Overview
Meat eaters, your days may well be numbered. Just a few short months after beloved Newtown pizzeria Gigi caused a social media meltdown by announcing they would be removing all animal products from their pizzas, another fast food eatery has embraced veganism whole hog. As of this week, Randwick's Soul Burger have ditched the beef patties and cheese slices, and shifted to a menu made up entirely of plant products. And believe it or not, it actually sounds pretty damn tasty.
Diners at Soul Burger will be able to choose from eight different, animal-free burgers. The Sumo, for example, consists of a plant-based spicy sausage along with field mushrooms, vegan cheese, roasted pepper, lettuce, tomato, herbed mayo and relish. In addition to the burgers, customers can grab fries in regular or sweet potato varieties, shakes made with coconut-based icecream, as well as a selection of beers and organic soft drinks.
While ditching meat may seem like a rather radical step for a burger joint, this isn't the first time Soul Burger has dabbled in animal-free dining. Owner Amit Tewari started the restaurant based on the concept of flexitarian eating, only ever using ethically sourced animal products and encouraging customers to try meatless options by offering discounted vegetarian burgers. He also gave vegans the chance to 'veganise' non-vegan items on the menu.
Whether Tewari's meatless burgers will win over card-carrying carnivores remains to be seen. Still, it's hard to ignore the growing vegan trend in Sydney – in addition to Soul Burger and Gigi, Newtown recently welcomed its first ever vegan fish and chip shop, the wonderfully named Bliss and Chips.
Soul Burger is located at 49 Perouse Road, Randwick. For more information, visit their website and Facebook page.