Kitchen conversations: Temple of Seitan

Beloved among meat free eaters – including Meat Free Monday co-founder Paul McCartney who recently stopped by for a Chicken Shop Date – for its finger-licking fast food offerings, Temple of Seitan has been making waves since arriving onto the foodie scene in 2016. On the menu of its London restaurants you’ll find a wealth of seitan- and beef-style burgers, fillets, doner wraps, wings, plus much more. And don’t even get us started on the shakes! We spoke to restaurant founder Rebecca McGuinness about what inspired her to create Temple of Seitan, her current food obsessions and her favourite hometown restaurant.

1. What inspired you to start an entirely plant-based restaurant?

I was a big fast food fan who went vegan overnight in 2006. I still wanted to eat the food I previously enjoyed, and had zero cooking experience, so taught myself by trying to recreate my favourite dishes. Fried chicken was one of the trickiest to replicate so it became a personal challenge.  The feedback from friends and family was really positive, so I started selling it at a market stall, then moved into a restaurant in 2016.

2. What’s your favourite ingredient in the kitchen?

Tabasco! It just makes everything better somehow.

3. What’s your best kitchen hack or tip?

Air fry cubed tofu for everything – stir fries, salad bowls, great for braising.

4. How do you attract meat eaters to the restaurant?

We try to lower the barrier of entry for non vegans: we keep dish names familiar, we don’t advertise as vegan, we try and let the food speak for itself without necessarily being ‘vegan’ fried chicken.

5. What’s your most popular dish?

Our Temple Burger is a firm favourite: southern fried fillet, ranch mayo, bacon, lettuce, pickles in a brioche style bun. Our seitan wings come in at a close second!

6. How have you noticed the cultural opinion towards meat free change over the last few years?

There seems to have been a decline in popularity over the last few years – cost of living pressures, health misinformation and the general state of the world has slowed the move to meat free I think.

However, we have seen a really good response to our seitan product in supermarkets as it’s affordable and has few ingredients, and our restaurants offer an easy substitute to fast food for people wanting to sub out meat.

I think good value, familiar products will continue to be the way to entice people to give meat free a try. And getting the message out there again that eating vegan doesn’t have to break the bank – most household staples are already vegan!

7. What do you think the next trend will be in the plant based space?

I think a hyper-realistic plant-based steak is the pinnacle. Or an undetectably vegan mozzarella with stretch. I don’t think we’re too far away. We’ve only scratched the surface with what plant ingredients can do!

8. What’s the one plant based dish you think everyone should be able to cook?

I think everyone should have a good tofu scramble up their sleeve. Keep kala namak (black salt) in your pantry so you’re always ready. (I take it on holiday!) 

9. What’s your favourite thing to cook when you’re not at work?

At the moment I’m obsessed with making Calabrian chilli pasta with lots of cashew cream. I make it every weekend – it’s getting embarrassing!

10. Which restaurant do you love for a veggie meal?

There is a place in Melbourne called Ballards. Unpretentious wine bar/small plates restaurant with the most creative and delicious vegan food. Love to stop by there when I’m home!

11. What advice would you give to people wanting to try meat free?

Don’t stress about protein. Sometimes I worry I’m eating too much protein. It’s everywhere in a plant based diet – tofu/chickpeas/seitan/tempeh/all the beans! Even potatoes! Who knew?

Temple of Seitan has two London restaurants, in Camden and Hackney. Find out more via their website or Instagram page.