Jammy Japanese: Koya X London Borough of Jam Pop-up

Earlier in the week, the Veggie Option team went to the first pop-up collab at London Borough of Jam run by the lovely Lillie O'Brien. This pop-up saw LBJ  team up with Koya for a 5-course Japanese and jam (yes, jam!) inspired menu. We, of course, had the veggie menu which featured pickled carrots, mushrooms with candied  yuzu, potatoes with nori butter and leek, cauliflower with miso and clementine zest. We loved the inventiveness and inspiration behind these dishes, but unfortunately the flavour combinations didn’t quite deliver what we were hoping.  Our menu, when compared to the meat menu, felt like a collection of vegetable sides, none of which were particularly filling or hearty enough to line our stomachs for the wine and sake consumption we had planned. And our little plant-based hearts sank when we realised we weren't also going to get a bowl of rice or a bowl of broth to accompany our cold cauliflower dish. Our silent prayers for a bit of stodge were half-answered with the arrival of pudding, fluffy pancakes filled with red bean paste and jammy figs. This was perhaps are favourite course, as the pancakes were delicious in the own right, as we’re the figs, but we could have done with a slightly less generous dollop of bean paste.  We loved the coziness of the space and the fabulously welcoming hosting, so are crossing our fingers that the next set of planned collaboration is also inventive, fun, caters for vegans, and most importantly, fills our tummies.