By CHLOE., Oxford Circus, Marylebone

By CHLOE., NYC’s vegan fast food sensation, is making serious in roads into the London plant-based scene with their third location in London, just steps from Oxford Circus. By CHLOE. are now truly spreading the love in the UK with their plant-based burgers, pastries and delicious air fried fries (with beetroot ketchup!). As I am a huge fan of By CHLOE. NY,  I was keen to review the central London branch.

The setting

By CHLOE.  Oxford Circus is based next to busy Oxford Street, so certainly super central! A few streets away in Fitzrovia, you can find Glow Bar and Kin.

The space

Outside they have the signature monochrome look of the By CHLOE.s  in the US.

The inside has a canteen kind of vibe, the space is large, black and white striped, with stripped brick walls.

There are lots of chairs and tables of different sizes, plus striped couches and tiny tables where it’s easy to sit on your own.

It’s not the best space to work on your laptop, being much more of a space to get lunch or dinner to go or to quickly eat in – especially with the many office workers nearby. You order your food at the counter and they give you a buzzer, so, when your food is ready, it buzzes to let you know.

I’m going to be very honest here, since I have visited multiple locations in New York and now in London, maybe it’s the ultra busy location, but this branch has more of a fast food vibe (and less of a relaxed vibe) than others. In New York, By CHLOE.  is very much a relaxed brunch spot too.

The crowd

Being so central, expect a different crowd to their other branches.: shopping teenagers, and lots of business men and women from nearby offices.

What we ate

In the UK By CHLOE. has created some “British specials” like toffee pudding and fish and chips, but sadly, due to the busy location, they had run out of those and other options on the menu, so we couldn’t try them out.

I usually have the Caesar salad, which is super tasty! So decided to mix it up with the Thai salad. When the salad came it was sprinkled with crispy wontons, a few pieces of apricot-siracha glazed tempeh and a very few edamame beans. I suspect they were running out of ingredients here too. However,  peanut dressing was super tasty and gave a really lovely Asian twist to the dish.

Next, we had the breakfast platter of scrambled tofu, spinach, a maple sausage, market greens, walnuts and 7 grain toast. Sadly, the tofu was wet and the sausage was burned. However, the toast was well toasted and crunchy with slightly brown edges, just how I like it.

So, after the negativity, good news: the legendary By CHLOE. desserts!

Their sweets are all amazing and you literally will have no idea you’re eating a vegan pastry!

I’ve had their muffins before, and do really recommend them, but the banana bread is definitely my favourite of all. It’s a super thick slice fully loaded with pieces of chocolate and walnuts. The crust has a little crunch and is perfectly baked and not too moist. Also, I had my first pecan cookie and that was a real winner. The cookie was moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside and contained chocolate chips and pecan pieces.

I’m still a big fan of By CHLOE. and I really hope they will get their kitchen better organised at this busy branch, because Tower Bridge and Covent Garden are doing really well.  The guy at the counter was super sweet and really tried to compensate for the lack of menu items and make everyone happy who was eating in.

The bill

Sweet potato fries  £4
Spicy thai salad  £9,95
Early bird platter  £9
Banana bread  £3.60
Cookie, classic pecan  £2.40

ByChloe Silver Lake, LA

ByChloe is the award winning, uber cool vegan sensation that has taken New York, and more recently London, by storm. Delivering delicious plant-based food in cutting edge cafés, it has a global fan base……..

With a mission statement of “Eat Well. Eat with purpose”, this must visit destination takes plant-based fast food, salads and treats seriously.  Currently, there’s only one café in LA in the peaceful, residential area of Silver Lake.

The setting

The Silver Lake café is located inside the Whole Foods supermarket, but makes the most of its space with clever design. Bay windows open up the area which features colourful benches, their iconic hanging basket chairs, communal tables and white exposed brick walls with calming plants. Plus, there’s the signature ByChloe neon sign – while London has “Guac save the Queen”, Silver Lake has a picture of their veggie burger and fries. The white tiled tables make a perfect Instagram backdrop!


I also suggest exploring Silver Lake if you’ve time. The neighbourhood reminds me of San Francisco. If you  wander through its hilly streets, you will find incredible houses, gardens and the famous Silver Lake Reservoir. There’s also the gorgeous Echo Park nearby with a profusion of palm trees and cool cafés.

The little things

You will instantly feel at home in ByChloe, as the smell of freshly baked goods fills the space and you swing in a hanging chair.

Everything is made in-house daily and that is reflected in the freshness of the food.

The fresh juice test

They didn’t  have any juices or smoothies on the day I visited, which was a little disappointing. They usually offer a selection of cold pressed juices and I would have probably had the Giving Tree with kale, spinach, wheatgrass, apple and lemon. Instead, the staff kindly offered me samples of their selection of aguas frescas,  but they were too sugary for my taste. So, I went for a fresh coconut which instantly reminded me of holidays.

The Thai coconut is stamped with a cute ByChloe logo and the coconut water was so refreshing on the warm day.


What we ate

There’s a large choice between salads or healthier versions of comfort food dishes like the creamy Mac ‘n Cheese, fries with chipotle aioli, burgers (I hear the guac burger is the best) or sandwiches.

As it was 30+°C  when I visited, I chose the Spicy Thai salad with shredded kale, chopped romaine, apricot-sriracha glazed tempeh, almonds, quinoa, edamame, scallion, crispy wontons and peanut dressing – to which I also added some aioli and beetroot ketchup. The salad was large and filling. It had a great crunchy, fresh texture and the combination of dressings on the greens made it extra creamy and spicy.

For dessert, I couldn’t resist the gluten-free chocolate chip cookie.

It turned out to be probably the best cookie I have ever had with a super soft centre, oozing chocolate and a lovely golden colour.

ByChloe

All PostsWhat else?

I always like places that use seasonal, locally-sourced, organic ingredients and are transparent about their preparation. ByChloe does not use artificial preservatives and makes everything in-house and you can definitely taste this in the food!

The staff  are very accommodating and the menu is certified kosher with soy, nut and gluten-free options as well. All the packaging and utensils are compostable or recyclable, but I do still wish they used less plastic.

What made us glow

The freshness of the ingredients, the satisfying salad and that dream of a cookie!

Plus, in true LA style, ByChloe also cater for dogs with peanut butter cupcakes and more! 


The bill

Spicy Thai Salad  $11.95
Chocolate Chip cookie  $2.50
Coconut  $5.00

For more LA inspiration click here. 


ByChloe
ByChloe
ByChloe

 

 

By Chloe, fast food vegan pioneers-Greenwich Village, NYC

Super cool swinging chairs, decor to dine for and vegan fast food- did someone say vegan fast food? Head to By Chloe.

By Chloe’s flagship café on the corner of Bleecker and Macdougal has turned a salad on its head by creating fast food out of plants. Creative Director and brand genius, Samantha Wasser, oversaw the transformation of this historic café favoured by Warhol in the 70’s after a fire. And now this ‘oh so clever ‘vegan fast food hotspot has taken New York by storm. But it’s not style over substance – the food not only looks good, but is quite simply some of the best vegan food we have ever tried.


The setting

By Chloe sits on the corner of the block with striking black and white striped awnings, open sides and super cool tiling on the counter.

Forget vegan food of past- this is 21st century plant-power with every stylish twist and turn you could hope for.

You can swing from a hanging basket, sit on a  plush rainbow-coloured  banquette lining a vintage  mirrored wall or grab a communal hotspot in the centre table or, if you are lucky, sit at an outdoor table.

The little things

Playful design is everywhere- on the recyclable food cartons, napkins and signage. You only have to look at the By Chloe Instagram feed to see that Samantha Wass is a branding genius.

And there are even coconuts stamped with the By Chloe logo for $5..

The fresh juice test

By Chloe cold press their own juices. They have two green options The Giving Tree and Junkie – we went Junkie – a refreshing mix of  kale, spinach, wheatgrass, cucumber, parsley and lemon. We also tried their Cuckoo’s Nest-a near perfect beetroot-based juice with apple, romaine, lemon and ginger.

What else?

They offer GF alternatives on all breads and buns. And they adore dogs so watch out for their pooch treats,

What we ate

There’s a huge choice of fast food favourites.

We had the Guac Burger – a delicious black bean, quinoa and sweet potato patty with corn salsa, onion, guac, chipotle aioli on a whole grain bun-amazing!

We also tried the pesto meatball sandwich – the meatballs were a yummy portobello mushroom and veg combo accompanied with marinara, sweet peppers, basil pesto cashew mozzarella, almond parm and a filling potato sub roll. Finally, we had a stunning side of avocado pesto pasta wth cashew pesto, grape tomatoes and almond parm.

What made us glow?

The food, the food and the food!

The bill

Sweet potato fries  $3.95
The Guac Burger  $9.95
Avocado Pesto Pasta  $4.95
Pesto Meatball Sandwich  $8.95
Juices  $9.95


Covent Garden: By CHLOE. iconic vegan NYC sensation hits town

By CHLOE. is an award winning, plant-based, fast-casual, vegan sensation in the US.

It has nine branches and has served over 610,000  ‘Guac burgers’ since July 2015.

In February their first location opened in Covent Garden’s theatreland. “We have wanted to expand internationally.” says Founder and creative director Samantha Wasser.


“We started looking at where the requests were coming from. There were so many requests coming from London. We looked at our Instagram stats and it was NYC, LA, London. The reception has been incredible.”

The Setting

By CHLOE. lures you in with it’s iconic swinging chairs, pink neon signs, mosaic topped tables and signature banquettes.

It’s on Russell Street just opposite the stage door for 42nd Street.  The black and white striped floors and monochrome tiles are covered with a mixture of small and large tables, a selection of potted plants are dotted throughout and the staff are super-friendly.

Even the toilets have super-cool plant power wallpaper.

We could have stayed all afternoon just swinging around admiring the view.

The Green Juice Test

There are six cold pressed juices on offer with a choice of two green ones- The Giving Tree (kale, spinach, wheatgrass, apple and lemon) and the Junkie (kale, spinach, wheatgrass, cucumber, parsley and lemon).

Our tip is to also try the Seasonal Lemonades. We tried Clementine and went back for another.

The Little Things

By CHLOE. is exceptionally dog friendly. Dogs have their own section of the menu Woof By Chloe featuring Pupcakes (organic whole oat K 9 cupcakes) and BagO’ Dog Bones (house-made organic peanut butter dog bones).

There are also plug sockets for working diners.

 

What we ate

There’s a huge choice, including some UK specials like a vegan take on Fish and Chips made from tofu, but we couldn’t resist their best sellers.  We tried and adored The Guac Burger, a fabulous black-bean, quinoa and sweet potato pattie with corn salsa, guac, tortilla strips, chipotle aioli in a wholemeal bun.

The Mac N’ Cheese with sweet potato and cashew cheese sauce was a hit with us on a recent trip to New York and it didn’t disappoint in London.  In fact we can’t wait to go back and have it again with its almond “parm” and a super tasty shitake bacon topping.

The amazing avocado pesto pasta with grape tomatoes and almond parm was so good that we might go for this as a main next time. And finally we tried some more-ish air baked sweet potato fries. Make that a double next time!


The Bill

Green Juice £4.80
Seasonal Lemonade £2.75
The Guac Burger £9.00
Quinoa Taco £9.95
Mac N’ Cheese  side £4.80
Avocado Pesto Pasta side £4.80
Air baked Sweet Potato Fries £4.00


What Else?

By CHLOE. is spacious,  a cool place to chill and it’s good value for well made vegan cuisine using great ingredients. The packaging is pretty and recyclable.

They also have a wide selection of cookies and cakes although it is worth noting these contain vegan sugar.

What Made Us Glow?

The vibe, all the food… and we didn’t even try the range of cakes and cookies! We’ve already put a return date in the diary.