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22 May, 2012

Tibits: London’s Most Welcoming Veg Hangout?

Tibits Food Boat

Tibits

www.tibits.co.uk

12-14 Heddon Street
London, W1B 4DA
England

 

The offspring of Zurich’s Hiltl restaurant (Europe’s oldest veg restaurant), Tibits is the perfect spot to suit all tastes; there really is something for everyone on offer. I’ve never had a bad evening out here, it’s a good central location, and the staff are some of the nicest folks in town. The food is laid out buffet style on what they’ve termed the food boat, where you help yourself to the dishes which take your fancy (there are also sandwiches, soups, and pastries at the counter). It works on a pay by weight system, which is admittedly something I doubted initially because I thought it’d cost more, but in the end I realised I don’t pay more for a filling meal at Tibits than I would anywhere else in that part of the city. The menu is seasonal, so expect some dishes to shift (popular items often stay), and items are clearly marked vegetarian, vegan, with gluten, and with nuts.

Did someone say drinks?

The food boat and me showing love for drinks

Once a month Tibits hosts London Vegan drinks, organised by Sean of Fat Gay Vegan, and it’s one of the best nights out a wine-loving vegan could hope for. It’s every third Thursday of the month from 18:30 ’til closing, held in the basement of the restaurant. The chefs always lay out a big spread of vegan items at drinks too, including curries and stews, salads, puddings, and more. Two of the favourites I constantly hear mentioned by friends on the night are the sticky toffee pudding and the bean salad. Personally I am mostly focused on the Sauvignon Blanc and onion rings.

Should you wish to find me I will be the inebriated yank in the corner, dressed like an inappropriate five year old. If there are onion rings on your plate and you walk by, expect me to borrow one.

Let’s talk about the onion rings

Tibits food options

Spot the onion rings

The story behind the onion rings, which, if you’ve ever been to Tibits with me you’ll know is a bit of an obsession, is more than a little nonsensical. It all started when I learned of their vegan-ness (I hadn’t previously given them a glance because there’s often egg in the batter). Deep fry is one of my favourite food groups so, as you can imagine and understand, the moment was rather an epiphany.

Then there was the night they weren’t on the menu.

Tragedy. Commence Onion-Ring-Gate.

See, I’d been having so much fun at vegan drinks (seriously, make an effort to come sometime) that a few of us returned one Friday night for a mid-month gathering (and now I find any old excuse to go). Letters were written, complaints lodged. On serviettes.

“Where are the onion rings? Stop oppressing us,” they read, and were hand delivered to the kitchen by one of my now favourite staff members.

The joke with those lucky enough to be working on that fated night only progressed as the evening went on, with phone calls made to the kitchen and suggestions to perhaps accidentally falling through the door to have a word with the chef. Finally chef came upstairs for a chat and sealed himself as another of my staff favourites (who at the last vegan drinks kindly gave me a food boat tour of all the restaurant’s new Spring dishes – such a nice bloke).

Incidentally I may or may not have been consuming wine that evening.

Much to my amusement I’ve not been forgotten by those guys, and onion rings still come up frequently in conversation whenever I’m at Tibits and they’re unlucky enough to be working that shift. A massive thanks to Tibits staff for entertaining (babysitting?) me on these occasions. You guys are awesome.

Tibits food boat

Tibits food boat

Final Thoughts

What more can I say? I love this place. Somehow the restaurant manages to present itself as ideal for both varied occasions and diners, and on so many levels to boot. From business lunches and social gatherings (large or small) to dates (well this is an assumption – I never actually learned to date, and the thought makes me squirm #SerialLongTermRelationshipper #HashtagsOnBlogPosts #EnoughAboutMeNow), Tibits is suitable for a range of occasions. Likewise it’s a suitable spot for an array of diners, catering to vegans, vegetarians, and those with gluten and/or nut allergies, with all items clearly marked for suitability (moreover I’ve yet to hear any omnivore register a complaint about the place).

So if you’re ever in central, pop down Regent Street to find this gem of a spot. A bottle (or two) of the Sauvignon Blanc and a plate of onion rings will have you sorted for the rest of the evening.

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  • This is laap tod, a deep fried version of a popular salad in Thailand. Laap is a sour and spicy salad made with ground meat, lots of herbs, and crunchy ground toasted rice. To make laap tod this mixture is made into meatballs and fried. As you can see, it's perfectly possible to make a vegan version. I'll be serving this, along with the items below (subject to ingredient availability but I'm not anticipating any hiccups sourcing), at my next supper club on December 6. There are still a few tickets left. Link in bio and all that.⁠
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🟢Moo grop gratiem: Crunchy faux pork with fried garlic (welcome snack)⁠
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🟢Yam woon sen: spicy, sour, sweet glass noodle salad⁠
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🟢Lon kapi: faux shrimp paste and coconut cream relish with crudités⁠
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🟢Woon cha Thai: Thai tea jelly⁠
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🟢Lod chong: Pandan noodles in sweet coconut cream⁠
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#ลาบทอด #วีแกน #วีแก้น #อาหารเจ #มังสวิรัติ #vegansofldn #veganlondon #veganinlondon #londonvegan #londonvegancommunity #veganlondlife #veganlondoner #londonvegans #londonveganfood #londonveganeats⁠
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#ข้าวส้ม #จิ๊นลุง #อาหารไทใหญ่ #taiyaifood #วีแกน #วีแก้น #มังสวิรัติ #อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #veganthaifood #thaifoodstagram #northernthaifood #vegancook #vegandinner #foodstagram #totastemaker #bhgfood #gloobyfood #foodiesofinstagram #veganvultures #veganfoodspace #veganeatsplease #veganfoodspot #bestofvegan #eeeeeats #veganmeatballs #lotsofoil
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#ข้าวเส้น #แคบหมูเจ อาหารไทใหญ่ #แม่ฮ่องสอน #khaosen⁠
#vegan #veganfoodshare #veganfood #veganeats #noodles #noodleslover #noodlesfordays #noodlestagram #วีแก้น #อาหารเจ ⁠
#อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #veganthaifood #วีแกน #มังสวิรัติ #thaifoodstagram #vegansofinstagram #whatveganseat #vegansofig #feedfeedvegan #bestofvegan #veganfoodisnotboring #thevegansclub #veganeatsplease #veganmeals ⁠
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Then there's Raan Jay (as in older sister, not the vegan diet jay) Rin (a name, I think) Aahaan Nuua (Northern food), who offers an immense spread of Northern Thai foods. I bought a selection, including nam prik noom (a relish made with grilled long green chillies) with pickled bamboo shoot, kaeng prik makua yao (long green aubergine stir fried with chilli, oil, sichuan peppercorn, galangal), kaeng ho (a Northern curry where at least one curry is stir fried with glass noodles and other bits – a great way to use leftovers), kaeng kanun (jackfruit curry – how good is it to see jackfruit without BBQ sauce?), kaeng hua plee (banana blossom curry).⁠
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The only problem is there's no garlic during the jay festival and Northern food is incomplete without it.⁠
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Northern Thai cuisine is, unfortunately, quite underrepresented in the Thai food repertoire outside of the North itself, and I have heard central and Southern Thais express negative opinions about the food from this region because it is so unique compared to other parts of the country.⁠
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#วีแกน #วีแก้น #อาหารเจ #มังสวิรัติ #อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #veganthaifood #thaifoodstagram #northernthaifood #vegantravel #vegantravels #vegansofinstagram #thaiveganfood #jackfruitcurry #getinmybelly #hypefeast #veganfeast #veganphuket #phuketvegetarianfestival #อาหารเหนือ #น้ำพริก #น้ำพริกหนุ่ม #เทศกาลกินเจ #เทศกาลกินเจ2562 #เทศกาลกินเจภูเก็ต #droolclub #feedfeedvegan #bestofvegan #vegan⁠
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  • in🇹🇭 Lunch with @veganmiam at Dok Bua restaurant in Phuket. Thank you @napatcs for the recommendation! The crying tiger mushrooms and lemongrass tamarind fish were the standouts.⁠
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⚪Khao pad nam liap: fried rice with chinese olive, served with pineapple, sour mango, sweet mock pork, long beans, cucumber, chillies, carrots.⁠
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⚪Moo kua glua: Phuket special dish that means toasted salted pork. This was simple but good, served with carrot and kaffir lime leaf.⁠
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⚪Plaa takrai nam makaam: tamarind and lemongrass fish.⁠
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⚪Kaeng ped look chin: red curry with bouncy fish balls and aubergine.⁠
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⚪Sai krok pad tao hoo: hot dogs and tofu with vegan oyster sauce.⁠
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⚪Suua rong hai: Crying tiger made from lion's mane mushroom.⁠
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#อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #veganthaifood #thaifoodstagram #aroihere #ginraidee #กินไรดี #eatandshout #วีแกน #วีแก้น #อาหารเจ #มังสวิรัติ #ภูเก็ต #veganfoodtravel #vegan #vegansofig #แกงเผ็ด #veganrestaurant #happycow #veganphuket #เสือร้องไห้ #ข้าวผัด #vegangram #veganthailand #vegansofinstagram #veganfoodtravel #foodtravel #veganlunch #veganmeals ⁠
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#แกงส้มเจ #แกงไทย #แกงเจ #อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #veganthaifood #thaifoodstagram #aroihere #vegantravel #eatandshout #วีแกน #วีแก้น #อาหารเจ #มังสวิรัติ #hatyai #เทศกาลกินเจ #เทศกาลกินเจ2562 #vegan #veganfood #veganeats #vegancurry #thaicurry #veganmeals #vegandinner #gaengsom #sourcurry #veganthailand #vegansofig #veganinthailand⁠
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#ขนมจีน #ขนมจีนเจ #แกงไตปลา #แกงกะหรี่ #อาหารไทย #อร่อย #thaifood #veganthaifood #thaifoodstagram #kanomjeen #currynoodles #วีแกน #วีแก้น #อาหารเจ #มังสวิรัติ #เทศกาลกินเจ #เทศกาลกินเจ2562 #เทศกาลกินเจภูเก็ต #vegan  #veganfood #veganeats #vegantravel #vegansofinstagram #vegansofig #feedfeedvegan #bestofvegan #veganfoodisnotboring #veganbreakfast #foodhistory

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