookies and the buttery, sweet frosting. I should know now that whatever I buy from a vegan bakery will get devoured in one day, just as these did. It's both a good thing, for my wallet (these were pricy) and waistline, and a bad thing, for my taste buds, that this place was outside of my central London location.

In the storefront they are stocked with loads of vegan products, from cheeses, meats, ice cream, snack bars, candies, milkshakes, to baking ingredients and decorations. The baked goods case included many cupcake flavors, brownies, cookies, scones, and muffins. The prices of the baked goods were a little steep, when converted to USD so I didn't stock up. I got a good sense of their product though, and agree this was a great pick! Not too many vegan bakeries exist here, so they take the cake :)

I LOVED Raisinets as a kid,
these made me so happy!

Vegan Cheeses for Sale in the Cooler

Ms. Cupcake

408 Coldharbour Lane

Brixton (in South West London)

London, United Kingdom SW9 8LF

Ms. Cupcake Website

Dining Out in Brooklyn - Little Choc Apothecary

The Breakfast Crepe - Little Choc Apothecary

Wall of Herbs & Spices - Little Choc Apothecary

Wandering around Williamsburg I was looking for a new vegan spot to try and I found one that wasn't just new to me but new to the area, Little Choc Apothecary. This adorable, entirely vegan, casual restaurant specializes in crepes, but also sells other tasty baked goods, juices, and has an actual apothecary upstairs with a wall full of herbs and spices in glass jars. On their website they claim they are, "NYC's 1st fully vegan creperie." There were little touches in the decor that made me think of Alice in Wonderland, like the super-sized playing cards for table numbers and the tea cups. Fun fact: the owner was a former fashion model.


I asked the staff which crepe they enjoyed most and the first response was The Breakfast Crepe, and because I was opting to eat gluten-free this appealed to me. The only non-gluten-free crepe on the menu is the Khail Seitan; one I was also tempted to try. They offer both sweet and savory crepes. My crepe was moderately filled with a tofu scramble, coconut bacon, spinach and cucumber slices. This was a light meal, but tasty. I would have liked some sort of sauce to go with my crepe so it wasn't quite so dry and plain, but overall it was enjoyable and I was happy knowing it was vegan and gluten-free. To go along with my crepe, I ordered an Almond Milk Latte, served in a pretty little tea cup. Also, from Yelp reviews I saw that a popular vegan dessert was the Earl Grey Cookie, but when I first came in they were all out. Luckily by the time I left a new batch was done and I took one home. This was definitely a grown up cookie, similar to a not-so-sweet sugar cookie, but with a subtle tea flavor. 

I would return to try other crepe flavors and smoothies...and because the ambiance was just so lovely!

Inside, Lower Level of Little Choc Apothecary

Crepes in the Making - Little Choc Apothecary

Little Choc Apothecary

141 Havemeyer Street

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Little Choc Apothecary Website

Dining Out in Brooklyn - Champs Diner

Red Velvet Pancakes - Champs Diner

This place is like a glutton's heaven; it's like waking up in a vegan food dream. So be warned, it's not for the "light" eater and you better bring your appetite... and your patience, because you will need both. Champs (or Champs Family Bakery or Champs Diner, whichever you prefer) recently moved to a new location and spruced up their decor, but kept with their retro 50's diner vibe. Even on a rainy, cold Saturday morning there was a crowd outside waiting for a table and unfortunately due to the small size, the hostess wouldn't allow people to wait inside. I came here for a birthday brunch with my best friend and was willing to wait. Instead of standing in the rain, we actually made the smart choice (thinking only with our stomachs here) to swing by Dunwell Doughnuts a couple blocks away for a pre-meal vegan doughnut (yup, talk about healthy). 

I had studied the menu a few times before coming and even ordered takeout from Champs months ago. I was second guessing the fact that everything here is vegan, because it sure doesn't sound or look like it, which makes it that much more exciting! I first tried the Buffalo Chik'n Sandwich but wasn't impressed. It was a hero sandwich made with spicy buffalo chik'n, greens, tomatoes, sauteed onions, and ranch dressing. I couldn't enjoy it because it was too spicy for my taste. I was very eager to go back for a real brunch though because they are known for their breakfast foods. Some stand-outs include the Red Velvet Pancakes (photographed above), Drunken Cowgirl Tofu Scramble, French Fries with Cheese & Bacon (yes, you read that right). My friend was in the mood for more of an "egg" savory dish and went for the Get Scrambled tofu scramble with onions, peppers and ham. I made my decision based on reading the description of Country-Fried Seitan Sandwich...or maybe it was just seeing "fried" in the name. My sandwich was incredible, not something I could eat everyday or even every week, but a scrumptious unhealthy treat nonetheless. The crispy seitan cutlet was crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, smothered in creamy ranch dressing, topped with bacon and melted cheese and a few fresh veggies - lettuce and tomato - all served on Texas toast, because why not?! Man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I had to save room for our breakfast dessert so I brought half home and ate it only a couple hours later. For dessert, with hardly any room left in our stomachs (those doughnuts before our meal might have been a bad idea), we sunk our forks into a stack of Red Velvet Pancakes. I've never had the pleasure of enjoying red velvet in this way before! They were chewy, fluffy and moist, a well-made pancake indeed and served with a generous heap of heavy whipped cream with melting chocolate chips decorating the plate. 

Country-Fried Seitan Sandwich - Champs Diner

This whole meal left me saying "nom nom nom" and wanting to find a cozy warm corner to go lie down in for a while. There are just so many more things I need to try here. I will be back and I will wait in that line, because dammit it's worth it.

Get Scrambled - Champs Diner

Another shot of those beautiful red velvet pancakes

Champs Diner

197 Meserole Street

Brooklyn, NY 11206
Champs Diner Website

Dining Out in New York City - H&H Midtown Bagels East

Whole Wheat Everything Bagel with Tofutti Scallion Cream Cheese
H&H Midtown Bagels East

The Array of Bagels - All Vegan (Except for Egg)
H&H Midtown Bagels East

I have a love-hate relationship with bagels. They have become the all too common and too readily available breakfast food in the office. People usually get excited for bagel mornings, but I'm always conflicted. To me they are a useless food - high in calories, carbohydrates, sodium, sometimes sugar, and relatively low in fiber and other nutrients. They rarely fill me up to the point that it's a satisfying meal, but they are tasty, especially smothered in a creamy spread or peanut butter.

As abundant and delicious as they are in New York City, it's a danger zone. I knew I had to try a few to see what all the fuss was about. Based on reviews online I gave H&H a shot and it lives up to the hype. I've since brought my boyfriend, friends and family there, who have all enjoyed them with the traditional dairy cream cheese and lox toppings. It's common to see a long line here, always a good sign, but no less annoying. Thankfully it moves fast. They have multiple cashiers and men working to fix you your bagel one after another. You can even order online for catering and ship them nationwide. In addition to bagels the store sells some prepared side dishes and baked goods, none of which are vegan unfortunately. 

For vegan options, all bagels are vegan-friendly except for egg. I've even tried the mini bagel for fewer calories, but they didn't have any wheat options sadly, so I had the mini Sesame - still great! The cream cheese alternatives are Tofutti Plain, Scallion, and Vegetable, and peanut butter. As bagels can be bland (especially plain with plain cream cheese!), a more flavorful and savory combo that I like to order is a toasted Whole Wheat Everything Bagel with Scallion Tofutti cream cheese. Yum yum yum... until the guilt sets in :) Every once in a while it's worth it, and H&H is the place to get your bagel fix.

H&H Midtown Bagels*

1551 2nd Avenue
(between 80th & 81st St)

New York, NY 10028

H&H Midtown Bagels Website

*Not in Midtown! Location is in Upper East Side

Dining Out in New York City - Angelica Kitchen

Wee Dragon Bowl - Angelica Kitchen

Angelica Kitchen, located in the East Village, has a long history of serving vegan food. It was established in 1976! They pride themselves on being very eco-friendly, using fairly traded goods and supporting small, local businesses and non-profits. The menu is part-American, part-Asian inspired with everything from cornbread, soups, salads, dips, sandwiches, seitan and tempeh entrees, and rice bowls, to desserts. They don't take reservations so try to go during off-peak hours for the best experience.

Special Warm Appetizer People's Polenta

To begin the meal we went with my boyfriend's pick - People's Polenta, a dish consisting of three polenta balls with diced vegetables, basil-walnut pesto, chile de arbol – guajillo chili tofu cream, avocado and marinated kale. Proceeds of the dish go to charity. This was a great start to the meal; it was enough to please the palate and not too filling or heavily flavored. 

For my meal, I chose the healthiest, though less adventurous, route of a Dragon Bowl and even went with the Wee Dragon to save room for dessert. The Dragon Bowl was almost exactly the same as the Macro Plate that I enjoyed at Souen, a simple clean dish with brown rice, black beans, sea vegetables, and steamed vegetables like green beans, carrots, cauliflower. For the dressing I chose Brown Rice Gravy, but would have preferred a sweeter one like Creamy Carrot. That would have really made this identical to my meal at Souen. I was a little envious of my boyfriend's meal, the Olé Man Seitan a large burrito filled with homemade seitan and roasted vegetables mixed with a spicy chocolate mole sauce, and topped with lime-jalapeño tofu sour cream and pimento. It had so much flavor and the serving size was huge, a great pick for my non-vegan.

Olé Man Seitan - Angelica Kitchen

Pineapple Coconut Layer Cake - Angelica Kitchen

With some room leftover, we ordered a dessert to share. The Pineapple Coconut Layer Cake appealed to both of us and it did not disappoint. It's a spelt flour cake with a pineapple filling and coconut frosting. The cake was very moist and the frosting was not nearly as sweet as most vegan baked goods I've had, including recipes I've made. This wasn't a bad thing, as the pineapple filling was plenty sweet.

Overall it was such a bright and colorful meal, it didn't just taste healthy it looked healthy, too. To keep with a more wholesome vegan diet, I would happily dine here again!

Angelica Kitchen

300 East 12th Street

New York, NY 10003

Angelica Kitchen Website