Our interview with the Black Country restaurant owner behind vegan version of McDonald’s McRib
An independent Black Country vegan restaurant has been taking on the big names with its own take on a fast food classic.
VGN Boulevard in Stourbridge has created the VGN Rib, a vegan version of the McDonald’s McRib, as part of a Veganuary special deal.
The sandwich is made using OmniPork, a mixture of pea, non-GMO soy, shiitake mushroom & rice, which is shaped as the eponymous McRib, roasted in the oven and then coated with a smoky barbecue sauce, onions and pickles and served in a vegan Hoagie roll.
It has proved very popular, with dozens of customers coming to the restaurant on Coventry Street to try it during January as part of a Veganuary promotion.
Owner Ben Powell, who runs the restaurant with his wife Nicola, said he had been inspired to make it after remembering that he had enjoyed the McDonald’s version when he was eating meat and wanted to take on the big supermarkets during Veganuary.
He said: “I’d always loved the McDonald’s one and had it when I was in America, and in Veganuary, it’s very competitive, with lots of supermarkets doing promotions, so we knew we needed to do something that was unique.
“I’ve seen other people do it, using cheap ingredients, but when I do it, I tend to go over the top sometimes and that’s why I decided to go with the rib-style sandwich and call it the VGN McRib.
“We ordered the Omnipork from Omnifoods, who we think make the best products, order the mould from a guy in America who used a 3D printer, then did research on the flavours for three months to get it right.”
The VGN Rib is one of a large range of meals and desserts that have proved popular, alongside ice cream which is made from rice and tea and coffee which has almond or oat milk.
Mr Powell said the idea of the sandwich fit the philosophy of the restaurant, saying that it wasn’t to force people to adopt a vegan lifestyle, but just to give it a try and see if they liked what they tried.
He said: “I would say it’s about trying something different and a lot of the food we make are really meaty because we want people to come here who aren’t vegan and sort of broaden their horizons a but as we ‘ve been told we need to reduce our meat consumption.
“It’s true that, a few years ago, there was a feeling that all vegan and vegetarian food had a texture of cardboard, but there has been so much technology come along for this food and it blows my mind what we can do, such as doing a 3D printed steak.
“What I would say is that if you come here, we aren’t going to talk to you about veganism unless you want to and we won’t bring it up every five minutes, because we just want to talk about enjoying really naughty, indulgent good food.”
The VGN Rib is available until the end of January and costs £8.55.
To find out more about the VGN Rib and the other food on offer, go to vgnboulevard.com.
