Friday, October 31, 2008

lovely london blogging ladies


I can't believe it's the last day of VeganMoFo! This will be my 20th post for the month, meaning I barely eeked by with the minimum number of posts! (I did better last year, managing to blog every day for MoFo) It has been really fun, especially getting to read all of your blogs. And after this month is over, I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be blogging about being in England, traveling, eating well, and of course meeting awesome bloggers from all over the place. And today's post is dedicated to just that, 2 meet-ups with fellow bloggers that I've been very fortunate to have in the past week.


First up is Isil, of Veggie Way. I've always loved reading about her life as a vegan and a parent here in the U.K., and getting to see her lovely daughter Defne growing up.



She was such a cutie-pie-and she loves her veggies!



Isil suggested going to Wagamama, which made me very happy, because this chain of noodle shops is one I've always wanted to try, having heard about its awesome vegan food options. Above, you see Isil's soba ramen, which came in a big bowl packed with veggies and yummy broth.



And here's my huge plate of noodles- soba with a spicy chili sauce and veggies. This dish actually had a kick- I have to remind myself not to order spicy foods the first time I meet someone, because my nose has an embarassing way of running when I do...



Fortunately, we had our juices to soothe our mouths. Isil had carrot juice, and I had a mixture of apple, ginger, and passion fruit.



Afterward, we walked over to Covent Garden, over to Neal's Yard Salad Bar for vegan dessert!



This mostly vegetarian and vegan restaurant makes homemade vegan ice cream- ahhhh! The day's flavors were mango and chocolate, and since we couldn't decide between the two, we got them in swirl form. The chocolate was good, but the mango was divine! So fresh and tangy. I'll be sure to go back to this restaurant again, to take advantage of their vegan English breakfast offering and the veganized Brazilian specialties on the menu.



Then yesterday, I got to hang out with KathyF of What Do I Know? fame. Kathy has been so helpful to me, helping out a fellow vegan American get adjusted to life in England. Finally getting to meet was so fun! As you can see from the above business card, we had lunch at Rootmaster, a double-decker bus converted into a lovely vegan restaurant!



I kid you not.



The restaurant makes its own rustic bread, served here with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip.



Kathy had the chickpea fritters (in the back of the photo- I went about things backward, didn't I?) served with a side salad.



I had this mezze platter with guacamole (yum!), hummus (very smoky and good), bread, roasted veggies (courgette and red capsicum), sun-dried tomatoes, and last but not least, the prettiest olives ever. These babies were mild, buttery, toothsome,



...and pretty much the most technicolor green that I've ever seen on an olive. These were lovely and fun to share.



Before we finished our satisfying lunch and took a stroll through the National Gallery, I got to capture this money shot: a blogger's photo of a fellow blogger taking a photo. Ahhh, life is good.

I want to thank Isil and KathyF for taking the time to show me around London and for filling my tummy with exciting vegan foods! There is nothing like a bloggy meet-up to make you feel like everything is right with the world.


Share/Save/Bookmark

19 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

You did FABULOUSLY with MoFo, Bazu!! No worries!!

Oh man, that vegan ice cream is a work of art!! So perfectly swirled!!

Great meet-up you had!!

Amey said...

wow, what a fun post. i haven't quite put my finger on why it's so incredibly fun to meet fellow veg bloggers, but it's totally awesome. I haven't met any duds yet.

How fun that you got to meet Isil AND Defne! I've been reading her blog for so long. Also, the double decker vegan bustraunt!? And with a blogger?? Sounds like a sweet vegan dream.

Lastly, I wish I could eat that bowl of soba ramen for breakfast right now.

JohnP said...

I have a serious case of Neal's Yard envy!

Anonymous said...

Hey, I had a lot of fun too! I love your photo of the olive. Little neon green missile of goodness!

Donna Quesada said...

The noodles-soba with chili sauce looks exquisite! BTW, I copied the terrific humane-society pic with the fork and key and pasted it to my own blogsite- I teach at a community college and have been covering animal welfare issues and vegetarianism for years. I love your blog!

Isil Simsek said...

Bazu,
It was our pleasure.
I'll have to try out the Rootmaster.It looks lovely!

Jen Treehugger said...

I'll be visitng Wagamamma's in December and I can't wait!!
It's so much fun reading about all your travels - I LOVE it!
How cool is that bus!!

funwithyourfood said...

haha i love the money shot. oh and that vegan ice cream.. YUM!

Teddy

Leslie Richman said...

That all looks wonderful!

urban vegan said...

How cool to meet those London blogger celebrities--lucky you. I miss Wagamama. It's the only chain restaurant that I like. Why can't they bring them to the US? Can you smuggle one back for us in your suitcase?

sarchan said...

I can tell you're loving London. Adorable children! Vegan mango-chocolate-swirl(--!) softserve...
This post brought back happy memories. I still think very fondly of the Pure Wagamama.

DJ said...

The olives looked amazing! Gotta love London!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Oh, how fun! How did I miss that vegan ice cream when I was in London?! I almost went to Rootmaster, as I loved the bus, but I didn't see anything I wanted to eat there.

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

lunch in a bus and cute olives and cuter defnes! awwwwwww!

oh, and mango + chocolate sounds amazing, wish I could taste it. :O~~~

Mafalda said...

Only in England you can eat a Vegan Brazilian Flavour Ice Cream..in Brazil you won't find vegan ice cream in nowhere! I love mango..Mama usually eat the fruit in lunch. You blog is really really cool!

J-Dub said...

Wow! I so don't remember the food being that good when I was in London! I totally wish I'd been vegan back then, I would have sought that deliciousness out rather than settling for veggie burgers at Nandos!

I tried to go to Neil's Yard once (it was just around the corner from my work) but it was full. Poop!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.