OH LORD! VEGAN JUNK FOOD HEAVEN
IT looks like fried chicken, it tastes like fried chicken – but it’s not fried chicken.
Instead, it’s a concoction of mushrooms, plants and soya. And it regularly fools meat-eaters, according to Surfers Paradise Lord of the Fries franchise owner Kev Ramen.
“It’s not just only targeting vegans,” Mr Ramen said.
“The taste is very similar (to real chicken), even nonvegans don’t know it’s vegan food.”
The recently opened store on Cavill Ave offers plant-based options on traditional junk food, ranging from chips, nuggets and fried chick’n to hot dogs, burgers and milkshakes.
Burgers have smoked “bacon”, “cheese” and “beef” patties while vegan sausages are slathered in mustard and rolled in a bun.
A well-known destination for vegans down south, Mr Ramen said it was the “right” decision to open LOTF on the Coast – their first in Queensland.
“We get people coming in every day, sometimes twice a day,” Mr Ramen said.
“We get people from the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Tweed and Byron Bay. People like to have a cheat meal.”
LOTF co-founder Amanda Walker Koronczyk said they had been looking for a suitable Queensland store after years of requests.
“There are a lot of people enjoying the Paradise vibes of the Gold Coast,” she said.
“Eating vegan doesn’t mean missing out.”