Then the capital welcomed the Naked Cafe, this was a pop-up restaurant that allowed customers to eat in the nude.
Now, there's another kid on the block, and once again this is an eatery with a difference.
"We're not trying to be militant; we are just selling vegan chicken," Pat O'Shea, co-owner of Temple of Seitan in Hackney, London told Sputnik.
"The demand for vegan food in London is huge and we are catering for that need," Mr. O'Shea added.
Pat O'Shea and his wife Rebecca McGuinness are the owners of the capital's first fast-food-gone-vegan chicken shop. The couple hope their restaurant will encourage more people to try veganism.
The restaurant is called the Temple of Seitan and it serves 100 percent vegan chicken.
The question arises therefore, how can there be a chicken shop that claims to be vegan? Well, the clue's in the name.
Seitan is a vegan alternative to poultry and is a protein-rich food made from wheat gluten used in cooking as a meat substitute. It has been used widely throughout Asia and other parts of the world.
📍 ⓋGang @templeofseitan pic.twitter.com/D1OFNrRswW
— Jme (@JmeBBK) 18 January 2017
The idea to open a vegan chicken shop began from the fact that the couple loved junk food, but they were also passionate about veganism and not harming animals.
"It was born out of a necessity. My wife who started the business had been a vegan for over 10 years, but we are also junk food fanatics. The common misconception is that all vegans are looking for a healthy lifestyle, but the truth is, we just don't want to harm animals. So when we moved to the UK from Melbourne, Australia two years ago, we noticed that there was a lack of places for vegans, there was a gap in the market and my wife was forced to cook for herself. That's where the vegan fried chicken idea came from," Mr. O'shea told Sputnik.
Temple of Seitan has had a huge response already, according to the owners, with customers coming from far and wide to taste the food. Mr. O'Shea has pointed out however, that it is not just vegans who visit the shop, meat eaters have also come along as the shop is strategically placed next to a butchers.
NO DINNER SERVICE — due to overwhelming demand again today we will be closing at 6pm to begin… https://t.co/ss5m9s8lm8
— Temple of Seitan (@templeofseitan) 20 January 2017
"There have been meat eaters who have visited and people who have gone vegan for the month of January.
"It's been okay being next door to a butchers and kind of cool for people to see the demand for vegan food. We are not trying to be militant, for us to make a change is to show an alternative. We haven't had any run-ins," Mr. O'Shea told Sputnik.
Mr. O'Shea and his wife are adamant that their vegan chicken shop is not a fad and that veganism is here to stay, as they continue to hope their venture will help raise awareness.
