Where To Veg Out This World Vegetarian Month
Poor vegetarians, for so long they’ve been the dinner party martyrs, saving the planet one dolphin at a time. But recently they’ve been outshone by an army of vegans so much more committed to Mother Earth that all the veggies must be hating their herbivorous selves while they poach another egg. Well October should be re-setting the balance a little, yes the vegans might get ‘Veganuary’, but now the vegetarians can claim October as their own with the slightly less snappy Vegetarian Awareness Month. Double points if you’re also sober Octobering, but either way, here are the places you should head to heighten your awareness of vegetarianism…
Craft London
Vegetables are practically in the very word ‘Greenwich’, if you sort of look at it the right way. Okay, that’s spurious, but what’s not spurious are Craft London’s latest vegetarian menus. The project, a colab between Stevie Parle and Tom Dixon, brings a ‘best of British’ contemporary cooking style to North Greenwich, and now there’s a four course veggie menu and tasting menu just in time for Vegetarian month. The menus also come with veg-tastic wine pairings.
Where: Craft London, Peninsula Square, London, United Kingdom
Website: www.craft-london.co.uk
The Jones Family Project Restaurant & Bar
Where do you head if you’re a committed vegetarian? Why, a steak restaurant, of course… Not so ridiculous if that steak restaurant is The Jones Family Project Restaurant and Bar who have specially developed two dishes including their garden plate and a seasonal risotto. Making this the ideal place to take your carnivorous other half when all you want to do is eat leaves.
Where: 78 Great Eastern Street Shoreditch EC2A 3JL
Website: www.jonesfamilyproject.co.uk
Hammer & Tongs
Turns out that South African barbecuers Hammer & Tongs’ menu is over 50% vegetarian, with the veg taking on the deliciously smokey flavours from the grill. Enjoy spicy herbs rubbed vegetable skewers, Cape Malay curry, couscous and pomegranate salad with chickpeas, mint and toasted almonds and barbecued Hispi cabbage with parsley, paprika and whole grain mustard.
Where: 171 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3AL, UK
Website: www.hammertongs.co.uk
Circus
Those guys over at Circus must have so many elephants and camels out the back that they’re pretty dab hand at coming up with leaf-based dishes. And the restaurant that offers some of the most spectacular acrobatics about have put bunch of hard work into doing something equally spectacular on the plate for vegetarians and vegans. Executive chef, Andrew Lassetter, has created a pan-Asian inspired menu across four courses of vegetablely goodness. Well worth a taste.
Where: 27-29 Endell Street, Westminster, London, WC2H 9BA, United Kingdom
Website: www.circus-london.co.uk
Tibits
Another stop on the great roadmap of vegetarianism, Tibits is essential eating for anyone interested in a meat-free existence. And without the most expensive cuts of meat and salmon freshly flown in from The Highlands, or whatever, they are able to charge for food in an innovative way. By weight. So grab a bowl, some scales and plenty of veggie food.
Where: 12-14 Heddon Street, off Regent Street, W1B 4DA
Website: www.tibits.co.uk
The Rubens at the Palace
And its not just about meals, how about a vegetarian afternoon tea to get you in the mood? The Rubens at the Palace have worked flat out to create an afternoon tea that uses only veg, with roasted pepper and sundried tomato hummus on white or goat’s cheese and red onion jam on beetroot bread, gone are any hints of ham or salmon or beef and perfectly accompanied by royalty inspired (they are opposite Buckingham Palace, after all) dishes like a chocolate biscuit cake adapted from Prince William and Prince Harry’s favourite dish or a gin and tonic cheesecake that’s an homage to Her Majesty The Queen’s fave tipple.
Where: 39 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, SW1W 0PS
Website: www.rubenshotel.com
Mildred's
If you’re going to celebrate like a vegetarian you can’t not go to Mildred’s, if you’ll excuse the double-negative. Which will be the last negative you read because this is London’s ground-zero of vegetarianing. Mildred’s has been leading the charge since 1988 when veganism had barely been heard of and vegetarianism was as far from mainstream as you could get.
Where: 45 Lexington Street, Soho, W1F 9AN
Website: www.mildreds.co.uk
Vanilla Black
Vanilla Black opened back in 2004 in reaction against ‘mushroom risotto or Halloumi kebabs’ that was the lot of early naughties vegetarians attempting to dine out. Instead they created an inspired vegetarian menu that remains contemporary and tasty today as it did back when they launched.
Where: 17-18 Took’s Court, Holborn, EC4A 1LB
Website: www.vanillablack.co.uk
