Brighton 2017 - Part 2

Last week we enjoyed our second stay in Brighton of 2017 and I made a conscious effort to try out some new places to eat which, in a place like Brighton, was really hard! It's always so tempting to go back to some of our favourite places but, after numerous visits over the past few years, I still found myself with on ongoing 'must try' list which needed some action taking. 

Our first stop off for brunch when we arrived was the new and improved Red Roaster Coffee which has recently undergone an huge refurbishment. Although not a purely veggie or vegan cafe it does have a few decent options along with different plant based milks. It made its way onto my radar after watching an Alfie Deyes and Zoella vlog and I instantly fell in love with their highly instagramable interior and gorgeous looking food. 

I ordered a simple avo toast with a green tea and a homemade glass of fizz. We shared some delicious curly fries and my husband ordered their baked cauliflower, hummus and aubergine caviar flat bread which tasted incredible. 

I'd really recommend stopping here, even if it's just for a coffee and to appreciate their interior styling. It definitely feels like the hip new place to hang out in Brighton!

One morning we decided to head to Kensingtons Balcony Cafe for breakfast as this is somewhere which has been recommended to me time and time again as being the perfect place for a big vegan fry up. It's a quirky little cafe which i'm not surprised I've missed in the past as it's situated upstairs and out of the way, albeit in the centre of the North Laine area. 

Both my husband and I went in for the big vegan breakfast which came with everything you would expect and a random side of hummus and salad. This breakfast did hit the spot but the sausages were not as good as our usual preferred Linda McCartney ones. I also ended up leaving the hummus and salad as for me this just doesn't go with a fry up, but each to their own! I would definitely go back here for breakfast again as the food was really yummy with great portion sizes. 

One of our evenings in Brighton was spent seeing Ricky Gervais in his new stand up show 'Humanity' which was such an amazing night. The show is hilarious and i'd really recommend going to see if if you can still get tickets. We ended up getting back from the show quite late and decided to order a Pizza Face to our hotel via Deliveroo. Until now I had never tried a vegan Pizza Face before but fortunately for me it was Tuesday night, aka Vegan night at Pizza Face, and so I wasted no time in placing my order. I went for a 'Gabriel' which was a cheeseless pesto base pizza with a lot of chilli's. This pizza was so good but so much hotter than I expected! 

On our final day in Brighton I had firmly pencilled in the infamous Happy Maki as our lunch spot. I have previously tried to go here twice in the past and failed both times, once due to a refurbishment taking place and the other time being because they're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I was so determined to get myself there this time around to try one of their amazing looking vegan sushi burritos.  

My husband and I had difficult choosing what sushi rolls to go for as they're all vegan and they all sounded amazing. In the end we decided to split and share a hoisin duck and a Thai sweet potato. I can honestly say I have never eaten anything like this before. Well i've had vegan sushi in the past but just not on this scale! These jumbo burrito style rolls were incredible! My favourite was the hoisin duck as I have always been obsessed with hoisin sauce so this really hit the spot for me but both were delicious and so filling.  

We also opted for a couple of side dishes with some sweet potato fries and popcorn cauliflower. I still can't get over just how amazing and tasty the popcorn cauliflower was! This is a must try if you visit Happy Maki and it's by far the best interpretation of this dish i've ever tried. I just wish I could order some more now! Happy Maki really did not disappoint and I know i'll be heading back there again next time i'm in town. 

On our way home from the New Forest (which was the second stop of this trip) we decided to make a lunch time pit stop at the newly opened Road Shack Cafe in nearby (to Brighton) Peacehaven. A couple of people on the Brighton Vegans Facebook group recommended this place to me and with it being outside of Brighton it was an easy place for us to stop to grab a quick bite during our road trip.  

I went for a beetroot burger and my husband went for a double stack cheeseburger and both were really nice and tasty. We also picked up some chocolate chip cookies and vegan dime bars to take away with us. The ladies who run this cafe are so friendly and welcoming and it's also dog friendly!  

It was another fantastic stay in Brighton and i'm so glad I managed to get to some new places for the first time. The sheer amount of choice for vegetarians and vegans in this area is just mind boggling and I still think that no where else really compares. If you're thinking of visiting be sure to check out my other Brighton posts and don't forget that the Fringe Festival is on now until June 4th which means there's even more to see and do than usual.  

Where are your favourite places to eat out vegan in Brighton? 

I'd love to know if anyone has any other recommendations for me!