By Chloe. (yes, with the full stop) is the latest plant-based chain to take London by storm. Unlike the pretentious tirade of 'clean' food that storms the trendy vegan world, the American brand has gone for a more junk-in-the-trunk approach. Apparently, they have "the best veggie burgers in New York", so when By Chloe. announced that they were coming to London last year, and you guys tagged me on Instagram to let me know, I was desperate to give them a try. 

At my first opportunity, I headed over to By Chloe. for a late lunch, to see if it was worth it's insta-hype. In short, would I double tap By Chloe.?


The first thing to note: the layout was confusing. When I walked in, around 1:30pm, there was already a pretty substantial queue. We waited patiently whilst perusing the menu until it became clear; you need to grab a table first, and then go up to order your food.



After managing to grab a table from a couple who had barely risen from their seats, we went up to the tills to finally order our food. The staff, albeit slightly overwhelmed, were friendly and knowledgeable. Despite all the positives we had heard about By Chloe's. burgers, they recommended we try the Pesto Meatball Sub which, coincidentally, had been dominating my instagram feed.



I could not face more junk food (it has been a tough month), so I instead grabbed the 'Nicoise Salad' from the fridge. Fish is what I miss the most being a vegan, so I was intrigued to try a Nicoise salad made with chickpeas instead of tuna.

The sub was honestly delicious. The 'meatballs' are a made from portobello mushrooms and vegetables and submerged in marinara before filling the potato roll. Topped with sweet peppers, cashew cheez it is then smothered with a thick layer of vegan pesto. The hearty flavours and texture of the meatballs counteract the earthy pesto rather beautifully. Plus it was a messy hog to eat which, in my experience, tends to add to the comfort in comfort food.

As for the Nicoise Salad... It was pretty good (great insight I know). The chickpeas were creamy and well seasoned, the vegetables were fresh and the vinegette was light, yet powerful. Overall, a perfectly lovely, if a little lacklustre summer salad.


As a side, we decided to share the mac 'n' cheez and the kale artichoke dip, along with a few stolen fries*. As a rule, I always try to order the mac 'n' cheez in vegan restaurants as it serves as a good comparison tool. A classic, staple dish that can often separate the double taps from the blocked. 

Most people have a preference for their mac 'n' cheez(se). Some like it creamy, others with breadcrumbs or mustard. A three cheese or topped with paprika perhaps? The By Chloe. version made with sweet potato and cashews, topped with shiitake bacons and almond parm is the black sheep of the mac 'n' cheez world. The pasta was inexplicably cold and the sauce was thin and completely devoid of flavour. Genuinely, the only positive is that By Chloe. used pasta shells in order to scoop and hold the watery nothingness. 
In all sincerity, block this dish.



As for the artichoke dip, I think it is meant to resemble the American spinach dip from Thanksgiving? I have never tried the original, but my youtube subscription box explodes with the recipe every November, so I wanted to give this dip a chance.

 This kale and artichoke dip was, in my opinion, the saving grace of the entire meal. Surprisingly warm, with a subtle heat from the pepper and nutritional yeast that perfectly counterbalanced the creamy blend of kale and artichokes. This stuff is really addictive, which is bad news considering the perfectly reasonable (read, nowhere near enough!) amount of tortilla chips they give you. If the original spinach dip is anywhere near as good as this, I'm not sure I will ever be ready for it.



 We were both far too full after lunch for any dessert, but look how pretty they are!



 In all, I impressed with By Chloe's version of hearty vegan junk food. The store is in Covent Garden so expect the price tag to reflect that, but considering both the quality and quantity of the food you get, I would argue it is within the region of a fair price. In fact, it may be a very good thing because now I can't afford to nip in every day.

 I am looking forward to going back to try one of their famous burgers, with another order of their fabulous kale and artichoke dip. Just keep that mac 'n' cheez away from me and we are good.

 Verdict: Double Tap baby!

Address:
34-43 Russell Street
London
WC2B 5HA

Opening Times:
Mon-Fri: 11am-11pm
Sat-Sun: 10am-11pm