A Nourishing Review: Avocado Toast Around London, Part I

If you’ve ever been to brunch with me, or you’ve followed my Instagram stories and posts for that matter, you’ll know my go-to dish. Actually, it’s a given that this is what I’ll order whether it’s hot or cold, come rain or shine and no matter what time of day it is. Oh yes, I’m talking about the humble avocado toast.

I have a love-love relationship with the green goddess that is avocado. Since my year I spent abroad in France, I have eaten avocado pretty much every day – I struggle on holiday but I make up for it on my return. It may not be the best thing I could be doing for the planet due to seasonality and high demand, but I just can’t stop myself. I now try to stick to half an avo a day – although many times this turns into half at lunch and half at dinner. #sorrynotsorry. Needless to say, we get through a lot of avocado at home and have a cute avocado holder for those pieces waiting to be used.

We’ve all seen the jokes about it’s ripeness… almost there, almost there, almost there, perfect for one nano-second, and then gone. But fear not, for all those fruits that never reach a creamy consistency or are a darker grey/brown colour, I pop them in a freezer bag ready for my next smoothie. No avo shall go to waste on my watch.

So, back to the avocado toast. I have had my fair share of avocado toasts to the point that I feel I can summarise the highs and lows of the avocado toast scene within London. Let’s avo-read…

Redemption, Shoreditch, Notting Hill

Avocado Toast at Redemption

Toasted sunflower and flaxseed bread topped with chunky guacamole, tomato and lime will not disappoint. The bread is the perfect thickness, crisp on the outside and soft in the centre, without the gluten. The hearty base is the perfect carrier for the creamy pieces of avocado, with cherry tomatoes, coriander, spring onion and finished with micro-greens, chilli and limes. Not only is it very instagrammable, it’s a satisfying portion size, perfectly ripe and a great contrast of textures. This definitely rates highly on my list. Have a look here.

Malibu Kitchen, The Ned, Bank

Avocado Toast at Malibu Kitchen

Set in a stunningly grand building in the city of London, The Ned is a gorgeous space for a meal any time of day. The Malibu Kitchen is just one of the restaurants and is a must for a weekend brunch. Tall ceilings, white marble tables, huge plant pots bursting luscious greenery and with light streaming through high windows, this is every Instagrammers dream backdrop. The toast is great, too. They’ve kept it simple with toasted sourdough, fresh tomatoes, chilli and watercress to decorate the creamy, and generous amount of avocado. I added some fresh cracked black pepper and salt to really make this dish sing, but it was spot on. Don’t expect to be full to the brim, but then there’s always more room for their vegan raw desserts…

Wulf and Lamb, Chelsea

Avocado Toast at Wulf and Lamb

I was beyond excited to hear of this Chelsea-based fully vegan restaurant opening late 2017 and have been back at different times of day to make the most of the menu. Their Simply Avocado is a beauty to behold. Gently smashed avocado, perked up with chilli and lemon, served atop a gorgeously pink beet hummus on toasted sourdough. Just veg, with edge. My only downside is that the sourdough slice is quite small and thin, I think they’re encouraging you to sample from their array of delicious vegan cakes, pastries and muffins afterwards! Make your mouth drool here.

Mildred’s, Kings Cross

Avocado Toast at Mildred’s

Not only does Mildred’s raise the bar for vegetarian and vegan cuisine for lunch and dinner, but if you’ve got the chance I highly recommend a visit to their Kings Cross branch for brunch. It was a no brainer what I was to have… Avocado Toast, of course. A thick piece of sourdough toast topped with a generous amount of creamy avo smash, aubergine bacon and tomato salsa. Plus a tasty drizzle of good quality olive oil. The aubergine bacon really hooked me. While it wasn’t crispy like I was expecting, the texture is almost ‘meaty’ and I loved the smoky yet sticky sweet flavour and texture. Finished with some chopped herby tomatoes, it was a real delight!

Farmacy, Notting Hill

Avocado Toast at Farmacy

I was slightly disappointed with Farmacy’s avocado toast offering. I love Farmacy – I love the vibe, the ethos and their food; in particular their earth bowls. However, after committing to the expensive toast after toying with the idea, I was a bit uninspired by the toasted sourdough with avocado, cherry tomatoes, spices and sprouts. I thought it lacked that ‘wow’ factor that their other dishes have – it didn’t help that I was surrounded with pancakes, waffles and burgers. Delicious, but nothing I couldn’t do at home.

Daisy Green, Marylebone

Avocado Toast at Daisy Green

Part of the Daisy Green Collection alongside Beany Green, Peggy Jean, Timmy Green, Darcie & May Green and Scarlett Green, I can only comment on the Marylebone based Daisy Green. Downstairs is something from Alice in Wonderland, it’s beautiful with quirky hanging ornaments, fresh flowers and crazy artwork and is a great place to take non-vegans for brunch. Avocado toast (without the labne) is one of the limited vegan options but I’ve always loved it – despite its high price. The charcoal sourdough is unique and I love the taste, although last time it was a bit thick and difficult to eat. This is how the avocado toast used to look, with delicious homemade dukkah, spinach and lime but sadly they’ve changed the menu and only comes smashed with chilli flakes. Underwhelming but the toast is great.

Pride Kitchen, pop up at Tiosk

Avocado Toast at Pride Kitchen

I always refer to my much-loved Neal’s Yard Pride as ‘Salad Pride’ and was sad to see it go and am eager for their full return. Watch this space. For now, they have a pop up in Tiosk to which I am eager to go. Their avocado toast was a vision of beauty with lots of flavours, textures and smells. The portion size was generous, which is great for a brunch option and comes drizzled beautifully with a balsamic glaze, served with fresh tomatoes, seeds, microgreens and I added gorgeous tamari mushrooms. Food envy on a colourful plate, this is one of my favourites. Get ready for the rainbow action here.

 
Thank you so much for reading Part I of my Nourishing Review of Avocado Toasts Around London and stay tuned for Part II coming your way soon.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear your recommendations, so please let me know in the comments below or via social media, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram.