I have been vegetarian for most of my life but have never quite made the leap to veganism.
Each year “Veganuary” creeps up on me and I think about trying it but by 11am on New Year’s Day I’ve already tucked in to a slice of buttery cheese on toast.
But it is getting so much easier and especially in Brighton we are spoilt for choice with so many delicious “you can’t even tell it’s vegan” options.
Enter Oowee Vegan. I have been a fan of this restaurant since my student days in Bristol, where it was founded and have forced many a carnivorous friend to try it - they have all loved it.
I was excited to try its special limited edition Veganuary menu, which combines two of my culinary favourites: vegan fast food and Korean flavours.
The restaurant in Market Street, Brighton, has the laidback feel of a fast food outlet but there is no compromise on the quality of the food.
The Korean menu is complete with a barbecue burger, gochujang cauliflower bites, Korean barbecue dirty fries and slaw.
I love Oowee’s regular burgers but they can be quite heavy as they are usually topped with vegan cheese and mayonnaise.
The Korean barbecue burger is a nice alternative as it is simply a vegan burger, cooked in gochujang butter and topped with slaw – made of red cabbage, fresh chillies, spring onions, sesame seeds and barbecue sauce.
For those who don’t know, gochujang is a red chilli paste that is savoury, sweet and spicy. It really packs a punch.
What I will say is this menu is not for the faint-hearted – it is quite spicy so avoid the fresh red chillis if you don’t like your food too hot.
The stars of the show, though, were the gochujang cauliflower bites.
The cauliflower was almost unrecognisable in a crunchy gochujang coating, topped with barbecue sauce, chillies, spring onion and sesame seeds.
Its florets absorbed the flavours well so it was still crisp on the outside and juicy once you bit into it.
The Korean barbecue burger is £9.50 on its own or £13.45 as a meal with a drink and fries. Sides cost between £2.95 and £6.
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