Sometimes there's nothing better than indulging in junk food and, if we're honest, fried chicken is a junk staple. But for the vegetarians and vegans out there, options are seriously limited. Bland bean burgers just don't cut it anymore. Luckily, London has its very own resident vegan fried chicken joint: Temple of Seitan. Established in 2015, they're 100% vegan, use sustainable packaging and currently have two branches: Hackney and Camden.
I'm a skeptic and so the sound of vegan fried chicken wasn't entirely convincing. I had a lot of questions. What is it made of? Will it just taste like battered and fried tofu? Is it expensive? Will it taste good?
I had to go and find out myself (and, of course, drag an innocent friend with me).
Temple of Camden
I ended up going to the Camden branch for pure convenience. It's pretty tucked away in a small, quiet corner so it was a little difficult to track down. They really want you to work for this "chicken".
When it came to ordering, I opted out of getting a fried chicken burger. I wanted to taste the chicken and chicken alone. So we ordered the 'fillets' and 'wings'. Each portion came with coleslaw, fries and a drink, which totalled to £7.50 each.
Looks convincing doesn't it? Aesthetically, the pieces of 'chicken' look less like 'wings' but they could definitely pass as convincing boneless chicken strips. What was really disappointing was the "coleslaw", which consisted of a sad amount of vegan mayo and some even sadder looking strips of celery and carrots.
Moving past that, I dug into the chicken...
Okay, so it doesn't look exactly like chicken but what it lacks in chicken-y texture it makes up for it in flavour. These tasted amazing! The batter was the real winner here (it's gluten free) because it was spiced to perfection. It goes really well with the vegan mayo too!
The Verdict:
I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. While it is pricey, it is also really filling. It tastes almost like the real thing but at the end of the day, the joy of fried chicken is all in its greasy, crispy goodness and Temple of Seitan/Camden replicates that really well. If you're vegan or vegetarian and looking to indulge your greasy food fix, this is perfect for you. I will definitely be coming back to try more of their extensive menu. But vegan fried chicken? It's a yay from me!