I'm always happy to return to Brighton but never more so than when a new vegan place opens its doors to the public. 100% vegan sushi spot Happy Maki has been on my radar for a while now and I finally made it to their new brick & mortar spot last week. Based in Pool Valley within a stones throw of the pier and practically next door to Boho Gelato they've picked a great spot to open a vegan business. Concept wise the peeps behind Happy Maki want to show people what sustainable sushi can look like - totally fish free, zero cruelty, leave the oceans alone please and thank you.
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The menu is small but varied, there's something for everyone here, from the mock meat fan to your vegetable loving pal. Nick and I ordered the Fully Loaded roll and the Thai Sweet Potato roll to share and grabbed a side of inari tofu too because nobody should see inari pockets on a menu and take a pass.
The rolls are basically a sushi burrito (sushirito?!) and I fell in love at first bite. The sweet potato in the Thai roll was perfectly seasoned and the Fully Loaded had a generous amount of chicken. They also had no problem leaving out the red peppers as everything is rolled to order just as it should be. We were pleased that we opted for the ginger and wasabi option on both rolls as there was the perfect amount of each and the only thing I would change next time would be to request more coriander in my Thai Sweet Potato roll because I'm a coriander fiend who can basically never get enough.
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The inari pockets were ridiculously good, I'm already an inari super fan (tattoo coming soon to prove it!) and honestly most inari is good in my books but these were possibly the best ever. They were grilled so that edges of the pockets had this slightly crisp thing going on which added both a different flavour and texture into the mix. Why is nobody else doing this to their inari? The Happy Maki peeps are basically geniuses!
Next time I visit I'm going to try the Hoisin Duck roll but if you don't have any ridiculous allergies to contend with I'd suggest trying the Beet & Basil Satay roll too. Happy Maki has an adorable seating area downstairs for those days when eating outside on the beach or in Pavillion Gardens isn't an option. The staff were super friendly too and, and this is a major plus for me, a filling meal for two was only £15! That's pretty hard to come by these days. Nick and I recently spent £50 on a much less inspiring meal at an over hyped (in my opinion) Brighton restaurant so if you're visiting the city make sure that Happy Maki is on your must eat list.
The menu is small but varied, there's something for everyone here, from the mock meat fan to your vegetable loving pal. Nick and I ordered the Fully Loaded roll and the Thai Sweet Potato roll to share and grabbed a side of inari tofu too because nobody should see inari pockets on a menu and take a pass.
The rolls are basically a sushi burrito (sushirito?!) and I fell in love at first bite. The sweet potato in the Thai roll was perfectly seasoned and the Fully Loaded had a generous amount of chicken. They also had no problem leaving out the red peppers as everything is rolled to order just as it should be. We were pleased that we opted for the ginger and wasabi option on both rolls as there was the perfect amount of each and the only thing I would change next time would be to request more coriander in my Thai Sweet Potato roll because I'm a coriander fiend who can basically never get enough.
The inari pockets were ridiculously good, I'm already an inari super fan (tattoo coming soon to prove it!) and honestly most inari is good in my books but these were possibly the best ever. They were grilled so that edges of the pockets had this slightly crisp thing going on which added both a different flavour and texture into the mix. Why is nobody else doing this to their inari? The Happy Maki peeps are basically geniuses!
Next time I visit I'm going to try the Hoisin Duck roll but if you don't have any ridiculous allergies to contend with I'd suggest trying the Beet & Basil Satay roll too. Happy Maki has an adorable seating area downstairs for those days when eating outside on the beach or in Pavillion Gardens isn't an option. The staff were super friendly too and, and this is a major plus for me, a filling meal for two was only £15! That's pretty hard to come by these days. Nick and I recently spent £50 on a much less inspiring meal at an over hyped (in my opinion) Brighton restaurant so if you're visiting the city make sure that Happy Maki is on your must eat list.