London, FitzroviaKalifornia Kitchen, plant-food and plastic free in W1

By Eli Brecher @brechernutrition
29 January '19

‘Healthy is Sexy’ according to Kalifornia Kitchen. It’s the latest addition to London’s thriving plant-based café scene and one I couldn’t wait to review. It’s the perfect place to pick up a West Coast fix – from the hot pink colour scheme to the CBD lattes. You could easily be in Hollywood.

Kalifornia Kitchen was founded by vegan entrepreneur Loui Blake. It follows the success of his first restaurant, Erpingham House, in Norwich which is the UK’s largest plant-based eatery.

Not only is the entire menu vegan, the eatery is also free from single use plastic and places an emphasis on environmental sustainability.

The setting

Located on Percy Street in Fitzrovia, Kalifornia Kitchen is just a couple of minutes walk from the bustling Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus. You can’t miss the shocking pink awning especially on a grey London day. While there is a huge variety of international cuisine on the same street, such as Hawaiian poke, vegetarian Indian and modern Vietnamese restaurants, Kalifornia Kitchen stands out.  

The space

The pink colour scheme continues inside with a fuchsia spiral staircase and pastel pink chairs.

Inside a Neon sign reads “Healthy is sexy’ and  “Don’t kale my vibe’ is painted on the wall.

Green foliage lines the walls, and our window table allowed us to look out  and people watch. Alternatively, you can grab a table for one and order a matcha latte, get your laptop out and take advantage of the relaxed working vibe. The table service is quick and friendly. Food is also available as takeaway. 

The crowd

The crowd is generally young and includes vegans, those seeking a more plant-based diet and those who are simply after a delicious and nourishing meal. I spied plenty of bloggers with their cameras at the ready snapping away at the beautiful interior details and the stunningly presented dishes. As it’s in such a busy area, the restaurant can get very full at lunchtime, but don’t worry as the large number of tables means you can still normally find a seat.

The fresh juice test

To drink, Kalifornia Kitchen serves CBD lattes (infused with Cannabidiol) alongside turmeric and matcha lattes. They also have immune-boosting shots, superfood smoothies and freshly squeezed juices.

We went for the green juice. It was made from kale, apple, celery, cucumber and lime. It was delicious with a slight sweetness thanks to the apple. 

What we ate

The menu is made up of healthy breakfasts, such as buckwheat banana pancakes and lunch options like beetroot falafel wrap with kombucha slaw served with kale chips. There are also heartier dinner dishes such as aubergine katsu curry.

We went for the scrambled turmeric tofu on sourdough. And the pulled jackfruit and guac tacos with pickled red cabbage plus the Rainbow bowl.

The Rainbow bowl was a mix of kale, tomatoes, cauliflower couscous, butternut squash, pomegranate, pumpkin seeds, lime coconut yoghurt and avocado.

The little things that make the difference

Kalifornia Kitchen encourages its guests to donate an optional 99p with each bill.  This is used to plant hundreds of trees each month in order to offset their carbon footprint.

The bill

Jackfruit guac taco  £12.00
Rainbow bowl  £10.50
Scrambled tofu on sourdough £8.50
“Kalefornia” green juice  £4.00
Oolong tea £3.50
Oat Cappuccino  £3.25