As a vegetarian, my options for dining out are very limited, especially in Arkansas. I am also rarely able to try new cuisines as they usually use meat products. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of vegan and vegetarian options in London, even at the markets we visited. At Borough Market, I found a Mexican restaurant where I ordered vegan street tacos with cauliflower and potatoes. I’ve only been able to find vegetarian street tacos at one place in Northwest Arkansas, so I was extremely excited about these. The cauliflower were my favorite, they had a delicious spice that didn’t burn or linger for too long in my mouth.
Then at Spitalfields Market, there was a Japanese restaurant that sold katsu. I’ve never had katsu before because it is usually made with chicken, but this place had a tofu option. I ordered the tofu katsu with the sweet tonkatsu sauce on rice, and I loved it. The tofu was light and the breading added the perfect crispiness to it. I hope to find another place with tofu katsu again in the future.
Also at Spitalfields Market, I ordered paneer tikka naan tacos. I know that sounds crazy, but this was one of my favorite dishes from my entire trip in London. I had a LOT of Indian food on this trip, but this might be the best. The paneer was so flavorful, the tikka masala was spicy, the arugula and onions gave it a crunch, but the naan had a slight sweetness that brought it all together. Naan tacos are an absolutely genius invention that I have never seen before and I hope the United States catches on to it. It was so nice to have such a variety of vegetarian options and have the chance to try things I haven’t been able to before. -Milly Medlock
Theatre in London U of A 