Bad Vegan: Tom Kerridge teams up with Mark Emms for new fast food restaurant in Camden

The new “vegan” opening looks to want the best of both worlds, as it will also serve meat
Branching out: the venture sees Kerridge get into the vegan market for the first time
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Tom Kerridge has become the latest chef to throw his weight behind London’s burgeoning vegan scene, as he partners with events man Mark Emms to launch a new restaurant, Bad Vegan.

As was first reported by Code Hospitality and others in February, Bad Vegan will open at Camden’s Buck Street Market, the new eco-friendly behemoth built from shipping containers. Bad Vegan will spread through two of these.

Now a firm opening date for the plant-based fast food joint has been announced, June 24, and a menu has been released, giving more of an idea of what being a “Bad Vegan” really means.

Rather than a strict meat-free offering, Bad Vegan looks to want the best of everything; while predominantly a plant-based offering, the restaurant will also serve beef brisket (with real beef, not a substitute); spicy Nduja sausage (the kind from a pig, not a plant) and smoked bacon fries (ditto).

Bad Vegan

Actual vegans hoodwinked by the name will, however, be catered for: the restaurant’s hero dish, dubbed the Taternator, sees a crunchy potato wrapped in a tortilla and served with three vegan toppings – either cheese and onion with a toasted sesame salad, pickled jalapeños, Queso sauce and crispy onions; or a barbecue-style offering with Boston beans and shallots; or smoky chipotle sauce with lime slaw, roasted peanuts and fresh chilli.

Elsewhere, there will flatbreads with an array of vegetable toppings, and a sharing dish called a Cauliflyer, which sees cauliflower florets covered in chilli sauce and toasted sesame, topped with coriander and chilli.

There will also be two vegan milkshakes on offer: one cookies and cream, the other peanut butter with strawberry jam, while Emms and Kerridge have partnered with the nearby Camden Town Brewery for a range of Bad Vegan beers.

Predominantly the brainchild of Emms, Kerridge helped design the menu at the 60-seater opening and said of it: “We knew we wanted to create something that brought out the delicious flavours of seasonal vegetables, whilst ensuring that it was filling and affordable to a large audience.

“The Taternator is a totally new dish that we’re all very excited for Londoners to try this summer.”

Bad Vegan

Doubling down on the restaurant’s “No Judgements” tagline, Emms said: “Bad Vegan is a restaurant that caters for all diets with any judgements left at the door. Ultimately, Bad Vegan aims to showcase that delicious and filling plant-based food can help non-vegans become more aware of their meal choices.”

He added: “For so long there has been such limited vegan options at the majority of restaurants, with plant-based eaters having to pick between one or two dishes. We wanted to flip this around and create a space where plant food led the menu, but somewhere that both vegans and non-vegans would be excited to visit.”

The restaurant says its food is both entirely natural and made on-site, and will focus its attention purely on vegetable-based dishes, eschewing both lab-grown meat and meat substitutes. Following the Buck Street opening, the brand has plans to expand across the country before heading to America.

For more information, visit bad-vegan.com

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