I Tried Vegan Fish and Chips

So it's my last week in London and I want to try some of the foods featured on Buzzfeed, Food Insider, Tastemade, etc. before time is up. Even though I'm not vegan or vegetarian, and have little intention of becoming either, I really wanted to try Sutton & Sons vegan fish and chips. To make this vegan version on a classic UK dish, they fry a whole banana blossom. From the pictures and videos I had seen, the texture looked very similar to fish and I was pretty excited to see it with my own eyes. You must be thinking that it's ridiculous because there's no way you can get the taste or texture of fish and chips with something that's plant-based, but I still had to try it for myself.

After work today, I went to the location closest to my housing in Archway, which wasn't actually that close. I initially wanted to get takeout and bring it home, but I figured it was best to experience fresh and I wasn't going anywhere. They had so many seafood options and it really made me want to just get regular fish and chips instead, but I stuck to what I went there for and was shown to a small table in the back corner of the petite boat shack-themed restaurant. Its decor was so cute and made it feel very homey.

I'm not sure how knowledgeable you may be on fish and chips, but when the waitress brought it to my table, my first thought was how much skinnier it was compared to a proper fried haddock. Nonetheless, I was excited to dig in! Below is what the banana blossom looked like right after cutting into it. Honestly, it does have resemblance to fish!

I would say the best way to describe banana blossom is as if you were eating a huge artichoke. I'm personally a huge fan of artichoke, but I know that it's not for everyone. As I was starving, I finished it all pretty quickly and it was very delicious!

Overall, it is definitely no match for the original, but this is a great alternative for vegans to enjoy. I don't think I would ever choose it over the 'real thing', but it was worth a try for sure! If you're ever in Stoke Newington, Islington, or Hackney Central, I highly recommend heading over to Sutton & Sons to experience it for yourself. They have an entire vegan menu (including meat pies and 'prawn' cocktail) along with its typical seafood selection, so there's something you're bound to want to try!

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I also tried the Avolato (avocado gelato) this week, so make sure to check out my post on that too if you're interested!