I should start by saying I’m a pretty committed omnivore. I love all food, pretty much without exception. However it is very easy to insist on meat for every meal, and to just eat what is comfortable.
A friend of mine had mentioned Vantra as a place she passed and popped in to get a smoothie. The buffet option intrigued her and so she suggested going back there for lunch. Vantra is just around the corner from Tottenham Court Road Tube station, and the wooden sign is easily spotted amongst the clutter. It’s not mentioned on the sign, but Vantra is a vegan restaurant.
The cakes outside look delicious and really draw you in
The buffet works in an interesting way – you either take a huge steel tray, which you fill up, and you then pay by the weight of the food (£1.80 for 100g). The other option was to have a box (available in small or large) which you can fill and either eat in or take away. Takeaway is 50p cheaper than eating in. The Small Boxes are £6 and the Large £7. There is a large choice of mains and sides and salads to choose from. Because of my weird diet, my choice was somewhat limited as I don’t eat Soy or fruit. Having said that, the vegetable moussaka took my fancy, as did the Dhal. I didn’t fancy any of the smoothies on offer (most had fruit in, unsurprisingly) and on asking for a bottle of waster, was told there was free tap water round the corner.
I had a small box, which proved to be plenty, even for a greedy guts like me!
This is my final box
I have no idea what the black stuff was on the top right, but I spooned it in and it tasted like ass.
This is my friend’s box – she had more restraint!
The food was nice, but a bit bland. For what it was it was quite expensive, however I do appreciate that the food here is organic and that, together with the location is always going to put pressure on prices. The place was beautifully furnished, with natural wood chairs and polished tables. The music system was playing up, which was a shame so we were treated to background noise of pops and crackles on the speakers.
Our mains polished off, we moved onto dessert. My Coconut Truffle (top left of the first dessert Picture) was delicious, though topped by the carrot cake my firend had. The cakes were very expensive – £5.20 for a carrot cake and £2.20 for a bite sized truffle was a lot, even if they were delicious!
If I were passing and hungry, I’d probably drop in and eat as I know that I could get some healthy slow carb food, but I wouldn’t make a special trip to eat there again.