Cafes / Reviews
Vx Bristol – cafe review
Veganism is big news at the moment with thousands turning vegan this month for ‘Veganuary’, so there is no better time for Vx to open on East Street in Bedminster.
Vx serves what it calls “vegan junk food” with a limited menu at the moment offering kebabs and hot dogs. Of course there is no meat in these dishes and nor was there anything originally from an animal in the cheese melted over my hot dog.
Instead, the processed meats like chorizo and schnitzel for sale in the fridges are created from seitan – protein-rich wheat gluten.
is needed now More than ever
It takes quite a leap of imagination to think eating a kebab for lunch is acceptable. The whole set-up is rather a bizarre concept for a committed meat eater, and although the sauerkraut in my hot dog was good, the sausage itself was insipid.
It’s still officially a soft opening at Vx at the moment though, with head chef Hannah formerly from the Mighty Food Fight van (that used to be parked outside Pip and Jay church on Temple Way) arriving soon.
The kebab was better, fake doner meat with garlic sauce, lettuce, tomato in a pita rap, also served in a red plastic basket like Bagel Boy.
For dessert, we had a delicious “sweet burger” – a sweet bun with cream, jam and icing.
With Johnny Cash on the stereo, a steady stream of customers walked in to Vx on a recent Wednesday lunchtime, from builders in their hi-vis vests to mums with babes in arms in Hunter wellies.
The seating is on one side with fridges and shelves on the other selling vegan food, and a small area in one corner with badges, stickers and t-shirts from the Secret Society of Vegans, a clothing brand founded by Vx’s France-born owner Rudy Penando.
On the wall nearest the tables and chairs, there is a Simple Simon-style collection of coloured pieces of reclaimed wood, hemmed in by two old doors and a space hopper in the window.
Vx began life as a shop and cafe in London’s Kings Cross and Penando has chosen Bristol to launch what could become a growing chain at just the right time.
Vx Bristol, 123 East Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4ER