From chic Chelsea eaterie Wulf & Lamb and Marcus
Wareing’s Planted tasting menu at Tredwells to the
imminent arrival in Covent Garden of hip US vegan
fast food restaurant By Chloe, plant-based cuisine is
booming in London. Now a new vegan takeaway service
is offering creative, super-healthy cuisine on the go.
Essence Express launched last month at the Blok gyms
in London’s Shoreditch and Clapton, and the concept
should soon be rolled out at other gyms, hotels and
train stations. The new venture has been launched on
the back of the success of the Essence Cuisine
restaurant, which entrepreneur Bart Roman originally
created in 2014 as a pop-up in Belgium before opening
permanently in Shoreditch last year. ‘Like many, I’m
busy, and I was looking for healthy, energising foodCreative agency R/GA’s expertise in weaving
creativity with technological innovation is well
established, with projects for Samsung, Google
and Airbnb under its belt. Now, R/GA founder
Bob Greenberg has been invited by the Cooper
Hewitt Museum in New York to curate a
dedicated exhibition on the topic, opening in
February. He has put together an array of pieces
designed by seminal figures such as Dieter Rams
and Mario Bellini. Iconic items, among them the
Motorola brick phone and Sony Walkman (both
pictured above), are also represented. The show
acknowledges technology as a driving force for
change. ‘If designers don’t take into account how
people live and behave, the spaces they design
lack a level of functionality and lose relevance,’
says Greenberg. cooperhewitt.org. Above on desk,
tape dispenser, £35; pocket diary, £25, both from
Present & Correct. ‘Dialog 3’ pen, £275, by LamyAGENDA: NEW YORK
‘FULL’ BOWL, £285, BY
SEBASTIAN BERGNE. ‘GOA’
CHOPSTICKS, £18 FOR SET,
BY CUTIPOL, FROM AMARA.
‘BROADWAY WHITE’ DESSERT
PLATE, €23, BY VISTA ALEGRE.
‘FINESSE’ GLASS, £20 FOR
FOUR, BY NUDE
SEAWEED SALAD, £6; SPICY
CARROT SUSHI ROLLS, £6;
‘INTENSE CACAO’ DRINK, £5.50;
‘INTENSE GREEN’ DRINK, £6;
FALAFEL, BEETROOT AND
TAHINI WRAP, £4.50; ‘INTENSE
ROOTS’ DRINK, £6, ALL
FROM ESSENCE EXPRESSthat I can just grab and go. A regular wrap contains so
much gluten and carbs, whereas Essence’s food is free
from gluten, dairy and refined sugar.’ The Essence menu
was created by US celebrity chef Matthew Kenney,
who opened his first vegan restaurant in New York way
back in 2004. Dishes available from Essence Express
include a Caesar salad made with sunflower parmesan
and shiitake anchovies, and a raw pad Thai made with
kelp noodles and tamari almonds. The dishes are
surprisingly delicious and redolent of the original
classics. Also on the menu are starch bowls packed with
healthy grains, innovative healthy snacks, a selection
of cold-pressed juices and nut milks, and breakfast
options such as coconut parfait with grawnola and raw
coconut banana pancakes. essence-express.comPulse rising
A new takeaway service in London is perking up plant-based lunch optionsWRITERS: ELLIE STATHAKI, LAUREL IVESNewspaper
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