Lara Balsam’s Restaurant Review: Tofu Vegan

On an especially rainy and chilly February day, I was excited to try some warming Chinese fare at Tofu Vegan in Golders Green. One of five branches scattered across London, their NW11 site is a stone’s throw from JVS, conveniently located opposite the old Hippodrome and is well serviced by numerous buses as well as the Northern Line. The concept is 100% vegan, no preservatives, all freshly handmade daily. Arriving at 12.45pm I almost had the place to myself but for a couple on an adjoining table. I have heard it gets very busy in the evening and booking is advised. It was a very cold day and generally there weren’t many people out and about. It got busier after 1pm with tables filling up. Stepping inside from the main road I was pleasantly surprised by the serene ambiance and how quiet it was inside. The vibe is very relaxed with soft lighting and gentle background music. I was greeted by smiley staff and seated in a really cosy banquette. There’s a decent-sized menu to choose from, which has allergens – gluten, nuts, celery, peanuts, sesame and mustard – clearly marked. As a coeliac I found the separate, ample gluten free menu very handy and was reassured by the manager’s explanation that for customers with an allergy a fresh wok and new oil is used, plus dishes come out with allergen flags in. Each dish also has a chilli rating so you know what to expect! The manager told me that their best seller is the Wontons in a house special sauce (£7.90), his personal favourite is the Stir-fried ‘lamm’ with cumin and chilli (£13.80). We had a chat about the clientele, I was curious to know how many of their customers are vegan. ‘Around 50-60%, and the rest are either people doing Veganuary, trying to be vegan a few times a week or simply looking for good food. having heard positive things about the restaurant.’ He said he has noticed that the vegan customers tend to opt for the vegetable dishes whilst the meat substitutes are more popular amongst the non-vegans. This branch had very steep steps up to the toilets, which might mean you want to visit a different branch with better accessibility. You can also find Tofu Vegan in Islington, Spitalfields, Fitzrovia, and South Kensington. Worth noting they are closed on Mondays at their NW11 restaurant, and they close between lunch and dinner service too. My food, the Sizzling fried tofu in black bean sauce (£13.80), Stir-fried ho-fun rice noodles with mixed vegetables (£9.80) and Smacked cucumber salad with a spicy, garlicky sesame dressing (£8.20) was served in an impressive eight minutes. If you want to try a few dishes but can’t finish it all, they are happy to bag up leftovers, which I appreciated. I remembered at the end of the meal that the drink I had ordered never arrived. I really enjoyed all the dishes, they were authentic, moreish, flavoursome, well seasoned and I could really taste the care and attention that had been put into each dish. I found portions were on the small side and prices were high relative to other vegan restaurants and to other Chinese places. That being said, the freshness and quality of ingredients did shine through. The couple next to me loved their meal – dim sum, lotus root, vegetable rolls, and dumplings. Everything that came out of the kitchen looked and smelled irresistible. I would love to try it again with friends as there are lots of dishes I had my eye on. There are also desserts I didn’t get to, priced at either £4.80 and £5.80, which all look delicious.