Byron Vegan Menu Launch

Last week I attended the launch event for Byron's new vegan and vegetarian menu options which are launched in all of their UK restaurants today. Prior to attending this event I can't recall a time I ever visited a Byron restaurant and that's probably because they never had a vegan burger option on their menu, until now that is! It does seem that Byron are quite late to the vegan party in offering us up some decent options, but we all know that it's better to be late than never show up at all.   

I was really looking forward to this event and seeing what was in store on the menu. The event itself took place at Byron's Soho restaurant in heart of London's West End.  

You never really know what these events are going to be like but on arrival I was really pleased to see that it was a sit down meal affair because that meant decent portion sizes in a comfortable and relaxed environment. I had also been saving myself all day and trying not to eat too much so I was really hungry and ready to get tasting! 

We were soon presented with the menu for the evening which was a mix of the new vegetarian and vegan options. We were offered the choice of trying everything on the menu but of course I just stuck to the vegan options, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that the veggie options all sounded pretty amazing too.

I think in the back of my mind I had gone along just expecting to be eating burgers and fries so I was really pleasantly surprised when we were presented with the 'Stacked Nachos' to start with. Not only did these look incredible but I was really impressed by the whole flavour and texture combination of this dish. Topped with pulled jackfruit, green chilli's sriracha, smoked chilli BBQ sauce, red pepper ketchup, spring onions and crispy onions, they were unlike any other nachos I have ever tried before. And they were incredibly moreish! They had a little kick to them which I really liked and all the different sauces just really made this a standout dish for me. 

Next up we were served the main event - Byron's first ever vegan burger, the 'Beetnik'. First off I have to say that I was really surprised to see that this is a vegetable based patty made from a beetroot falafel. Mock vegan meats seem to be so popular at the moment I had been expecting Byron to perhaps jump on this bandwagon but in many ways I was happy because mock meats aren't always my favourite, especially if they happen to resemble the real thing too much. The Beetnik burger also came with smashed avocado, tomato, picked red onions, red pepper ketchup and a lime dressed rainbow slaw. Oh and gherkin on the side! 

It sounded impressive on the menu, it looked even more impressive when it arrived and to taste it was equally as impressive. Let it be known that this is a really substantial burger with some great flavours going on. I enjoyed every mouthful and there wasn't any left on my plate which is always the sign of a good meal. 

The burger was also served with a side of vegan 'Stacked Fries' which were pretty much exactly the same as the nachos, just with fries. These were again delicious but if you do decide to go for the nachos maybe just stick with some regular or sweet potato fries with your burger as these definitely defeated us!

I doubt any of you will be going to Byron for a salad, but for those of you who are interested in the healthy option it consists of this super green 'Superfood Salad'. Along with the varied mixed leaves there was also some quinoa, edamame, tenderstem broccoli, avocado and pomegranate seeds. It tasted great!

It's always so good to see a predominantly meat based restaurant offering up some inventive vegan options and it's yet another UK chain restaurant doing so. It's taken them a little while to get there but you can certainly tell that a lot of love and thought and has gone into creating these dishes in order to make them as appealing and delicious as possible. Well done Byron!  

Don't forget these options are live in restaurants from Tuesday 24th April and I really hope you enjoy them as much as I did!