Cookdaily......Damn its Finger Licking Good!!!!!

Veganism in the west was once a dietary choice practiced by individuals who suffered digestive and inflammatory disorders, or by those who followed a strict yoga lifestyle. Now veganism is quickly becoming the preferred food choice,  were the level of imagination in complementary food combination and flavours has opened up a completely new market within the hospitality sector giving rise to new innovative vegan based restaurants.

In Scotland the vegan based restaurant is still in its infancy and in need of a greater injection of innovations where flavours are concerned, in my opinion. However in London this is not the case, there is a plethora of vegan based restaurants and cafes to choose from within each sector of London, all infused and stamped with cultural differences.

The hipster restaurant CookDaily housed within the cool trendy Boxpark in Shoreditch, is well worth a visit. It brings fresh healthy fragrant Southeast Asian food and tastes to the palates of those who choose to experience their outstanding food. My visit to Boxpark was a very different experience in comparison to Kerb street food market in Camden. However the feel of artistic influence from street artists combined with students, office workers, and those who just like to hang out,  gives a very different dynamic to the crowd.  

Don’t get me wrong Shoreditch is a great place to visit, it felt to me stylised, trendy and cool. The ascent into Boxpark was reminiscent of entering a nightclub, where we were greeted by two bouncers, who were easy on the eye. The music was varied within each section as we walked through to decide where to lay down our palates. I later gravitated to Cook Daily drawn in by its cool exterior, high octane banging tunes blaring out, and the dude soon to serve us digging the beats. I’m always attracted to folk who appreciate good music.

Everything looked good on the menu, there was even chicken and sausage on the menu.I have to admit I did look perplexed, then dismissed it and thought maybe this place it’s not really vegan…. I can be really dense sometimes. So being a meat eater I ordered the lunchtime special offer of Vegan Jerk Chicken stir fry topped with high grade coleslaw served on a bed of brown rice and 4 spring rolls with a bad ass sauce at a tidy £10.

Customer service was chatty and pleasant, as we sat at our bench situated outside of the restaurant, I soaked up the musical vibe from northern soul, to house to grime, loved every minute of it. Then our food arrived, which was plentiful,  I tucked in pronto style. As I munched on, my cousin stated ‘you know that’s not chicken you’re eating’…to which I retorted ‘What!!!!….what is it I'm eating, actually I don't care what it is, it taste good anyway’ it was well seasoned, tasted like meat and was finger licking good.

It has to be noted that everything that came out of their kitchen looked and smelt amazing. The presentation of all their dishes was colourful, enticing and exotic which mirrored the explosion of flavours and tastes in your mouth as you took one bite. The establishment is all about taste, taste and more taste and they succeed very well at it.

So rating time ambience and vibe 4.8 out of 5, cost 4.6 out of 5, customer service 4.8 out of 5, food quality 5 out of 5

Would I go here again? ABSOLUTLEY. Would I recommend it to others? ABSOLUTLEY. Do I wish they would open up more restaurants further up north? Oh YES.

If you’ve not had the pleasure of visiting @Cookdaily 48 Boxpark, 2-4 Bethnal Green Road, London,  then give a go, it is well worth every penny
@cookdailylondon