I have never been to India, I live in the US and while the Indian food here in Boston is pretty good it is just better in the UK. To me Indian food is a flavor paradise, great for vegetarians and vegans, there is often a wide range of dishes on the menu that include unique dishes which can be difficult to replicate at home. When I am in London I try to go out for an Indian dinner. When I was there recently I discovered a new place, Indian Accent in Mayfair, what attracted me was the vegetarian and vegan tasting menus (they is also a non-vegetarian menu as well) which can come with a wine pairing. They also have a restaurant in New York and New Delhi. Now I am not saying this dinner is going to cheap but it will be a dining experience that you will remember. Next time I will have to go back and try the premium whisky flight!
From the website:
“Indian Accent showcases inventive Indian cuisine by complementing the flavours and traditions of India with global ingredients and techniques. Its path-breaking menu has been designed by award-winning Chef Manish Mehrotra.
Located in the heart of Mayfair, the London outpost of India’s No.1 Restaurant has received great reviews from critics and guests alike. Fay Maschler, Restaurant Critic for Evening Standard gave Indian Accent a 5-star rating and described our menu as Indian food unlike any other.”
Here is the link that describes the dishes and the wines for the vegetarian tasting menu. Everything was amazing, incredible flavor and unique combinations of ingredients. I am going to let the photos of this amazing dinner speak for themselves this time….
A Full English breakfast is one of the UK’s culinary gifts to the world. If you are not familiar with this dish it usually consists of bacon, sausages, eggs, grilled tomato and mushrooms, baked beans and occasionally black pudding (a type of blood sausage). All that meat is now off the table with my new meat philosophy and shift towards eating less meat in general. Luckily there are plenty of places that now serve a Vegetarian Full English which is basically the standard Full English with the meat omitted and sometimes replaced with a plant-based sausage or other meat-like formation. There are also plenty of places that serve a Vegan English breakfast where the eggs are replaced with scrambled tofu. There are a lot of options in London for full vegan breakfast, that will be a later post…
Recently I was in London and I had a craving for an English breakfast. Luckily I like the vegetarian version which I make for myself at home sometimes with free-range eggs that satisfy my requirement for all animal products to come from a responsibly raised source. While it is easy to find a place that serves Vegetarian English breakfasts it is harder to find those that also have free-range eggs. Luckily for me a place with walking distance from my hotel in London sold a version with free range eggs so I thought I would check it out. The Sawyers Arms is a typical old-school London pub located right across the road from Paddington Station. It’s a great place to have a beer and soak in some London pub atmosphere. On their menu they actually do a good job including a number of vegetarian options and even some vegan ones as well. Their breakfast menu has free-range eggs all over it. So I thought I would try out their ‘Veggie Full English’ since I was craving a fried egg.
The Veggie Full English at Sawyers Arms, Paddington, London
Unfortunately they didn’t have the plant-based sausage but I was OK with that as they can be hot or miss I really wanted the eggs and the rest, can’t beat the English fried hash browns! The dish was tasty and couldn’t beat the price of £6.95, but I did leave thinking it was missing something and made me think were there better options in London. I started to do some research for places in London that offered a vegetarian option with free range eggs – this would be the true representation of a Selective Flexitarian English Breakfast. There are literally thousands of places offering vegetarian breakfast, less that also have free-range eggs and I looked for places that had interesting ingredients, something a little different than the standard.
Big Brunch: scrambled Clarence Court Eggs or tofu, vegan sausage, slow roasted tomato, oak smoked house beans, roasted tarragon mushroom, toasted sourdough
Only served on the weekends. What attracted me were the Clarence Court eggs, these eggs are free-range and heritage breed, their website has a lot of information. The tomato, beans and mushroom versions are an interesting spin on the standard offerings.
One of the biggest attractions here is that they serve breakfast 24hrs a day! Perfect after a long session at the pubs or clubs. Also of note is that they state that their bacon and meats are all grass-fed (except pigs don’t eat grass) and Red Tractor assured, this is a standard that all produce must originate from the UK and be traceable, all animals must of treated humanely and free of hormones and antibiotics. There is a lot more information on their website.
Vegetarian Breakfast: Aprés hash, poached eggs, thyme roasted field mushroom, slow roasted tomatoes, avocado, wilted spinach, watercress, a toasted slice of our homemade bread, with homemade ketchup or brown sauce
Almost all meat and dairy on their menu is free range and organic sourced from small English farms, the eggs come from Cornish St Ewe. The Apres hash is made from sweet potato, caramelized onions and spinach.
Now I realize that not everyone that reads this blog lives in London or may get the chance to go to London. But what I think we can get from this post are some ideas on how to make an imaginative Selective Flexitarian English Breakfast of your own as a special treat. I most certainly will be trying some of these options out myself!
Well it is the end of 2019 and the beginning of a new decade so I thought I would reminisce about some of the best responsibly sourced meals that I had throughout the year. I have split them up into some categories and for some it was quite difficult to pick one.
Best burger – BRED gourmet (Boston, MA), Karl Strauss Brewery (San Diego): A grass-fed burger is one of the easiest responsibly sourced menu items to find so I have picked one on the East and West coasts. I have the extreme fortune to live 2.5 miles from Bred gourmet in the Lower Mills area of Boston and I have not found a better grass-fed burger to date, see my full review here. I have had almost everything on the menu but the Maui burger with grilled pineapple, pepper jack cheese, plantains and BBQ sauce is one of my favorite burgers of all-time. The California-grown all-natural grass-fed beef burger at Karl Strauss Brewery in La Jolla, CA is my pick for the West Coast. Topped with a cage-free fried egg (maybe skip the pork belly since I don’t know where that is from yet) this is an amazing burger.
Best steak (East Coast) – Mooo (Boston, MA): I am splitting up the best steak category into East and West coast since I had so many good experiences. Mooo is one of my all time favorite restaurants and I have not found anything that comes close. See my review here. A source for the steaks is stated on the menu and they even give you a hint on how it was raised (grass-fed, grain finished etc). My pick for the West Coast is Cowboy Star in San Diego, they also state which farm all their cuts are from and is a more relaxed atmosphere than other high end steakhouses.
Best BBQ – Sweet Cheeks Q (Boston, MA): One of my favorite styles of food I thought I was resigned to cooking my own BBQ until I found Sweet Cheeks Q. See my full review here – but think all natural chicken and heritage breed pork turned mouth-watering BBQ.
Best fried chicken – Crack Shack (Encinitas, CA): A fried chicken lovers dream, all their chicken is Jidori (see my post on Crack Shack and Jidori chicken here). Unfortunately this small chain is only in California.
Best roast chicken – Le Coq Rico (Paris): The french take their roast chicken very seriously and I was extremely fortunate to go to this famous restaurant where they specialize in this particular dish. Famed chef Antione Westermann focuses on sourcing heritage breed poultry from local French farmers. No review yet (but one is planned). They also have a restaurant in NYC if Paris is too far to go for the best roast chicken you will ever have in your life.
Best seafood – Oceanaire seafood room (Boston, MA): It can be difficult to find responsibly sourced seafood but Oceanaire Seafood room makes it easier as they clearly state the origin of almost all their seafood dishes so that you can make an informed decision. Even though this is a chain the dining experience is top class, I have been to the Boston and San Diego locations and both were amazing. No full review yet but coming soon.
Best Fish and chips – Rock and sole plaice (London): You can’t beat London for fried fish and chips and there are plenty of places that use sustainable fish for this celebrated English dish. I have been to quite a few (review to come) but Rock and sole plaice is my current favorite and is located right in Covent Garden and has been there since 1871. Yet to find something comparable in the United States.
Best sushi – Harney Sushi (San Diego, CA): Sustainable or responsibly sourced are not words one normally associates with sushi but Harney sushi takes pride in ensuring its seafood is just that. I have been to the Old Town location (yes sushi in Old Town San Diego surrounded by Mexican places) and it is a funky place, expect something non-traditional but delicious and you will feel good about your food source. Review to come soon.
Best breakfast/brunch place – Farmers Daughter (South Easton, MA): Complete transparency with the source of their eggs and meats which are all from local farms and clearly stated on their website. Locally sourced chicken and waffles is not easy to find elsewhere and the pork belly banh mi looks delicious. And they have a boozy brunch too! Full review coming soon.
Best fast food place – Shake Shack (Dedham, MA): It can be difficult to find a responsibly sourced lunch particularly with kids (someone wants a burger, another a chicken sandwich, another wants nuggets) and you only have 30 mins. Fortunately some fast food chains are make big efforts to provide good options (review coming soon). My go to place with my kids is Shake Shack – their burgers, chicken and hot dogs are all natural (chicken is also cage-free). Just exactly what their definition of all-natural is, not sure at the moment but in a pinch I will pick them every time over the bigger fast food chains.
Best fine dining restaurant experience – Deuxave (Boston, MA): I don’t get to go to many fine dining restaurants so I like to make them count and my experience at Deuxave was top class. Plenty of great options on the menu (Niman ranch strip steak, Giannone chicken) and from beginning to end was a memorable experience.
Best Sunday lunch place – Blacklock (London): I had to create a category for this one as the meal was unquestionably one of the best food experiences I have ever had. I am very fortunate to be friends with the owners brother and have managed to get a table on a Sunday at the Shoreditch location for lunch (have also been to the Soho location). If you love meat you have to get the All-in which is a mountain of roast pork, lamb and beef and get the beef dripping chips as well. Full review to come soon.
Best local farm – Copicut Farm (Dartmouth, MA): My go to farm for when I want to stock up on local chicken and pork chops – all pasture raised. They can also be found at the Milton and Hingham famer’s markets in the summer. Check out my full review.
Best mail order meat – Porter Road: I have tried a few mail order meat places and I try to buy from a local farm where possible first. Sometimes though I need a cut of meat that is not easily bought from a local farm. I ordered about 20lbs of pork butt from Porter Road and the experience was top class – they shipped it out within 24 hours and was packed perfectly. I smoked that pork butt for pulled pork for a Christmas party and it was a big hit!
After writing this post about my favorite food experiences of 2019 I realized just how fortunate I have been to experience such amazing restaurants and farms. It has been a lot of fun searching for these places and look forward to what 2020 will bring!
The Evolution of a Selective Flexitarian 
You must be logged in to post a comment.