Vegans of Leeds, listen up: vegan junk food in Leeds just got better. The Knaves Kitchen pop-up inside Oporto on Call Lane is 100% vegan and it could be here to stay too – if their cruelty-free take on burgers, wings, kebabs and more prove popular enough.
Does anyone else feel like it’s your responsibility as a vegan to keep up vegan demand? I live in constant fear that if a new vegan range or menu isn’t popular enough then vegan-friendly options will start disappearing again. With that in mind, I jumped at the chance to sample Knaves Kitchen’s menu alongside a few treats that aren’t on the menu yet.
The menu is divided into ‘Seitan’, ‘Not Seitan!’ and ‘sides’. I was especially excited to find so much chewy seitan on the menu and lots of creative options for when you want some proper cruelty-free comfort food. Plus both seitan and tofu are great sources of non-animal protein.
Here’s what they had to offer:
‘Fish’ Finger Wrap – seitan’s fingers, tartare sauce, shredded iceburg in a soft flour wrap
Using seaweed to give the seitan a “fishy” flavour, the fingers teamed up perfectly with the vegan tartare sauce. Definitely not your typical fish finger sandwich and my highlight from the menu.
Simply vegan buffalo wings
Not yet on the menu, these chewy ‘wings’ were coated in a delicious tangy-yet-sweet sauce and definitely deserve to be made a regular!
The ‘Mill Hill’ Special – grilled Seitan, hummus,lettuce, pickles and extra chilli sauce
Named after the infamous late night kebabs of Mill Hill in Leeds, this had the right amount of dirty, messy, spicy kebab with none of the wondering what it might actually be made from (just plants, phew!).
Satay – crispy tofu, peanut sauce, sweet Thai pickles
These perfect little breaded tofu balls have got enough texture to bring any reluctant tofu-eaters around but, although I’m a huge satay fan, the sauce could do with a bit of a flavor boost.
Katsu Curry – breaded tofu, Japanese style curry sauce, toasted sesame seeds
Also made with breaded tofu balls, this dish fell short for me as the curry sauce was very bland, especially combined with the steamed rice served as part of the dish.
O.B.B Onion Bhaji Burger
I loved the texture of this burger, but it was a bit (OK, a lot) on the salty side and I couldn’t help but wonder if they could have come up with a more unique burger idea.
Peanut butter and chocolate deep fried dough balls with blueberry yoghurt
Where to begin with this dessert? I can’t remember the last time I had anything that felt so indulgent. The touch of blueberry is just enough to cut through the peanut-buttery-chocolatey-doughy heaven and stop you fully sinking into a food coma. Absolute perfection.
Leeds still has a way to go before it can claim to be one of the more vegan-friendly cities in the UK so Knaves Kitchen is just what we needed. And, as every non-vegan says every time they describe vegan food: “you’d never guess it was vegan!”
Find out more at:
Pin this post for later:
I was invited to Knaves Kitchen to try the dishes but not obliged to write about my experience. All thoughts, recipes and photos my own. Please see my disclaimer for more details.
