REVIEW: ESSENTIAL VEGAN- VEGAN BURGER

fillingthegapp
Aug 17, 2015
2 min read

Essential Vegan is a vegan burger stall amongst other food stalls in Pump Shoreditch.

Their menu is simple: burger, polenta fires, cake, brownie and today's special.

This is probably my fifth time eating here, during my two months stay in London. I guess that says something about my obsession over these Essential Burgers (£6). Unlike a lot of the vegan burgers on the market nowadays, the patty in this burger is not a crumbly (and often dry)bean patty. Instead, the patty is made of Seitan a.k.a. wheat gluten. Therefore, this is obviously not going to be suitable for those who are on a gluten-free diet. Each burger is made to order ( which takes about 5-10 minutes); trust me, it's worth the wait. Aside from the juicy patty, the homemade vegan cheese by Essential Vegan adds a unique creamy taste and texture that make the burgers even more irresistible. The cheese also acts as a barrier between the patty and the bread underneath it, preventing the juice of the patty from drenching the bun too much(eww soggy bread). The Essential Burger is completed with lettuce, ketchup, mustard and vegan mayo (you don't have to have all/any of the sauces).

The "Cake" of the day is this Strawberry Mille-feuille (£3).

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical about this dessert. You may or may not have experienced the disappointment of a hard, cardbordy and oily puff pastry. I would say that puff pastry is always a gamble; it is either heaven or hell. In this case... it was definitely heaven. The puff pastry is light and crispy; even the bottom puff pastry, which I imagined would be soggy from soaking up the moisture of the cream (I was so wrong). This dessert was simply beautiful. The fresh and slightly sour strawberry accompanied by the the creamy of the cashew whipped cream between the crispy puff pastries... Heaven.