Here at eat what, eat where, we love our meat. But when we heard by. CHLOE had journeyed its way across the Atlantic and arrived in the UK, we had to see what all the fuss was about, vegans or not.
If you haven't heard of by.CHLOE, check them out on Instagram. They aim to bring more excitement to plant-based menu choices by offering delicious meat free alternatives to your classic comfort food dishes. This includes a vegan meatball sub, vegan mac and cheese, and even vegan fish and chips (as a UK special of course.)
The concept is more of a 'fast food' restaurant set up. You order, pay, are given a buzzer, and then collect your food from the counter when the buzzer goes off. We visited the Tower Bridge branch right near the Thames, which had outdoor seating for a great view.
We went in open minded. The food, from what we had seen on Instagram, looked good. The design of the place was modern, edgy and had a young feel to it, with quirky UV lighting that spelt out 'Romaine calm and carry on.' But, as you well know by now, we love meat, and were slightly hesitant to try a veggie imitation.
So we asked for some staff recommendations, and both of the lovely ladies behind the till pointed us in the direction of the 'Pesto Meatball.' This was of course, not a real meatball. But three balls that resembled meat, made of mushroom and veg, in a sub, covered in marinara sauce, vegan cheese and vegan pesto. The staff were definitely on the money with this one, and we could tell as soon as it arrived at the table from the delicious smell that filled the air. Out of everything we tried this was by far the best, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who visits. I might even go as far to say I would choose this over a real meatball sub. But that is a strong might because I still love my meat.
The next thing we ordered, again with recommendation from the staff, was the vegan fish and chips. I believe that this is a UK special and isn't offered at the New York and LA branches, so could be considered a limited edition of sorts. However, we were slightly let down in this department. While the chips definitely did the job (chunky and traditional, aka. the best kind,) the 'fish' and 'mushy peas' left a lot to be desired. None of us really like the taste of tofu anyway so this could have played some part in our verdict, but the tofu 'fish' lacked flavour. The mushy peas were more like green lentils, which wasn't bad, but I'm not sure why normal mushy peas weren't used, as I'm pretty sure they are vegan and they would have tasted better.
The other main that we tried was the vegan 'Mac & Cheese,' another winner in my eyes. I have tried vegan cheese before and, to be honest, I wasn't impressed. But this was something else, it tasted like real cheese! It was creamy and saucy, just like it should be. The cheese sauce was made of sweet potato and cashew, and to be honest, you wouldn't of been able to tell the difference.
We decided to polish off our meals with dessert, which we chose from the counter. They had an array of cupcakes, cookies and cake slices, but I already knew what I wanted. As soon as I laid my eyes on the banana and walnut slice, I knew I had to have it. It goes without saying, I am a massive fan of banana bread, and I definitely made the right choice. The others had the cinnamon espresso cookie and the chocolate chip cookie, which I wouldn't regard as highly. They weren't as soft as non-vegan cookies tend to be, and I probably wouldn't have them again.
Although this isn't a completely glowing review, I have tried other vegan places in the past, and this was by far the best. A lot of the time vegan food lacks in flavour and although this was the case with the tofu, a given really, the other dishes more than made up for it. The staff are friendly and helpful and the menu has many options for such a limited market. I would definitely recommend by.CHLOE to everyone, vegan or not, you won't be disappointed.