It’s not entirely a new kid in town, but still an awesome new concept! Van de Straat is now called The Vegan Gorilla, where you can eat delicious vegan (and gluten free*) food. We enjoyed their wonderful terrace until late in the night with co-owner Thijs, and he told us about the reasons for their concept change.
Concept
Vegan food can tend to have a tree-hugging, hippie-dippie image. But according to the owners, it’s not necessary to eat animal products, and if you see what’s on the menu then you’ll agree. It’s better for the animals, the environment, and your body. Combine that with a cool exterior and old school hip hop, and you’ve got the concept.
Weed my lips
The idea is that you order a few dishes per person and then you get to try a lot! Among others, we went for the Make Hummus Not War: a delicious Arabic spring roll made in a way you’re not used to!
The N.W.A (nachos) looked really cool in terms of presentation, but we wanted extra guacamole for dipping. Never enough guac, right?
Definitely get the avocado salad with grapefruit and a delicious glass of wine to go with it. Let Jasper advise you – he knows his stuff.
No waste
For dessert, Dainahara enjoyed a blueberry strudel. It wasn’t gluten-free, so I went for a delicious dry cider to quench my thirst. Speaking of thirst, Thijs doesn’t like food waste and therefore started Thijstea (soon Thijsthee): a delicious ice tea made from leftovers and, oh yes, we got the ginger lemon to try at home.
I’ll definitely be going back because that terrace, nice service, good food, and my favorite gluten-free beer Grisette create a very nice total picture!
*Make sure to double-check which dishes can be made gluten-free. Cross-contamination can’t be entirely avoided here because everything is prepared in one kitchen.
Surinamestraat 5 | http://www.thevegangorilla.nl
Hours of operation:
Monday and Tuesday closed
Wednesday until Sunday open at 17.00 until 0.00