VBurger

Not so long ago, the only time that most Londoners would brave the food at Camden Market was after five pints at The Underworld. How times change. The market is now a labyrinth of hip street food stalls – and the word ‘vegan’ is splashed everywhere.

A newish addition to the blossoming ‘vegan junk food’ scene, VBurger is one of seven vegan stalls in the market. It has a simple menu, featuring three stock burgers plus a few changing specials. Service is friendly and quick, so it wasn’t long before an Up-beet (quinoa and beetroot) and a Seitan Schnitzel (deep-fried wheat gluten) arrived. Both were hefty and gloriously messy from the first bite.

While enjoyable, they weren’t especially memorable. The lukewarm Up-beet didn’t deliver enough beetroot flavour, though the schnitzel fared better, with an impressively meaty texture. Fries, by the way, were great: hot, grease-free and cooked perfectly.

Toppings are also important here. Costed extras (vegan ‘bacon’ strips, smashed avocado with lime) helped lift the burgers, but the as-standards (chipotle mayonnaise and smoked tomato relish) weren’t really identifiable. But hey, this is fast food. It’s generously portioned and absolutely satisfying, for vegans and meat-eaters alike.

An immense, gooey slab of chocolate brownie also needs mentioning. It could have held up the foundations of the witch’s house in ‘Hansel and Gretel’, putting a lot of other brownies – vegan or otherwise – to shame. At £3, it’s a sinful bargain.

In short, there are better vegan burgers in London, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wrap your face around a VBurger at some point.