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I break my extended silence (sorry about that) to bring news of a Vegan Lamington to you.
You know the Lamington – sponge, chocolate, coconut. Allegedly tasty, though they’ve only become hip since I became Vegan. A thousand Australian and New Zealandish cafes have opened and served Lamingtons to hipsters on demand. Many times, I have waited for a Soy Latte at Workshop eyeing up the Lamington and wishing it could be mine, wondering how it would be to bite into its spongeyness.
I assumed a Vegan Lamington would never be invented. I don’t know why, I just thought of it as Forbidden (Coconut) Fruit, it would break the natural laws of yearning if someone invented a Vegan Lamington.
But now they have! There’s a bakery called Hackney Bakery who’ve come on the scene and they’re selling these fellas exclusively to Black Cat:
It’s tasty, so tasty. They’re only stocked at Black Cat and you’ll feel like you’re having something illegal. I’m fixated on this point, I realise, but there are some cakes which are in the “never for Vegans” category of my brain and the Lamington is one. But here it is, and it’s delicious and spongey as anything. The World Turned Upside Down.
Whilst I’m on the topic of the Black Cat, I’d like to check that you’ve been there since it took over from Pogo and got its full menu and decor sorted. This isn’t the Pogo of the past, which I loved for its muddled way and its sense of DIY cooking, but would never get the more hoity-toity end of Vegans in, let alone non-Vegans. There were metal grills across the windows for one thing. Black Cat is a modern cafe in the classic 2010s Faux-Scandi Hackney Style that looks like it wants you, with a lot of light and a big range of food and drink. It’s still political, it’s still not-for-profit, but it knows how to compete with the other 10,000 silly cafes of Hackney, and it’s beautiful.
I had a Gramlette last time, a kind of Omelette with loads of veg in. It was amazing. I even ate the delicious Coleslaw on the side, and I hate Coleslaw. This wasn’t like normal Coleslaw though, it was fresh and had good mayo in it. Another World Turned Upside Down moment. The times are a-changing.
Speaking of good cafes, seems likes a good place to show you how ace Moose’s Kitchen in St Leonards is. St Leonards inexplicably seems to be a small place with a lot of Vegan and Vegan-friendly businesses. There’s only 3 main streets and there’s 5 good places for Vegans to go.
It could be because the Vegan Society was based nearby, although one local Vegan told us that everyone hated the Vegan Society and were glad when they left. How strange if true – mysterious. Perhaps Birmingham will show them the full love they need.
Anyway, Moose’s is a delicious cafe, fresh salads, sundaes and bottles of local beer all agogo, and some very kind staff to boot. It was a sunny seaside day to cherish. Doesn’t take long to get there from London, and it’s right near the station, so go and eat it all.
The Cafe
Sundae Choccy Sundae
On The Menu
Local Beer in the Photograph
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