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A second vegan night market at Truman Brewery, Vegan Nights, led by @kingcookdaily — aka chef Bounsou “King” Senathit — has been confirmed for Thursday 23 November. Queues for the last one, which took place at the end of September, reached down Brick Lane virtually to Aldgate, attracting not just committed vegans, but many meat-eating CookDaily fans.
Senathit’s 35,000 Instagram following suggests that there are quite a few of those. A relatable character spearheading a massive London trend, he cooked at Pétrus and Launceston Place before becoming an “ethical vegan” five years ago, and used to see his career mapped out in Michelin stars. Once he’d decided meat was a complete no-no, Senathit braked hard, then cooked at the London Buddhist Centre as well as (now closed) high-end vegetarian restaurant Vanilla Black. He opened CookDaily in Boxpark in Shoreditch in spring 2015, followed by a second container at Croydon Boxpark earlier this year.
That solid gastronomic background goes some way to explain why CookDaily’s vegan bowls, such as the marijuana-inspired ‘High Grade’ (stir-fried veg with hemp oil in a sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, replete with hemp seed and green herb crumble) and ‘Da Infamous’ (“mummy’s green curry recipe from back in the day”) have been hailed as London’s most delicious vegan food by blogger Fat Gay Vegan.
His “no blood, no bones” motto, as endorsed by London’s grime scene (Corbyn champion JME, and Skepta are regulars), could continue with “no gloop, no clag.” His use of nutritional yeast flakes to lend creaminess without butter, and ingenious fish sauce substitute (soy-marinated samphire) mean his “stoners’ food” (his words) is tastier than your average dirty burger.
CookDaily’s Vegan Nights menu is likely to feature food inspired by Jamaica (Hard Bowl) and Blighty (Full English), as well as Street Fighter II (Yoga Fire), plus plantain fries, vegan pies and vegan beers. The full line-up last time included Temple of Seitan, Arancini Brothers, What the Pitta, Jake’s Vegan Steaks, and Biff’s Jack Shack. Watch this space for more news on Vegan Nights Vol. 2.