When my mum came to visit me in the beginning of June, we were in the bus and we saw a place what was going to be an ice cream bar soon: Unico! It said it was going to have vegan options too, so I straight away made note in my phone. In the end of July, I had finally found some time to go and I was super excited. First of all, it looked super nice, very new, bright and fresh! There were some people before me, so I took this time to take some pictures and to look at the menu. There are quite a lot of seats, because you can also sit down stairs and they don’t only offer ice cream, but also: cake, sandwiches, tea and coffee. What a lovely shop!
The guy who served me knew a lot and he was very kind and super helpful. Very much appreciated! They have over 10 different vegan flavours, but there are only 3-4 flavours available a day. Today that was strawberry, mango and dark chocolate. This is because they make their ice cream fresh every day and they don’t want to throw away too much. Their ice cream is low in fat, high in fiber, protein and vitamins. What is an exciting thing! He let me taste the chocolate when I said that I loved the fact that there was a chocolate available. Mango was one of his favourites and so he let me taste that one too. Both of them were very delicious! I’m very sorry for all the other ice cream shops I’ve been to, but this was the best chocolate and mango ice cream I’ve ever had. I did like the chocolate a little bit better than the mango, but that is just because it’s chocolate. It was just so creamy and full of rich chocolate flavour. It’s like eating cold chocolate fudge. I ordered these 2 flavours, because I wanted more of course. I got it served in this super cute cup, but he told me that soon there will be vegan cones too. Yay! (I’ll be back!)
Like I said, there is more than just ice cream. The little sandwiched they have, are called ‘bubbles’. They are super cute to see, like little wrapped ‘bubbles’. They are small filled buns and they make them warm for you. I had the Genova and it’s with potatoes, green beans and pesto sauce. There is also one with seasonal vegetables. The bubbles are the only thing they don’t make in the shop itself, but they let them come over from Italy. I’ve never seen them before, but it was very tasty. Now the cake. They have a lot of different cakes, but only one vegan one. Hopefully there will be more soon. The one they offered was a raw chocolate and cashew one.. so even though it was the only option, it was surely a good one. I didn’t taste it, but I’m sure it was delicious. It looked amazing. Maybe a next time.
I want to thank Unico for their delicious ice cream and sandwich!
WHO? Unico.
WHERE? 37 Pembridge Rd, Notting Hill, W11 3HG.
CUISINE? Italian.
VEGAN? No! (omni)
OVERALL? 9 (Amazing ice cream, lovely sandwiches, bright interior and great service)
Did you already know Unico? Or are you planning to go here now? You do need to try the chocolate ice cream! Please tell me about your experience! You can do this by leaving a comment below, but you can also show me by tagging me on Instagram or by using #PlanetManel. Thank you! X
I don’t know why, but I always liked these sandwiched for on the go. Some people find them disgusting, but I like that it’s this kind of ‘sticky’, haha! I used to get them when on the station for lunch or as a snack. Lots of times I chose the one with egg salad or just a simple cheese one. And very long ago, even a ham/cheese one. Obviously I don’t eat them anymore since I’m vegan, but I always hoped they would offer vegan options one day. Many times I checked, but even if it seemed alright, they used yogurt or mayonnaise. Such a shame. Nowadays though, tings changed. Demand is changing the offer, as that’s how it works. I was curious about the differences and so I picked 3 to compare. From Pret a Manger, M&S and Boots! So let’s see..
Let’s start with the third place. On number 3 is the one from Boots. It’s called ‘Louisiana Style Cajun Fritter’. They advertise it as an American sandwich, with a fitting package. It looks very tasty, with the fritters inside. Unfortunately the fritters were a bit dry and there is a slight soapy taste. I’m not a big fan of this one, but somebody else might like them. Something I really dislike about this one is the amount of sugar in here. There is 8 grams of sugar in here. That is a sugar cube in each sandwich. Very unnecessary. Also it’s quite high in fat (5.6 grams). Though, if you don’t have a lot of choice and there is a Boots around (there are a lot of them, so that is a positive), it’s an ok choice. It’s a limited edition, so if you want to try them, be quick!
On the second place I put the M&S sandwich. It’s called ‘Rainbow Veg’. A nice name I think. It’s with chilli squash and pumpkin seeds on red pepper bread. This bread gives it a little extra I think as it’s very tasty. Very soft and fresh. It’s a very good sandwich, with a bit of a smokey flavour, thanks to the roasted veggies. I also really like the package with the avocado and fresh veggies on there. It’s quite a healthy option too, as it’s 2.8 grams in sugar (still unnecessary though). The fat content is quite high (8.1grams), but that must be because there is avocado in there.
And on number 1, what can’t be a big surprise, is the sandwich from Pret a Manger. They have a lot of vegan options in general and they’re all delicious. They just do good food. I can’t say much about the package, as they’re all the same at Pret and they’re very neutral. What is fine I think, the sandwich itself makes it look attractive enough. It has Avocado, red tapenade, red pepper, spinach, olives, some lemon juice and seasoning. A perfect combination on very tasty, fresh bread. The only downside is that it says there is 6.3 grams of sugar. I can’t find that they add sugar, so I’m not sure where the sugar comes from (in the tapenade maybe?). Still they are on number one, because it’s simply delicious. I really enjoy this sandwich!
Planet Manel 