Dinner for our first night in London was up in the air because we'd just begun to get our bearings. We had a little time to explore nearby options before participating in the entertaining Book of Mormon lottery, so we checked out tibits, which I'd read good things about while preparing for the trip.
It was a short walk from the Leicester Square/Picadilly Circus area, tucked away on a quiet street offering a number of (presumably non-vegan) dining options.
The host was kind enough to give us a short tour and tutorial of the place, and we were really impressed.
I've never seen a buffet-style, pay-by-weight restaurant that was at the same time beautiful, atmospheric, and, frankly, a little bit swanky. It was also quite large- with additional seating in the bar area, as well as downstairs.
The idea of buffets- especially extremely vegan-friendly ones, is really appealing to me. However, I am not generally a fan of the reality (no need to expound). Tibits was spotlessly clean and every (vegan) offering looked appealing. In case you can't tell, the options are stacked two deep with even more on the second tier: just about all the way around.
While tibits is a vegetarian restaurant, vegan options are the majority and are very clearly marked. They were all wholly enticing and I knew we'd return- regardless of what the rest of our evening would hold.
As luck would have it, we did not win the show lottery. We explored the area a bit more, ran into Helen Mirren at the Gap, and then high-tailed it right back to tibits.
I'm pretty sure I took a sampling of everything vegan. And that delicious looking, pink beverage in the background? Why, that's their classic ice tea: white tea, hibiscus, elderberry, maple syrup, oranges, and raw cane sugar. America, can we make this our classic iced tea?
I can't possibly remember the exact names of everything on this dish, but I'll start my itemization with that incredible onion ring you see at the top: best vegan onion ring ever! It was perched atop a couple of really good chips, next to an awesome carrot salad, marinated mushrooms, beets, various bean salads, something that looked like salsa but was MUCH better, quinoa veggie salad, pumpkin salad, curried red lentil salad, delicious brown lentil salad, squash curry over rice, and a delicate rice noodle salad in the center. I don't really like it when my foods touch, but this plate of amazingness all went together perfectly and I enjoyed every bite.
And this? THIS is (vegan) sticky toffee pudding, my friends. One of the best desserts I have ever had. My English boss could not believe I'd found a vegan version, but I certainly did and I hope to recreate in the case that I do not find myself back in London in the near future. Anyone have a great recipe to share? Tibits? I'm embarrassed to report that I was so satiated by my meal that it didn't even occur to me to buy a pan or two of it to-go. Shame on my traveling companion for not suggesting it!
Tibits was the perfect food ending to a day that started extremely bad and suffered some weirdness in the middle. London, vegan, dinner, day 1: huge success! In case you're lucky enough to be in the area, tibits also offers outdoor seating (if you happen upon better weather than we did) and take-away. Highly recommend!
It was a short walk from the Leicester Square/Picadilly Circus area, tucked away on a quiet street offering a number of (presumably non-vegan) dining options.
The host was kind enough to give us a short tour and tutorial of the place, and we were really impressed.
 |
| upstairs |
I've never seen a buffet-style, pay-by-weight restaurant that was at the same time beautiful, atmospheric, and, frankly, a little bit swanky. It was also quite large- with additional seating in the bar area, as well as downstairs.
 |
| downstairs (also where you'll find the loo) |
The idea of buffets- especially extremely vegan-friendly ones, is really appealing to me. However, I am not generally a fan of the reality (no need to expound). Tibits was spotlessly clean and every (vegan) offering looked appealing. In case you can't tell, the options are stacked two deep with even more on the second tier: just about all the way around.
 |
| just one side of the food boat |
While tibits is a vegetarian restaurant, vegan options are the majority and are very clearly marked. They were all wholly enticing and I knew we'd return- regardless of what the rest of our evening would hold.
As luck would have it, we did not win the show lottery. We explored the area a bit more, ran into Helen Mirren at the Gap, and then high-tailed it right back to tibits.
I'm pretty sure I took a sampling of everything vegan. And that delicious looking, pink beverage in the background? Why, that's their classic ice tea: white tea, hibiscus, elderberry, maple syrup, oranges, and raw cane sugar. America, can we make this our classic iced tea?
I can't possibly remember the exact names of everything on this dish, but I'll start my itemization with that incredible onion ring you see at the top: best vegan onion ring ever! It was perched atop a couple of really good chips, next to an awesome carrot salad, marinated mushrooms, beets, various bean salads, something that looked like salsa but was MUCH better, quinoa veggie salad, pumpkin salad, curried red lentil salad, delicious brown lentil salad, squash curry over rice, and a delicate rice noodle salad in the center. I don't really like it when my foods touch, but this plate of amazingness all went together perfectly and I enjoyed every bite.
 |
| gigantic beans are always funny |
And this? THIS is (vegan) sticky toffee pudding, my friends. One of the best desserts I have ever had. My English boss could not believe I'd found a vegan version, but I certainly did and I hope to recreate in the case that I do not find myself back in London in the near future. Anyone have a great recipe to share? Tibits? I'm embarrassed to report that I was so satiated by my meal that it didn't even occur to me to buy a pan or two of it to-go. Shame on my traveling companion for not suggesting it!
Tibits was the perfect food ending to a day that started extremely bad and suffered some weirdness in the middle. London, vegan, dinner, day 1: huge success! In case you're lucky enough to be in the area, tibits also offers outdoor seating (if you happen upon better weather than we did) and take-away. Highly recommend!
It seems as though tibits currently exists only in London and Switzerland; let's help them to expand globally, shall we? Can I get a change.org started? Kickstarter? PLEASE JUST SEND ME SOME STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING, TIBITS!
Sorry about the Mormon lottery, but you know, it sounds like you did win the lottery as far as food goes. Tidbits looks amazing. I hope I get to visit London again someday. In the meantime, I'm really enjoying your travel tales.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Andrea; this was probably my favorite meal of the trip. I wish my fridge contained all of the delicious, prepared, vegan offerings tibits has!
ReplyDeletesounds like a great restaurant! and WOW what a plate! looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteAbby,
ReplyDeleteI’m still dreaming about the sticky toffee pudding. If ever you make it, I’ll need a very large quantity! Other than the pudding, I very much enjoyed Tibits. It a healthier, lighter meal and just what my body needed after a 7 hour flight.
Yay! I love tibits! The onion rings and sticky toffee pudding are two of my favourites so I'm pretty happy that you enjoyed them too - you clearly have good taste!
ReplyDelete