No flavour
Great texture and a good size but seriously lacking in any katsu flavour, just a vague warmth to it. Another disappointment from wicked kitchen
Unpleasant vegan alternative
All the sauce leaked out, the Kiev was difficult to cut & it was an unpleasant chewy texture. I have eaten some really nice no chicken garlic Kiev’s from a rival store & they are far superior. I’ve even recommended them to meat eaters. I would not recommend these.
Fantastic
I was really dubious about these as veggie Kiev’s are usually lacklustre but I shouldn’t have worried because they’re DELICIOUS. They cooked up really well in the oven & due to the sauce being thicker than a garlic butter, they didn’t leak too much of their saucy centre. Enrobed in breadcrumbs they went in to the oven quite heavy and damp but crisped up to a beautiful golden brown & lost all sogginess. The smell whilst they were cooking was of classic Katsu & had a rich, warming aroma. As stated previously they did leak a little bit of sauce but nothing that a finger swipe didn’t soon mop up. The texture was firm under a knife & was a little bit difficult to cut but the wheat & Pea protein when eaten wasn’t chewy & didn’t suffer from the any of the classic mushiness you can get from vegan products . I found the taste of the meat substitute EXCELLENT as it had its own flavour that was independent of that Katsu sauce & you could really taste it. I have to say that this was actually my favourite part. Now on to the star of the show .. the sauce!! It’s everything you’d expect from Katsu, salty, sweet, spicy, warming & aromatic. For my personal taste it was ever, ever so slightly on the sweet side but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment. If you like a spicier flavour you’ll still enjoy these but they do verge on the milder side of mild. It’s a thickish sauce which I enjoyed as there’s nothing worse than a runny Katsu & the consistency is perfect for the Kiev. Overall these are VERY VERY good!! One of the best vegan products I’ve tried in a while & I’ll be stocking up again.