Although Leon has been around for some time now, I have only just tried it out for the first time. I grabbed some pre-drinks food at the Leon at Ludgate Circus one evening. By day, Leon operates like a normal cafe and by night it switches to “”restaurant mode” with table service.
Have you heard the recent Transport for London radio advert? To paraphrase, guy asks girls for dinner and suggests steak; girl tells guy she’s veggie; guy then suggests seafood; girl tells guy she is allergic to shellfish… No, no, no! We get the message, plan ahead, check before you travel, etc. But, TFL please note that vegetarians do NOT eat fish, even if they do not have allergies. A so-called “vegetarian” who eats fish is a pescatarian, whether they realise it or not. Check out the dictionary.
I’m always on the lookout for some not-totally-unhealthy snacks to get me through each day of legal paper shuffling. Often I bake granola bars on Sunday evening, but in this hot spell I have been avoiding switching on the oven. Instead I have been buying “Nakd” bars in multi packs.
They sound so sin free:
Marie’s Cafe on Lower Marsh, tucked behind Waterloo station in North Lambeth is a curiosity. It is a traditional “caf” by day and a Thai restaurant by night.
This is a chaotic place to eat: it is BYO, has laminated menus and we were asked to move tables twice before our food arrived. Despite all this, the cafe is totally endearing and a refreshing change from the chains that have taken over central London. The food came very fast, was piping hot and thoroughly enjoyable. Before my first visit, I was unsure how vegetarians would be received, but there are a number of options and my Thai green veggie currie was ideal after a long hard week. The bill for mains and dessert came to under £10 each!
Advice: (1) book if you are going on a Friday night or are looking for a table for more than two; (2) expect to be dining close to your neighbours; (3) expect to be asked to move tables if they are struggling to fit everyone in; and (4) take your own wine or fizz.
As a born and bred vegetarian, the idea of visiting a sushi restaurant has always been off my radar. BUT, I have finally visited one of the Itsu sushi bars and I would definitely go again. I had the 7 veg and rice “potsu”, which is not normally vegetarian. On request, the staff will provide a veggie option by using a vegetarian broth rather than fish sauce/broth. It is super healthy: carrot, beans, pepper, mushrooms and a large volume of brown and wild rice. It was hot, wholesome and a quick lunch. As a City worker, discovering that Itsu is actually veggie-friendly is a revelation.
PS: the website has a really helpful page on dietary/nutritional information.
pistachioplum 