Let’s get one thing straight. I eat meat.
But in the spirit of Veganuary, I’m trying to cut back on my meat consumption and eat more plant-based meals. You could say I’m vegan-curious.
I’ve had some incredible meat-free takeaways in Leeds recently, but few have a reputation as good as Punk Vegan.
Click here for more reviews of Leeds restaurants and takeaways
I had heard plenty of good things about the stripped-back simplicity of the Hyde Park cafe, so I thought I’d try their plant-based menu for myself.
There was a bit of an issue from the start though.
I had eyed up the menu on Facebook a couple of days beforehand and picked out the Frazzled Frenzie chips and the Classic Cheeze burger as two meals I wanted to try. But when I went to place the order on Deliveroo, neither of these items existed.
In fact, the Facebook and Deliveroo menus were almost completely different, with alternative names on each site for burgers.
It was all a bit confusing, but after comparing the menus side by side for a while, I managed to place my order.
The food arrived pretty quickly and I opened the boxes to be hit with a waft of enticing smells.
The most striking thing about the Punk Vegan burgers are the jet black buns. Made with charcoal, they’re certainly distinctive and every single burger on the menu is served in a gothic-looking burger bun.
My burger, the Hoisin Chick, was sensational.
A chunky seitan fillet, which was bigger than the bun itself, was topped with onions, peppers and a sweet hoisin sauce.
It was the texture and taste of the seitan that blew me away though. Perfectly crispy on the outside with a firm, succulent middle packed full of flavour.
On the other hand, my wife’s Basic B burger was hugely underwhelming.
The ‘beef-style patty’ was spongy and stringy, practically disintegrating when she picked up the burger. The soft texture was off-putting enough on its own, but the lack of flavour was another blemish.
I'm not sure with the 'B' stands for, but it could quite easily be 'bland'.
While it was definitely a tale of two burgers, but the chips were firmly in the triumphant category.
Not content with our side portions of fries (which are included with every burger), we also opted for the S&P Chick ‘n’ Chips Box - twice-cooked chips with seitan nuggets dropped on top and smothered in spring onions, chillis, sesame seeds and a rich sauce. If your mouth isn’t watering at that description, it absolutely will be when you tuck into this brilliant dish.
Enter your postcode to check food hygiene ratings near you
The seitan nuggets were spectacular and I got a burst of the fresh toppings which each bite.
I can see why Punk Vegan has a burgeoning reputation. The seitan burger and nuggets were outrageously good and the side dishes are packed full of flavour.
Just stay clear of the Basic B burger.
You can visit Punk Vegan at 82 Brudenell Road, Leeds, LS6 1EG from Thursday to Sunday, or place an order on Deliveroo.
To get the latest email updates from LeedsLive, click here.
