{"id":19753,"date":"2017-11-29T13:29:56","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T21:29:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/?p=19753"},"modified":"2018-02-21T16:30:41","modified_gmt":"2018-02-22T00:30:41","slug":"vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Vantra Eden &#8211; The Healthiest Restaurant In London?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Very near the center of the city, 100 yards down the road after taking a left out of Goodge Street Station, lies some of the healthiest food in London. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/reviews\/vantra-eden-west-london-85305\" >Vantra Eden<\/a>\u2019s fare, its sign proclaims, contains \u201cNo Dairy, No Gluten, No Sugar, No Fried Food, Non GMO, No Peanuts &amp; Cashew, No Garlic, No Vinegar, No Artificial Chemicals, No Unhealthy Cooking Methods \u2013 Vegan, Raw &amp; Steamed, Halal &amp; Kosher Friendly, Detoxing, Energising\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-2.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-19757\" src=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-2-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-2-1080x1620.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-2.jpg 1825w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cNo garlic?\u201d<\/span><span class=\"s1\"> I ask Phun, Vantra\u2019s owner. \u201cMakes people too horny. They can\u2019t meditate,\u201d he laughs in reply. Of course, there are bowls of garlic and chilis to add at the end of the buffet should you have other appetites planned for the rest of your day. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/reviews\/vantra-eden-west-london-85305\" >Vantra Eden<\/a> is first in the community of food tents at 79a Tottenham Court Road, across the street from Habitat. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-8.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-19754\" src=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-8.jpg 598w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-8-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">They\u2019re open Monday-Friday from 12-3 PM, a buffet \u201cwith lunch boxes, juices, cakes, &amp; more\u201d. A medium box is \u00a36, while a large is only \u00a37.50. Very reasonably priced. And the food is amazing. With the dishes either raw or steamed, the buffet selection offers the deliciously creamy &#8216;Vegan Stroganoff&#8217; (Shiitaki Mushrooms, Celery, Mustard, Parsnips, Rosemary and Herbs), incredibly flavorful &#8216;Thai Curry&#8217; (Carrots, Courgette, Cabbage, Coconut, Lemongrass Sauce), the heartier &#8216;Rice Noodles with Seaweed, Parsley, and Cabbage&#8217;, as well as &#8216;Potato with Curry Spice&#8217;, \u2018Squash, Green Apple, Celery, Courgette, Cauliflower in Curry Sauce\u2019, \u2018Vegetable Noodles with Parsnips, Carrots, and Lemongrass Sauce\u2019, \u2018Coleslaw&#8217; (Red and White Cabbage with Carrots and Sunflower Seed Sauce), \u2018Vegetable Biryani Rice&#8217; (Rice, Carrot, Cabbage, Chili), \u2018Steamed Broccoli with Olive Oil\u2019, \u2018Lentil Dahl with Cumin and Sun dried Salt\u2019, \u2018Mashed Potato&#8217; (White and Sweet Potato with Mustard Seeds), and \u2018Moussaka with Chickpea, Celery, Aubergine, Tomato Sauce\u2019. The soup on offer today is \u2018Chickpea, Potato, Cabbage, Salt, Black Pepper\u2019 and there\u2019s also Kombucha, juices, and smoothies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-9.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-19758\" src=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-9.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-9-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-9-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-3.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-19756\" src=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-3-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-3-1080x720.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Eden is the sister martketplace to the Vantra restaurant that until very recently was located on Oxford Street. (Vantra Loungetivity has now opened at\u00a05 Wardour Street\u00a0in Central London). Don\u2019t worry, they haven\u2019t closed, they\u2019re simply moving. Keep your eyes peeled for their new address. For the past 18 years owner Phun has been delivering his vision of the ideal food for human consumption at restaurants around the capital city. Various incarnations of Vantra (or Vitao or Vantra Vitao) were seen on Finchley Road, Wardour Street, and Soho Street. Along with the buffet, the restaurant provided a full menu and a range of Mylkshakes, \u2018Super Juices\u2019, \u2018Sexy Smoothies\u2019, Coffees &amp; Teas. The hot chocolate was divine. My personal favorite dish was the \u2018Mixed Seed Crackers with Sunflower &amp; Pumpkin Seed Cheese\u2019. Ingredients listed as \u2018flax seed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, squash, non-chili spices, lemon and lime juice, nutritional yeast, tomato, sea salt, black pepper, garlic, and onion\u2019. Nutritious and delicious.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-6.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-19755\" src=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-6-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-6-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-6-1080x720.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Phun tells me that vegan food is on the rise in London but he\u2019s suspect about the new fad. \u201cVegan, yes, but people still want the burgers and sweet potato fries. Fried stuff, just like the meat it\u2019s substituting that needs to be cooked and have flavor added to it. I\u2019ve always emphasized the natural taste of vegetables. Why argue with Mother Nature?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Phun was kind enough to sit down with me and answer some questions about his philosophy of life and food. He is passionate about his beliefs but never preachy, laughing a lot during our conversation. This is his mission and he performs it with true generosity (we spoke for almost two hours). <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>What does the name Vantra mean? Where does it come from?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Phun:<\/b> We used to have two restaurants, one called Vantra one called Vitao. Vitao was the original. \u2018Vi\u2019 is life, merged with \u2018Tao\u2019. Tao is very hard to define in words. It\u2019s so big, we cannot describe it. It\u2019s so big, we cannot see how big it is. Or it\u2019s so small, we can\u2019t see it. Tao is when life is in harmony, in balance. What is balance, what is harmony? When life is in its natural state, a healthy state. Our mission is to maintain the Tao. To make a natural balance, in the way we eat and the way we live. Organic, ethical. It\u2019s related to life and living, so we have a lot of raw food, a lot of live food, organic, healthy, back to nature. The paleo philosophy may think that humans were eating meat in the past. I call it philosophy because it\u2019s only an idea. The Tao goes beyond human history, it\u2019s common sense. Why is it common sense? If someone has been starving for two weeks and you show them a mango and a cow and offer them a choice, they will be drawn to the mango by its fragrance and shape. The mango fits naturally in your hand, you can hold it. It has natural beauty, not the human perception of beauty. Beauty is what attracts you to be one with the thing, the golden ratio that attracts one to the other. It\u2019s the same with food. It\u2019s beyond instinct, it\u2019s intuition, synchronized with nature. Instinct is reacting, intuition is understanding. How did they kill cows before humans had weapons? It doesn\u2019t make sense. The paleo diet is correct when they say a million years ago, humans were more healthy. This is true. But it\u2019s not because of eating meat. It\u2019s because the meals were organic, the air was pure, and there wasn\u2019t as much stress in life. With Vitao, we have to think back to common sense, nature, and the way it was before, intuitively. That\u2019s why we opened the restaurant. I became vegan 28 years ago and 18 years ago I decided to share my knowledge and my know-how and opened Vitao restaurant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">After Vitao had been going for about eight years, it was getting very busy so we decided to open a new restaurant but we struggled to find a name to suit what we\u2019re doing \u2013 the Tao, the balance, life. We were thinking about \u2018tantra\u2019, making it more sexy, \u2018mantra\u2019, having the vibrations, \u2018yantra\u2019, all kinds of words, and we just couldn\u2019t get it. So at last we just kept quiet and didn\u2019t try too hard. And then the word \u2018vantra\u2019 came up. It\u2019s a mixture of all these things. It was a new restaurant, a big restaurant, and we wanted to create a new culture. Holding events, being social, having fine dining and vegan culture. We wanted something that would represent that. Tantra, mantra, veganism, so with a \u2018V\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Veganism for you is not just about what we eat but how this extends to our environment and our climate. <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P:<\/b> Of course! Because number one, being vegan is not about what you eat, it\u2019s how and why you eat. Those are more important than what you eat. Like with driving, to be safe on the road, it\u2019s not about what car you drive, or what road you drive. If you get drunk, if you don\u2019t behave, even if you have the best car, you still may very well crash. You may have a map or GPS (laughs), and you keep on looking at the GPS and you get confused, it\u2019s not about that. The most important thing is the driver. Veganism is not about just what you eat. Why you eat, who are you while eating, who you are, what is your being. Are you being compassionate or are you just thinking about compassion? When you\u2019re being compassionate then you become conscious. If you\u2019re thinking and eating your vegan food and an insect catches your eye, if you\u2019re very conscious, before the insect bites you, you should move. So if you can be so conscious and compassionate not to kill the insect, you move your hand. And you become so alert and compassionate, and so conscious, it won\u2019t touch you. The more you have compassion for others, like Jesus said, \u2018thou who gives shall be given\u2019 But to me, people take this for granted now. All the marketing is about giving now. It never was before, but now it\u2019s free upgrades. They know if they give you something, you will buy something back. But that\u2019s not true giving. That is selling. Giving with expectation, making more money from you. So I say \u2018thou shall truly give to truly receive\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Where are you from, before you came to London?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P:<\/b> Malaysia. Plenty of sunshine and healthy food. Our basic diet is more plant-based. Some meat, a little fish. 70-80% vegan diet, but that\u2019s the Asian way of eating. I came to London 30 years ago. I was eating a meat diet, healthy meat, healthy fish, grass-fed cow. When I come to London it was the 80s with Mad Cow Disease. I felt good in the beginning but it came to a point where my whole body just broke down \u2013 rash, tiredness, getting cold a lot. So I looked into something different and adopted an alternate lifestyle, and diet as well. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Who designs the menu?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P: <\/b>I do. I also designed the interior design of the restaurant. It\u2019s all aligned together, with our mission, our beliefs. All has to be natural, ethical. Our chairs were like tree trunks, sitting <i>down<\/i>, with a straight back. Emphasizing sitting upright rather than leaning back. Very earthy energy. Hardly any plastic here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>You mention on the website that you were the first in the UK to do a lot of these things.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P:<\/b> Yes, years ago. Even now, I don\u2019t know of anyone as strong as us. There are raw food restaurants but I think we\u2019re the only ones to not use wheat. Even the raw places use agave and cashew nuts. The only nuts we use are macadamias, almonds, and Brazil nuts. The rest is hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds. We don\u2019t use a lot of protein, so that\u2019s why some people think it\u2019s not as heavy as other raw restaurants. A lot of raw food relies too much on protein. Nutrition-wise we are very thoughtful of this. We were the first raw food restaurant in this country. We have cooked food too, but steam-based. No frying or baking, and no sugar. And there\u2019s nowhere else in this country that does it like this. We offer very good paleo options here. We use sprouted chickpeas and lentils. The Paleo diet has some sense, because everything is about being natural. We only have one or two things with grains. If the paleo is eating meat that is not the best. Meat is naturally carcinogenic to humans. Meat is acidic, it has a lot of toxins, it\u2019s difficult to digest. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Tell me more about why you\u2019re trying to keep protein low.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P:<\/b> Look at a tiger. They eat high protein, their energy fields come from protein and fat. But look at their stomach, it\u2019s different from ours. Even so, those things are difficult to digest. Look at the tiger, the crocodile, the snake, after eating meat what do they do? They sleep. They take a few weeks to digest. Meat-eating animals have very strong stomach acid. They have a round stomach that can break down bones. But humans don\u2019t have that. We have long intestines, designed to eat vegetables. We don\u2019t emphasis high protein here, even vegan protein like nuts and seeds. Because we are not squirrels. A squirrel has so much gas. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>What\u2019s wrong with cashew nuts?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P: <\/b>Nothing wrong with cashew nuts as long as you don\u2019t eat too much. The problem is the way humans harvest them &#8211; quickly, quickly, quickly, and pile them up. Peanuts as well. They both have a lot of moisture. And when they pile them up, what will happen? They will grow mold. Peanuts have more than 20 carcinogenic microtoxins in them. So when there\u2019s a lot of mold, it\u2019s more acidic, and then it\u2019s toxic. It\u2019s all common sense. When I first eating raw food, I ate a lot of cashew nuts, got addicted. I got too heavy, and got a rash. Then I researched, and found out they are full of mold and microtoxins, I should\u2019ve listened to myself (laughs). It\u2019s all about wisdom, understanding, listening to the body. Forget theory, listen to the body. The body knows. Listen to the heart, not the animal instinct. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">So we don\u2019t want too many nuts. Our system isn\u2019t powerful enough to break down the protein and the fat. That\u2019s why we should eat more fresh vegetables. And with vegetables you can see if it\u2019s healthy or not. If a leaf is not healthy, you can see it\u2019s yellow. If a fruit is not healthy, you can see a lot of little black dots. We can\u2019t see that with nuts, they could be rancid. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Where do you get your ingredients from?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P:<\/b> We get them from different cooperative, organic, ethical companies like Natural and Suma, British ethical wholesalers. We support more ethical eco companies to grow. Our disposables \u2013 straws, cups, takeaway boxes \u2013 are all biodegradable. It costs us more but it\u2019s about being moral. Not just about ourselves and profit. It\u2019s not just about yourself, it\u2019s about the whole big picture. So when we don\u2019t fry our food, we\u2019re not wasting oil. We\u2019re not wasting anything here. If we juice, we use the pulp in something else. For almond milk we use the pulp for biscuits or a base for other things. Nothing is wasted. Of course some things we have to cut, but then we compost it, it goes back to nature. And with not using oil utensils don\u2019t become greasy and sticky so we don\u2019t have to use a lot of washing-up liquid and waste more. It\u2019s all about harmony. Cause and effect. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Tell me about some of the dishes you\u2019ve come up with \u2013 the Thai Curry?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P: <\/b>Thai chickpea curry. Traditionally they had reasons for all the spices and herbs that go in Thai curry. They\u2019re medicinal. In the old days there were no antibiotics. There were a lot of things like turmeric. That\u2019s why curry has turmeric. Different spices were used to promote digestion. We only use chickpeas if they\u2019re sprouted. Makes them easy to digest. We don\u2019t use other beans which are too hard to digest. Lentils too are easy to digest. Mainly our emphasis is on vegetables. And we don\u2019t overcook them. You see all nice and green. Salad, only the tender green leaves, easy to digest. Not so with carrots, beetroot, cabbage, and kale. Those should be semi-fermented, turn into kimchi, to be broken down by the enzymes and bacteria. Not just for digestion but also to have more probiotics for our immunity. That\u2019s why most of our salad is fermented. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>The Mixed Seed Crackers with Sunflower &amp; Pumpkin Seed Cheese?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P: <\/b>We use sunflower seeds for the cheese. When you talk about vegans and protein, people say \u2018oh vegan diet, you need to eat this, you need to eat that\u2019\u2026well, sunflower seeds have the <i>full<\/i> set of amino acids, complete. Just now we were talking about nuts and seeds being difficult to digest. These sunflower seeds are fermented. So you have probiotics and they\u2019re broken down by the bacteria and enzymes so it\u2019s easy to digest. And with the flax seed, then you get the Omega-3. You get the protein. Sunflower seeds have monounsaturated (fat) oils so you have a mixture of all these oils. It\u2019s not just about low protein. We make sure you have enough good fat. And they\u2019re easy to digest. We use good quality flax seeds, not over-dehydrated. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Any final words for our readers?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>P: <\/b>Promote more veganism. It\u2019s important for the world. Not just ecologically, but for our well-being. It\u2019s very important to be compassionate, because humans have a choice to be more conscious. We can be more conscious in order to save the world. Because the world is declining and it will come to the point of no return. So we better do this while we have the chance. Promoting veganism promotes consciousness, compassion, and true health. As humans, we all have different responsibilities. I hope your message will inspire people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>About the author:\u00a0Aug Stone lives in Los Angeles. He writes words and music, sometimes together. His work can be found at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.augstone.com\/\" id=\"m_-9088596445690268145LPlnk678217\" class=\"m_-9088596445690268145OWAAutoLink\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.augstone.com\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1512074764225000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEDaPAZtu6VwsZ_Zo1ZmF9-FCVkzg\">http:\/\/www.augstone.com\/<\/a>.\u00a0 Find him on Facebook as &#8220;Aug Stone&#8221;, on Twitter as &#8220;augstone&#8221;, and on Instagram as &#8220;overexposedaerialphotaugrapher<wbr \/>&#8220;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Very near the center of the city, 100 yards down the road after taking a left out of Goodge Street Station, lies some of the healthiest food in London. Vantra Eden\u2019s fare, its sign proclaims, contains \u201cNo Dairy, No Gluten, No Sugar, No Fried Food, Non GMO, No Peanuts &amp; Cashew, No Garlic, No Vinegar, No Artificial Chemicals, No Unhealthy Cooking Methods \u2013 Vegan, Raw &amp; Steamed, Halal &amp; Kosher Friendly, Detoxing, Energising\u201d. \u201cNo garlic?\u201d I ask Phun, Vantra\u2019s owner. \u201cMakes people too horny. They can\u2019t meditate,\u201d he laughs in reply. Of course, there are bowls of garlic and chilis to add at the end of the buffet should you have other appetites planned for the rest of your day. Vantra Eden is first in the community of food tents at 79a Tottenham Court Road, across the street from Habitat. They\u2019re open Monday-Friday from 12-3 PM, a buffet \u201cwith lunch boxes, juices, cakes, &amp; more\u201d. A medium box is \u00a36, while a large is only \u00a37.50. Very reasonably priced. And the food is amazing. With the dishes either raw or steamed, the buffet selection offers the deliciously creamy &#8216;Vegan Stroganoff&#8217; (Shiitaki Mushrooms, Celery, Mustard, Parsnips, Rosemary and Herbs), incredibly flavorful [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140004,"featured_media":19755,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,2425,2165,433,2180,29],"tags":[2338,488,77,134,398,704,16],"class_list":["post-19753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dining","category-interview","category-raw","category-restaurants","category-reviews","category-travel","tag-dining","tag-interview","tag-london","tag-raw","tag-restaurant","tag-review","tag-veganism"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Vantra Eden - The Healthiest Restaurant In London? - HappyCow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vantra Eden - The Healthiest Restaurant In London? - HappyCow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Very near the center of the city, 100 yards down the road after taking a left out of Goodge Street Station, lies some of the healthiest food in London. Vantra Eden\u2019s fare, its sign proclaims, contains \u201cNo Dairy, No Gluten, No Sugar, No Fried Food, Non GMO, No Peanuts &amp; Cashew, No Garlic, No Vinegar, No Artificial Chemicals, No Unhealthy Cooking Methods \u2013 Vegan, Raw &amp; Steamed, Halal &amp; Kosher Friendly, Detoxing, Energising\u201d. \u201cNo garlic?\u201d I ask Phun, Vantra\u2019s owner. \u201cMakes people too horny. They can\u2019t meditate,\u201d he laughs in reply. Of course, there are bowls of garlic and chilis to add at the end of the buffet should you have other appetites planned for the rest of your day. Vantra Eden is first in the community of food tents at 79a Tottenham Court Road, across the street from Habitat. They\u2019re open Monday-Friday from 12-3 PM, a buffet \u201cwith lunch boxes, juices, cakes, &amp; more\u201d. A medium box is \u00a36, while a large is only \u00a37.50. Very reasonably priced. And the food is amazing. With the dishes either raw or steamed, the buffet selection offers the deliciously creamy &#8216;Vegan Stroganoff&#8217; (Shiitaki Mushrooms, Celery, Mustard, Parsnips, Rosemary and Herbs), incredibly flavorful [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HappyCow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HappyCow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-11-29T21:29:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-02-22T00:30:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-6.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"4521\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"3013\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"augstone\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@happycow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@happycow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"augstone\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"augstone\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1b7d4569a7910ef27209a850e8c128fc\"},\"headline\":\"Vantra Eden &#8211; The Healthiest Restaurant In London?\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-29T21:29:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-02-22T00:30:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london\/\"},\"wordCount\":2814,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Vantra-Eden-6.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Dining\",\"interview\",\"London\",\"raw\",\"restaurant\",\"review\",\"Veganism\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Dining\",\"Interview\",\"Raw\",\"Restaurants\",\"Reviews\",\"Travel\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vantra-eden-one-healthiest-restaurants-london\/\",\"name\":\"Vantra Eden - The Healthiest Restaurant In London? 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