Cape Town's first cruelty-free junk food joint
I must confess, I didn't trip and fall into this profession. From an early age, I have been extremely passionate about food: it's capacity to heal or hurt the body, the ability it has to bring people together; make you feel better after a fight or have you running for the restaurant's exit. Food is such a complex and wonderful thing.
Food can be crowd pleasing but it is equally controversial. More than ever before, consumers are concerning themselves with where their food is coming from and how it is produced. This has led to a large group of our population boycotting animal products because they feel our gluttonous society is abusing livestock and other creatures for pleasure. Veganism dates back as far as ancient Indian and eastern Mediterranean societies but has gained great popularity in the past decade.
Vegans don't eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, butter, cream and honey. They won't consume anything with gelatin in it. Certain food colourants and flavourers contain animal sources, so those are off limits for vegans. Wine is also a great point of contention as milk and fish proteins, as well as egg whites, are used as fining agents.
This leaves a small pool of ingredients available to individuals who have adopted this environmentally-friendly alternative lifestyle. A restaurateur determined to educate vegans and meat eaters in the diverse and delicious catering options available to them is James Knaap.
"My mission is the vegan mission; making vegan food easily accessible to everyone," the foodie says.
With a belly-busting past of KFC once a week and McDonald's twice a week, James decided that a healthier approach to food was necessary. Becoming a vegetarian, and then later a vegan, James realised that unless he was eating hummus and wheatgrass, there weren't many vegan-friendly food options available to him.
This all ended when he decided to open Lekker Vegan.
"Other vegan restaurants focus on health; when you think of veganism you think of salads and we (vegans) eat more than that," the Dutch native shares. Lekker Vegan's menu boasts everything from burgers and buninis to cheesecakes and the Cape Town classic Gatsby.
I tackled one of these mammoth sandwiches when I visited their Zonnebloem location.
Thrown into the restaurant by the loyal Cape Doctor, my lunch date and I take a moment to reassemble ourselves before walking up to the counter. As we do, the ever enthusiastic Voscho greets us with a contagious smile.
"How can I make your day," he asks.
After seating us at a photo-friendly table back-dropped by the Lekker Vegan logo, he promises to return with an Uber flavoured mango and vanlla ice tea for me, and a pineapple Fizz for my companion. Before I swallow my first sip, Voscho is carrying a serving tray towards us.
Crammed into half a baguette are smokey vegan beef strips, a generous portion of fries, vegan cheddar cheese, Lekker spicy sauce, a lettuce and tomato reduction, and jalapeños. If that wasn't enough, seven vegan chicken nuggets and a Lekker OG dipping sauce accompany the dish.
"This half portion can't be eaten by just one person," I gasp.
"Oh it can," James responds confidently. "A lot of people say that vegan food is expensive and I'm trying to prove them wrong, it doesn't have to be," he adds.
For only R88, James is quite right.
Intimidated by the sheer size of the gastric gatsby, my lunch date and I stall by starting with the nuggets. My appetite is ignited from the first bite. The nuggets are still piping hot from the fryer, and coupled with the tangy sauce, my palate is taken on a journey. Sweet and sour, hot and cold, crunchy with a soft inside. We feed hungrily on the nuggets until the last one cowers at the bottom of the side dish.
"You have the last one," I command my lunch date, "I need to save space for the main event."
He does as I say and in gratitude, he cuts the gatsby in half so we each have our share. Wasting no time, he all but dislocates his jaw for a brave bite. "If you don't get started you won't get started," he advises, his mouth half full.
So I do. I take a pathetic bite that my companion and I both laugh at. But it's a start. The gatsby isn't so scary.
My bites get bigger as I begin to appreciate the flavour combination. The Lekker Beffy Gatsby has an undeniable kick to it, and I have the chopped chillies to thank for that. Coupled with the creamy spicy sauce, I am getting all the heat a gastronome can ask for.
The vegan cheddar cheese offers release for diners who might not have an aptitude for picante but that isn't what impresses me. I fork out some of the vegan cheese and it bares a suspicious resemblance to dairy cheese. I am amazed that it tastes better.
I am grateful for the fresh red onions that bring a sharp sweetness to the dish, coupled with lettuce for added crunch.
Chip rolls were my favourite after school snack and this meal is making me incredibly nostalgic. It's conjuring up memories of playing rugby in the garden with my siblings on summer afternoons, playing four-square in the tennis court over the weekend, and even making a mess in the kitchen attempting to bake pizzas. There are no animal products in the entire meal and I don't miss it at all.
"I want to get non-vegans to eat my food and that's why I need my food to be better,"James begins, "It needs to be tastier and lovelier than what they eat, it's the only way to get them to choose me." When my date shares that he could do #meatfreemondays at Lekker Vegan, it becomes clear that James is well on his way there.
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Cape Town is South Africa's culinary capital and I've spent a fare share discovering the delicious restaurants it has to offer. While Lekker Vegan focuses on vegan food, Honest Chocolate is all about exploring your love of cocoa.
While you're at it, check out how I got on at Swan Café.
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