Otarian, Shaftsbury Ave
7th November 2010
Today I made a super fleeting visit to Otarian on Shaftsbury Avenue. I have mentioned them before briefly in a blog about the new breed of fast food chains but it’s taken me a while to test them out.
So the concept is all about sustainable eating, they have biodegradable packaging, everything is vegetarian and the menu specifies the carbon savings made by switching to their meat free food.
It confuses me a little that they don’t go the whole hog and go completely vegan or at least organic. Dairy is not without it’s own environmental impact so I don’t know if it’s because they think a vegetarian menu is less likely to scare people off?
Even so they were disppointingly empty. It could be the location, I’m used to seeing the queue for POD just round the corner from my work tailing out on to the street, so I was expecting them to be just as busy.
I fought the urge to be predictabe and go for the burger, instead selecting the spicy potato wrap (vegan option) which came with some fresh tangy salsa.
The filling was indeed spicy but didn’t actually have an flavour, it was essentially just mashed potato. Thank goodness for the salsa which I stuffed into the wrap to make it more tasty.
The way the wrap was used however was new to me, rather than just having a heated wrap that was the filled, it was toasted with the filling inside so it looks more like a panini on the website.
They have one vegan dessert the choc treat which is essentially a choc muffin. It was good, really moist although I didn’t realise there were meant to be chocolate chips in it till I got to the second half, and that was the best bit! However, it’s nothing I can’t make myself so it’s not something I would head to there for especially.
I’m never one to give up after one try, at least it’s a restaurant heading in the right direction and they have lot’s of vegan options. Next time however I will go with my instinct and go for one of their burgers.
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January 1st, 2011 at 9:19 am
I visited this place and also found it empty (on a busy Saturday) but what was worse was there was no fruit juice available to drink. The only soft drinks were from a ‘Coca Cola’ machine (since when has that company been ethical??) and were all disgusting. For that reason alone I won’t be visiting again, the food was ok but I refuse to go to a place that only sells soft drinks made by ‘Coca Cola’ and has no fruit juice at all.
January 1st, 2011 at 11:36 pm
I was back there last week, the Indian Chutney burger did indeed prove to be a better choice. I have to say I didn’t notice the Cola machine, but they seem to have taken on board the comments about no fruit juices all over the internet as that is what I was offered with my meal deal. I did however do a double take when I was handed it, it was Johnsons? So I expected it be organic at least but it wasn’t.
January 2nd, 2011 at 9:46 am
Glad to hear they have orange juice (at last) but I think the place does slip up on their drinks, I mean if they are meant to be so ethical they shouldn’t have a drinks machine that only serves drinks made by ‘Coca Cola’ anywhere near the place and, as you say, it wouldn’t be hard to have organic fruit juice. Perhaps a little more pressure needs to be made on the owners?