Vegan in London: Gauthier Soho, Part Two

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Jenny
A white bowl containing three bright red tortellini with a green sauce

This was our second visit to Gauthier Soho, which is an all vegan fine dining restaurant – you can read about our first visit here. There were three of us in attendance this time, with Mother HH as a non-vegan participant who was heartily impressed with the evening. Once again, we went for the eight course menu.

Three spoons each holding a green leaf and a green jelly topped with a beige cream

We got two canapes to start with. This one was crudités with lemon butter tahini and a leaf of some kind. The leaf overpowered everything else, but the after taste was quite pleasant. This wasn’t really a popular bite at our table, but we were not discouraged.

Three small tarts with thin cases, a brownish gel and a cherry tomato half

The tart pissaladiere was much better! The case was thin and crumbled away when you bit into it. It was filled with caramelised onion, tapenade, and tomato, and it was really delicious. Confidence fully restored!

A beautifully layered bread or pastry in the foreground with a small dish containing tomato and seasoning in the background
A bread or pastry in the foreground which has been opened up to reveal the layers, with a small dish containing tomato and seasoning in the background

I have learned that I absolutely love a bread course in a fancy restaurant, and this one was no exception. This dish has basically survived since our visit the previous year, but it has improved in that time! The brioche was now actually like a croissant, really buttery and flaky and delicious, with a nice crispy coat. I would have been happy eating it on its own, but it came with feta, pico de gallo and coriander oil, which was a really fresh and zingy combination. Overall, this course was absolutely sublime!

A quenelle of black seaweed caviar sitting alongside a buttery yellow sauce with black seeds and dill, alongside a seaweed wrapped oval, topped with a white textured cracker

Next came a leek terrine. The leek was wrapped in seaweed and topped with a tapioca cracker. Alongside it we had beurre blanc with nigella seeds and an elegant scoop of seaweed caviar. The leek was really soft and quite mild – in fact, all of the flavours were quite mild, with the exception of the beurre blanc which was very rich and delicious, and the real highlight of the dish.

Chopped beetroot next to a small pool of green sauce, alongside a smooth helping of puree and topped with some leaves

The heritage beetroot course may have been a bit high concept for me. It featured baked beetroot, cherry and fennel marmalade, chocolate beetroot puree, and parsley oil. I always try to have a little nibble of every element on its own at some point to see how everything tastes, and I really did not care for the individual elements here. As a whole, however, it was rich, delicious, and earthy. We all especially enjoyed the puree which started out with quite a strong chocolate flavour and ended up with the beetroot notes.

A white bowl containing three bright red tortellini with a green sauce

I felt like I was back on safer ground with the tomato ravioli. The ravioli were really intense with a strong flavour of tomatoes, and the basil sauce was bursting with flavour as well. We received a flute of tomato consomme as a palate cleanser, and it was really punchy and fun. I love a good tomato course in a fancy restaurant, it always works out well for me! We all found this course really tasty, though we queried its description as ravioli. This is not the correct shape for ravioli, surely?!

A courgette flower, brown sauce, a bit of potato and a hint of a crouton in the background

The fleur de courgette farcie was, as we declared (or whispered to ourselves, lest we be overheard by the lovely servers), a bit of a farce. It was all very bland. The courgette flower was stuffed with smoked tofu, but had none of that lovely smokiness to it. The saffron bouillabaisse was really bland too. There was a chunk of alleged potato and courgette rosti, which was totally soft, with none of the crispiness that you’d expect of a rosti. There’s a crouton hiding at the back of the picture which was really crusty and good, so that’s something. But the plain courgette was the most flavoursome part of the dish for all of us, which is a real shame.

A long strip of potato rolled into a rose shape, topped with beans and greens, sitting atop a yellowish sauce with mushrooms and more beans

Fortunately, this was followed by the potato rose, which was one of the highlights of the feast. You can’t really see, but the potato is rolled up with a rose and served with lots of delicious things like chard, girolles, beans, bacon, and jus de roti vegetal (which also included bacon and truffle). It was very savoury and very delicious!

A small biscuit topped with smooth cream cheese and tapenade with two leaves of herb, and a caramelised olive on the side

To transition to the sweet courses, we had a Kalamata olive cheesecake, which split the crowd at our table. It had a biscuit base, cream cheese, tapenade, and a caramelised olive (we were also told it was topped with a “herb salad”, which feels a bit generous for two stems, but to be fair, that’s all the salad I care for!). It was very cheesy and very rich. The caramelised olive was too sweet for me, and a sweet olive is quite an unpleasant thought. Dr HH loved it though!

Candy floss which has been blow torched and is hard and streaked with red, hiding a pile of strawberries underneath

I always feel a bit cheated if my first course of dessert is some kind of sorbet, so I was pleased to get a proper treat for the strawberry course. We had strawberries with lemon verbena topped with candy floss which was blow torched at the table, giving it an incredible crunchy texture. The dish was sugary and sweet, but also light and refreshing, and I would happily eat it again.

A chocolate covered cube, with a little bit of white crème fraiche on top and some gold leaf

And the dessert proper was dark chocolate, as it should be. Although it already looks quite small, it was made up of multiple layers, including: a biscuit base, cream cheese, caramel, ganache, macadamia and pecan pracline, and a chocolate shell. On top of that was a bit of crème fraiche and some gold leaf. It sounds like a lot, but it was all perfectly balanced and really delicious. It’s like a dessert made up of all the great dessert buzzwords and somehow it manages to fit together and be decadent but not too much. Quite incredible.

A tray containing three small cakes topped with yellow cream and apricot, and three small cakes with paler cream and a red fruit

I didn’t really have room for any petit fours at this point, but you can’t really say no, can you? The ones on the right were peach sponge and they were disappointingly claggy. The lemon sponge on the left was much lighter.

There were a couple of misses for us in this meal, which is a shame, but the hits were proper hits, and the overall experience makes it worthwhile for me. I hope to be back again one day for another exciting culinary adventure!

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Vegan in London: Gauthier Soho, Part One

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Jenny
A red plate with artfully arranged vegetables and a creamy beurre blanc on the side

It has been exciting over the last few years to see fine dining restaurants slowly warming up to veganism. By the time I learned that this was happening, we were deep into the pandemic with no possibility of travelling to the few restaurants that were starting to lead the way. I went to a couple of fancy restaurants in Hong Kong back in 2011 and even just the vegetarian options were very disheartening: grilled asparagus in one, risotto in another. So, what a treat that the fine dining world is moving on now and us vegans get to share in these culinary wonders! Gauthier Soho in London reinvented itself as an all vegan restaurant in 2021, and we made our first visit the following summer. It was a delight!

You can choose between a 5 course and an 8 course option (well, you can’t really choose – it depends on what time you’ve booked in for). Dr HH and I went for 8 courses, because if you’re going to do something you might as well do it properly. We had no regrets.

Two small tarts in crisp, thin shells with a gel dome in the centre. Two spoons with a rich aubergine coloured concoction.

There were two canapes, the thin tomato tart ‘BLT’ and the aubergine, celery, and capers. I’m not wild about celery, but the other two flavours made up for it. The tarts were a delight, with some intriguing textures along with the burst of tomato.

A beautiful looking brioche bun.
A small cylinder of pico de gallo, topped with a creamy feta with a pool of green oil in a well in the centre.

Next came the dish of the day, the kouglof brioche which was served with creamy feta and tasty pico de gallo. This was beautiful! At the time, it was the best bread we’d ever tried (since usurped by Eleven Madison Park), a really incredible bake. And the feta and pico de gallo were fresh and flavoursome. It was a perfect combination, and I would have loved another helping.

A creamy puree topped with sliced fennel and blackberries and beans sitting in a blackberry tea, It's all covered with long green fronds.

The roast fennel was next, which included Szechuan pickled blackberry, beans, fennel, and blackcurrant leaf tea. This was a bit of a miss for me. I struggle to eat anything with that long, stringy texture of these leafy bits because I’m always so worried about choking on them, and I think a little fruit goes a long way in a savoury dish, so this was a bit too fruity from the blackberries for my tastes.

Creamy risotto with herbs for garnish and a rich brown sauce on top

You can never get away without being served risotto, can you? This course was called black antipodean melanosporum truffle, and it was good as risotto goes. It was creamy and well seasoned. After being vegetarian in the 1990s though, I’ve long since hit my limit with risottos. You’ve had one, you’ve had them all!

A red plate with artfully arranged vegetables and a creamy beurre blanc on the side

The rather excitingly named barbecued loin of kohlrabi came next, with samphire and sea broth and sake beurre blanc. This was more of a return to form, with some fun textures and tastes. The beurre blanc was decadent.

A small dish containing a small scoop of white sorbet sitting in some fruity juice and small pieces of peach. The sorbet is topped with a pink gelatinous looking disc.

The next course, simply named peach, was the pre-dessert and consisted of green shiso and lime sorbet. As you would hope from this course, it was refreshing and quite light, paving the way for the main event…

A pool of strawberry liquid with a crispy looking biscuit sitting in it. On top of the biscuit is a perfect cloud of meringue that has been blowtorched and caramelised. On the side is a scoop of strawberry.

What a dessert! This was the norvegienne brulee, which is one of my all time favourite desserts. The base was a sable biscuit which was really delicious. The strawberry was fresh and full of flavour. The meringue was an absolute delight! I’m not sure I’ve had meringue that good before or after. I usually knock a point off for a pudding if it’s got no chocolate, but this one was absolutely top notch.

A small wooden dish containing two small cakes topped with yellow cream and a raspberry, and two macarons with white shells and a chocolate cream in the middle.

We did get some chocolate at the end those, with these dark chocolate petit fours. The cake was nice, and the macaron was excellent. It seems like macarons have gone a bit out of fashion since their 200s heyday, but I still find them impressive.

All in all, it was quite the feast! Service was very good, and the pacing of the courses was just right. We left feeling full, but not uncomfortably so. I always feel a bit concerned about dress codes at places like these, but however casually we dress, we are almost never the most casual – there were other people in shorts and trainers, very obviously arriving after a full day of touristing. We enjoyed the experience so much that we went back in summer 2023 with Mother HH in tow – more on that next time.

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Vegan in Prague: Oak

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Jenny
A big plate containing half a grilled tomato, four small hash browns, a pile of cooked mushrooms, two sausages, a dollop of brown sauce, an artful arrangement of sliced avocado with black sesame and lime, and a big helping of baked beans, with microgreens scattered over the plate

It’s been a very long time since we’ve checked in on the Prague vegan scene! A lot has happened in the last three years, unsurprisingly. Some old staples have closed down, some like Moment, Chutnej, and Strecha have had a revamp, and a few of the old classics are still thriving, like Pastva and the Dim Sum Spot. And of course, there are new places aplenty to catch up on, with croissants, cheesesteak sandwiches, book-themed cocktails, and much more to come. But let’s start, as always, with breakfast.

It is always exciting to see a full English breakfast on a menu in Europe – but rare to find one without salad. These healthy Europeans can’t resist adding a handful of leaves, which totally flies in the face of what a proper full English is all about! So when I heard from a fellow Brit that there’s a salad-free vegan option in Prague now, I couldn’t wait to try.

The same breakfast plate as above, with a smaller plate on the side containing two slices of toasted white bread and a pot of olive oil

And the rumours were true! I’m not sure about the little microgreens, but still, it’s a big step up from the usual version you get in this city. Oak is pretty central in Prague, and also quite small – they were almost fully booked when we visited, and we had to sit at the bar. It seems like they are generally not great at labelling the vegan options in their menu, but they do differentiate between meaty, vegetarian, and vegan full English breakfasts (though Dr HH was outraged to note that only the meaty version is available extra large – hook a greedy vegan up!).

There’s no vegan butter, so the two slices of toast are served with olive oil, which is not something I’ve personally ever put on toast – instead, we both decided to assemble avo toasts for ourselves, with pleasing results. The grilled tomato was unremarkable, as always, but it was at least hot which is not always the case (perhaps that’s another European twist on the classic). I am a huge fan of hash browns, and these were absolutely perfectly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside – a real winner. The mushrooms were cooked in white wine and you could taste it. They felt like more of an ‘evening’ mushroom to me than a breakfast one, where I’d prefer salt and pepper and maybe one herb if pushed. The sausages were good – we didn’t recognise the brand, but they looked a bit too uniform to be homemade. I did not try any of the brown sauce, but Dr HH enjoyed it. The beans were homemade rather than tinned, and they were a touch too sweet and fruity for me, but still pleasant. It might have been nice to have some tofu scramble on there, but this was a good plate nevertheless.

Despite my pickiness, this is probably the best full English I’ve had in Europe and it’s a really exciting addition to the Prague breakfast scene.

Do you have any controversial takes on the full English breakfast?

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Vegan in Orihuela Costa

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Jenny
A beautiful blue sea

During the pandemic, my mother abandoned the gloom of Manchester for the Spanish coast, and you probably don’t need me to explain why. She gets to walk by the sea and enjoy the sunshine every day (well, almost every day – it does rain occasionally, much to her distress). The good news for me is that I now have a very convenient getaway destination when I too need some sea and sun! However, the Orihuela Costa where she lives is quite different from my usual holiday locations. She lives in a small town with a lot of retirees from the UK, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia. Transport connections are quite poor (there isn’t even a trainline!), and there is no real vegan scene to speak of. But still, the sun, sea, and my beloved mother are enough to lure me over, and we have managed to find a few good meals.

Deep fried chicken on a skewer with fries, a small skewer of roasted veg, and some coleslaw

The Hen’s Teeth in Villamartin is one of the few places I’ve seen with mock meat on the menu, so this was pretty exciting. They had very clearly labelled vegan options and sections on their menu, and I felt very confident ordering here (this will not be a common trend here, alas). It was a deep fried chicken skewer, which I enjoyed very much. The chips were also nice and crisp, and the roasted vegetables were a fun touch. I’d recommend this place. However, if you don’t have a car and aren’t staying in this area, it may be a bit of a mission to get there – it’s a little tricky to find accurate information about bus routes and times.

A burrito sliced in half filled with vegetables and grains, served with a dollop of guacamole, some tomatoes, and some crisps

There is a fully vegetarian restaurant in Torrevieja, one of the bigger towns in this area. Beet Vegetariano has a few vegan dishes on the menu, along with some veganisable ones, and it’s another of the few places in this area where I felt confident that they did understand what vegan means. I got a burrito, which was nice and quite filling, with lots of vegetables and some good guac on the side, but it all felt a bit underseasoned. Everything was fine, but I wish the food had been a bit more special. Nevertheless, I’ll be back, because there’s not much competition and it’s good to support a meat-free eatery. As a bonus, Torrevieja is one of the places it’s a bit easier to get in and out of, because it’s quite a hub and so there are more buses to other towns in the area.

A big breakfast plate of toast, two sausages, a pile of fried mushrooms, a pile of halved cherry tomatoes, a pot of beans, a hash brown, and a sliced avocado

Makai Cafe in Playa Flamenca has a few vegan options on the menu, including a full breakfast and a wrap. I’ve had the full breakfast, which came with some non-vegan butter, so definitely check before you tuck into that in particular. In the absence of any spread, I fashioned myself an avocado toast, which worked really nicely. It was a hearty breakfast – not mind blowing (you may be noticing a theme here), but very pleasant after a long walk on the beach. A second hash brown would always be welcome, but no major complaints.

Two crispy fried spring rolls on a salad garnish
A big bubbling plate containing chunks of tofu along with onions, peppers, broccoli and other vegetables

Zenia Garden Asian Restaurant in Playa Flamenca doesn’t have any labelled vegan options, but the staff have told me before that some of the vegetarian dishes are also vegan. The vegetable spring rolls are vegan, and they’re always good and crispy. All the dishes listed under “vegetarian dishes” on the menu are also vegan, so I’m told – I always go for the fried tofu with mixed vegetables. The tofu chunks are really nice, and there’s usually quite a good variety of vegetables. It is quite an oily dish, and quite generous too, so I usually take half home with me for the next day.

A wrap cut in half filled with falafel and salad, along with a handful of crisps and a pot of coleslaw

You can find some labelled vegan options at Willow Café in Playa Flamenca. I’ve been told they occasionally do vegan cake, though there was none when I visited. I got the vegan falafel wrap, which would have been great except that there were quite large bits of chilli in (you can see a few pieces in this picture). It was significantly more ferocious than I would have liked! Also, I wasn’t convinced that the coleslaw would be vegan, so I avoided it just to be safe (though the menu did mention vegan mayo, so it may well have been fine).

Surfers and swimmers in the sea, sunbathers on the beach

While it can be a bit of a struggle when eating out, vegan options are plentiful in the supermarkets. There’s a big Alcampo in Zenia Boulevard which has lots of great food – there’s plant milks aplenty, including Oatly Barista sometimes, and quite a few Heura mock meat products in the chilled section (along with things like tofu and a few other brands of meat-free products). There’s Alpro yoghurts and ice cream, and vegan Magnums too. So if you have a kitchen, you’ll definitely be fine.

It does seem like the vegan options are slowly increasing in the two years I’ve been visiting – so hopefully there’ll be a part two of this coming soon with some more exciting options. But for now, there are enough options to get by!

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Vegan in New York: Franchia Vegan Cafe

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Jenny
A very hot stone bowl filled with vegetables, rice, tofu, and seaweed

Franchia Vegan Cafe was one of the many places in New York where I wish I’d arrived hungrier so as so try some starters as well…but we ate so much good food on our trip that I’m not sure I was ever actually hungry! I had actually heard that their sister restaurant, Hangawi, was the number one vegan Korean spot in New York…but I also heard that you have to take your shoes off and sit on the floor, which was not appealing to people who were on the go all day. We were in the mood for proper chairs!

I ordered the duck stone bowl, picture above. This differed from the bibimbap version in that the bowl is piping hot, so the rice around the edges gets beautifully fried. That rice had a really great texture, and the mushrooms and duck were really flavoursome. It all came with a tasty ginger sauce as well. I almost didn’t order it because the dishes were served so hot they’re still noisily crackling as they are brought to the table, and I don’t like to draw attention – but happily Dr HH talked me out of my foolishness.

A large plate of noodles with red peppers, herbs, and some fishy chunks

Mother HH cannot resist Singapore noodles wherever she goes, so she ordered the Singapore curry angel hair and was very impressed. It was nicely spiced and included some lobster balls – I cannot confirm their authenticity, but they were very fun.

A hot pot filled with a thick golden stew containing vegetables and fishy chunks including some deep fried chunks

And Dr HH chose the spicy Korean hot pot, which contained fishy pieces. He reported that it was very good, and as promised, very spicy. The fish pieces were delightful!

And so we have arrived at the end of our trip to New York. We truly ate the best food on this trip, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I already wish we could go back for more, but I will satisfy myself with all of these happy memories.

Is sitting on the floor at a restaurant ever worth it? Have you got any recommendations that will convince me to plan another trip to New York?

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Vegan in New York: Screamers Pizzeria

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Jenny
Four slices of pizza on paper plates on a tabe

Pizza by the slice is a rare find in the vegan circles I find myself in, so I was extremely excited for the opportunity to go to Screamers Pizzeria, which is an all vegan place. There are two branches, both in Brooklyn, and we went to the Crown Heights location where I found myself quite spoiled for choice. It’s quite a small place with a few tables, and it’s not too cramped, which is always a treat. They also appeared to be doing a roaring takeaway trade. For anyone else who has had few opportunities to indulge in pizza by the slice, I’ll explain the process – we ordered at the counter, then the staff slid our slices into the pizza oven to heat them up, and then we collected them from the counter.

We had a few different slices between us. I limited myself to two, which was more than enough for lunch – pepperoni, which I can never resist, and the screamer, which was cheese and mushroom (the bottom two in the picture above). Pepperoni and mushroom are my favourite pizza toppings, so I was very happy indeed. Part of me wonders if I should have been bold and got the mac and cheese slice, but I think these were smart choices.

A slice of margherita pizza

Mother HH played it safe with a simple margherita, which she said was really good. She’s still not a big lover of vegan cheeses, so we’ll call this a win!

A slice of pizza topped with artichoke and meaty crumbles

Dr HH of course tried three different slices. The spicy nona (the square slice in the top left corner of the top picture) had a good thick crust and a different texture than the other slices we had. It contained cheese, pesto, and chilli oil, so he was very happy. Next to that one in the picture up top is the buffalo, which had tasty buffalo cauliflower florets on it. And pictured just above here is the artichoke, which combined pesto, artichoke, and crumbled meaty bits. He was happy with everything, though the buffalo was his favourite.

Ms HH smiling at the camera in Prospect Park, with some daffodils bursting into life

We had worked up our appetite for the pizza with a morning in Prospect Park – though it’s also in Brooklyn, it is not near the pizzeria, unfortunately. We had a lovely time wandering around and spotting the early signs of spring, along with some birds, of course.

Two turtles on a log in the pond at Prospect Park

And we saw some chipmunks and turtles as well! As someone who only knows chipmunks form the famous Alvin, I had no idea they were just freely scuttling around in public. It felt very exotic! We read that there are guided birdwatching walks every weekend, so it’s a shame we didn’t have our wits about us to attend one of those. But even as clueless amateurs, we were pleased with what we spotted and ready for our pizza reward.

Can you get vegan pizza by the slice easily? Does it encourage you to make bolder pizza choices?

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Vegan in New York: Willow

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Jenny
A cookie skillet topped with a huge portion of chocolate ice cream and drizzled with peanut butter

While planning our week in New York, I encountered the classic problem: there were more eateries I wanted to visit than meals to account for during our stay. When it was getting down to the finer details of planning it, I had about five restaurants competing for the two final spots on the itinerary, and when I put it to a family vote, Willow just squeaked through. And I’m very glad it did!

An elegant portion of pasta in a creamy sauce, topped with some mushroom pieces and herbs

The main attraction for me was the “scallop” cacio e pepe dish. I’d only had cacio e pepe twice before, it hasn’t really made it as a veganised staple yet as far as I can tell – but those two instances were enough to make me a big fan. In fact, one of my culinary goals for the year is to master a vegan cacio e pepe recipe, so please share any tips you have! Obviously I had high hopes for this dish, and it did not disappoint. I was hoping the scallops would be big chunky ones, like we once had at a fantastic restaurant in Dublin, but they were chopped. Still, they were made from oyster mushrooms and added a nice bit of texture to the dish, so no major complaints. And they weren’t the main attraction, after all. The sauce was creamy and cheesy, and the pepper seasoning was perfect. I was worried it might be a bit too mild, but I was very satisfied indeed.

A big portion of nicely cooked mock meat, with a sticky glaze, served with broccoli and a portion of sauce

Dr HH was somewhat less satisfied with his BBQ ribs. The ribs were seitan and were nicely made, with a good sticky glaze, but his verdict was that the dish was quite samey – just a big plate of meat. While it wasn’t a bad dish, it didn’t quite deliver what he wanted, and he probably just chose the wrong dish because it is hard to resist ribs. The accompanying chips (pictured below), however, got a rave review.

A burger and portion of chips

Mother HH agreed on the chips, and was also very pleased with her burger. We didn’t make a note of exactly what burger she got and I can’t find a suitable option on the menu now, but she really enjoyed it, so go ahead and gamble if you see a burger on their menu!

A cookie skillet topped with a huge portion of chocolate ice cream and drizzled with peanut butter

Willow was also one of the few occasions when we got dessert on this trip. We ate so much that we just didn’t really have room for that many puddings, but this was an occasion when we all made an exception because there was a cookie skillet on the menu. This is one of those dishes that seems so American, you just can’t turn down an opportunity to try it. And it was everything I’d hoped for! For any readers who are also new to this dessert, brace yourselves. It’s a really soft cookie, with the chocolate chunks still gooey from the oven. It’s topped with chocolate ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce and a good sprinkling of salt, making it like a really decadent baked Snickers. I was in no way hungry when I ordered this dish, but I ate every last bite – and so did Dr HH. We might have to buy our own little tiny skillets to recreate this at home, because I’ve never seen this on a menu in Prague or my regular haunts in the UK. Not pictured here is Mother HH’s bowl of vanilla ice cream with (at her request) no sauce or additions. She loves a simple vanilla ice cream. I always support someone who knows what they like, but I didn’t think it was worth photographing. You’ve seen a bowl of vanilla ice cream before.

So the food was a definite winner. The restaurant itself was a little bit crowded (in keeping with our general feeling about restaurants in Manhattan), with the tables very close together and some noisy neighbours. But service was still sharp and we would definitely return for another meal – and I’d order exactly the same two courses again!

Have you got the perfect vegan cacio e pepe recipe for me to try? Or cookie skillet? Help me recreate this magic!

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Vegan in New York: Bodhi Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Jenny
An array of dim sum dishes serves on plates and steamers with sauces on the side

Don’t let the name fool you, this place is 100% vegan and I was very excited about having an extensive dim sum menu to choose from. It’s always a thrill to have lots of small dishes to share, though truthfully I’m not sure any of our party knew enough about dim sum to choose the best dishes. Still, we ordered a good amount of food and we really enjoyed sampling so many different things.

Practicalities first: we were given a piece of paper with all the dim sum items listed and a pencil, and we went through and indicated which dishes we wanted to try (and how many portions, though we only got one of each). Then after the server collected the paper, everything was brought out as and when it was ready.

Three large, gelatinous looking white slabs, served on a plate

I thought I remembered that I liked pan fried turnip cake from my time in Hong Kong – alas, I was wrong. I quite liked the gelatinous texture, but it had a slightly bitter taste. This was the only thing Mother HH wouldn’t even finish, and it fell a bit flat for all of us.

Three deep fried rice dumplings on a plate

The fried sticky rice dumpling had a nice texture but was unsurprisingly a little bland. We should have chosen something a bit more exciting, but there are so many buzzwords (fried! sticky! dumpling!) we were powerless to resist.

Three small triangular pastries topped with sesame seeds

I will always order pastry, so we shared the veg meat pastry dish. The pastry didn’t disappoint, but the meaty filling was a little sweeter than we would have liked.

Three crispy spring rolls

You can’t go wrong with a fried spring roll, can you? These were crisped to perfection, and the vegetable filling was nicely seasoned – often a spring roll is all about the crunch while the seasoning is bland and the filling virtually nonexistent, but these were good all-rounders.

Two rolls covered in bean curd and sitting in a sauce, served in a steamer

Mother HH thought these looked a bit too weird, but the veg chicken bean curd rolls were very much my cup of tea. I love a bit of bean curd, and these had a really fun texture.

Four white steamed dumplings served in the steamer

We tried the steamed veg shrimp dumplings hoping they’d have quite big pieces or shrimp in them, but unfortunately that was not the case (and presumably if we were dim sum aficionados we would have known that). Still, there were pleasant little morsels.

A plate with small chunks of ribs - a pale and chewy centre between two darker, crispier edges

And this was the real dish of the day: veg ribs with salt pepper. I’ve had vegan ribs in various places before, but never anything remotely like this. The texture was completely foreign to me (I’m not sure I ever had ribs before I went vegetarian as a child), and it was incredibly more-ish, really chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. It tasted meaty and salty. It was absolutely joyous. I would have happily ordered another plate, even though we were in no way hungry after all of this.

While the food was very good indeed, we had a strange and unpleasant experience with our first server. I was going to say that she was a bit too physical with us, but really, there should be no level of physical contact, should there? I’m not sure anyone who works in hospitality has intentionally touched me since 2020 (if ever). But she was all over us. Rather than just setting the pencil down on our table, she grabbed Dr HH’s hand and forced the pencil into it, then held his hand over the paper to indicate how we should mark our chosen items. Then she kept pawing at Mother HH, trying to massage her back or arms. It was baffling stuff. Everyone else who brought us our food or settled our bill was perfectly normal, so perhaps there’s just one extremely handsy woman who we were unlucky to get. She also had some very sexist comments to make about gender roles and described herself as hot. We were just not a good match for whatever material she had, I’m afraid.

Even with the risk of encountering her again, we’d be back though. The ribs are worth the social discomfort – and really, is there any greater compliment than that?!

What’s your dim sum of choice? And have you ever seen vegan ribs like these ones?

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Vegan in New York: Eleven Madison Park

Posted on July 17, 2023 by Jenny
A small bread bun with beautiful layers, seasoned generously with herbs and salt

At first, I felt a little ashamed to tell people I went to Eleven Madison Park, so much so that I considered not writing this post. It feels outrageous to spend over £300 on a meal (for that is how much it costs), and we went back and forth quite a bit over whether or not to go. But you know, people spend that much money on sports events and travelling somewhere to attend a concert. Loving food isn’t a crime, whatever The Menu may have told us! So, I’m going to own it: yes, we paid an obscene amount of money for a very good dinner, as a once in a lifetime experience. And it was great!

Dr HH and I first learned about Eleven Madison Park during the pandemic – it’s a three Michelin starred, best in the world restaurant that went vegan a few years ago under the direction of chef Daniel Humm. We watch a lot of Masterchef and are always jealous and annoyed that the fine dining eateries of the later stages are off limits to us vegans. But the tide is slowly turning. A few of the fancy restaurants in London do vegan menus now (Pied a Terre has a vegan menu, while Gauthier Soho is now all vegan), which we have enjoyed for around £100 per person. Could three Michelin stars really justify tripling the price? Could the food really be three times better than what we’d had in London? The answer was…maybe?

One area where New York definitely had London beaten was the service. I mean, service is good in those restaurants in London but on another level in New York. It was attentive without being obtrusive, which is quite a fine line, and everything was synchronised and appeared effortless. Service was also quite friendly – one of the servers was from the same area of the UK as us, and this caused a lot of excitement amongst her and her colleagues. A huge bonus was that the servers described the dishes to us at a decent volume so we could catch all the details, unlike in some other places where we’ve strained our ears to hear everything.

You can either order the full ten course tasting menu, or a shorter bar menu. We decided if we were doing it, we might as well do it properly, so we went for the full ten courses.

A small cup containing brown tea

The first dish we received was this radish tea, made from daikon and green radishes with coconut and lime leaf. My expectations for a radish tea were pretty low and it looks quite unremarkable, but this was actually the second best dish of the evening. I’m not sure I would have called myself a radish fan before this, but now I’m converted. At least once a week, Dr HH and I reminisce about this tea.

A small dish containing a small dumpling topped with overlapping circles of green radish

The tea was kind of accompanied by this little bite – it arrived a bit later, but not later enough to be a separate course. It was a steamed dumpling topped with confit radish, served with a lemongrass chilli oil. Again, this non-radish lover was impressed!

Artfully arranged slices of radish and fennel in a cream sauce

At the start of the evening, our server asked us if there’s any food we don’t like, and it’s just as well I never said radish, because the next course was radish salad. The radish was accompanied by fermented mint, fennel, lemongrass oil, and something creamy, which we didn’t catch. It was a fresh and tasty course.

Three crispy tostadas topped with artfully arranged beettoor slices
A red plate with artfully arranged beetroot slices and quenelles of a seaweed black cream and a white horseradish cream

Finally a deviation from radish! In the middle of the table were these tostadas (one each) topped with beetroot, then we each got our own plate with some additional pickled beetroot, horseradish cream, and some kind of seaweedy-flavoured black cream. Horseradish is another thing I could have listed as a dislike, but I gave it a go. Truthfully, this dish was not for me. We slathered on the white and black creams as instructed, and the tostada had a nice crunch, but these were just not my favourite flavours unfortunately. My companions enjoyed it more than I did.

A small bread bun with beautiful layers, seasoned generously with herbs and salt
A portion of butter shaped like a bulb or clove, with a darker, garlic flavoured centre

The bread and butter course was much more like it! I cannot even begin to describe how good this bread was. It was basically beautifully laminated pastry, not bread, so it was flaky, crispy and buttery. The butter was made with confit garlic. Together, they were absolutely incredible. This was honestly the most decadent and sumptuous course of the night. If Dr HH and I reminisce about the radish tea once a week, we reminisce about this bread once a day. After we’d finished eating, we were offered a second round and greedily said yes. I’m not sure Dr HH will ever forgive me for turning down a third round – it was for the greater good that we didn’t totally fill up at this stage, but we know we’ll never have bread and butter that good again. Just sublime. If you go, I’d recommend ordering that third round and trying to sneak it into a bag to takeaway.

A clear broth with small leeks and spring onions

We moved on to a soup with silken tofu with charred leeks and onions, which was nice but obviously a bit of a come down after the bread.

A large chip topped with black truffle shavings

This was more fun, though it’s hard to see here. It was essentially a big Yukon gold potato chip topped with black truffle, aioli, and corn masa. The texture was really fun and it was well flavoured. The truffle was not overwhelming at all.

A volcano shaped potato, sitting in a broth and topped by large shavings of black truffle

We had been looking forward to this course because we’d seen other tables around us being served. A trolley was wheeled to each table for the plating up and it was all a bit theatrical, which we love. It was a yukon potato again, this time hollowed out and filled with truffle cream. It was served with ginger oil, potato and mushroom powder, potato broth, and black truffle shavings. Alas, the truffle was too much for me and Mother HH this time, which was a shame because the other flavours were really good but got a bit lost when combined with the truffle. Dr HH enjoys truffle more than we do, so he enjoyed this dish.

Three mushrooms on small wooden skewers, grilling on a hot stone in the centre of the table
A large dish containing a circle of rice topped with slices of poached mushroom, with two small dishes on the side containing a fingerling lime and a dollop of pesto

The last savoury course featured shiitake mushrooms two ways. Some were grilled (still grilling at the table, as you see), and others served poached atop a bed of rice. It was served with shiso pesto, fingerling lime, and yuzu broth. I’m a big mushroom fan, so this was a real winner.

Three white popsicles with a green stripe on top, sitting on a bowl of ice

Next came a palate cleansing popsicle – tonka bean, with apple and maple. It was fun and refreshing, and actually better than the real dessert…

A small dessert dish with a glossy orange disc covering the dessert below

It was not a winner for us, though Mother HH enjoyed it quite a bit. What you see here is an orangey disc that was balanced on orange ice cream, and there was some apricot and almond in there as well. The orange was a bit bitter for me, and ultimately I always want a more decadent dessert. If it doesn’t contain chocolate or cream, is it really a pudding?

Three delicate chocolate covered pretzels hanging from a stand

The finishing bite was actually far superior – this was a chocolate sesame pretzel and it was beautifully crunchy and moreish. It was served with some vermouth, which it turns out I really do not like. There was a non-alcoholic drink option as well.

There are a few things to be aware of if you’re considering a booking – you have to pay in advance, when you make your reservation online, and there are no refunds if you can’t attend. So, probably don’t book it for the day you’re arriving in New York, in case your travel plans go awry. Service is not included, so you should budget to pay a tip as well as your drinks bill on the night. And if you’re a tourist who travels light, there’s no dress code to worry about – some diners were informally dressed, others were dressed up, but there was no awkwardness around it.

If you’re on the fence about making a booking, honestly, the radish tea and the bread and butter course were pretty much worth the fee. They were absolutely sublime. I certainly won’t expect to be back in this restaurant any time soon, but for a one off treat it was really delightful.

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Vegan in New York: Saravana Bhavan

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Jenny
A gigantic dosa with a few dipping accompaniments

We were in need of a place to quickly refuel between two scheduled museum visits, and Saravana Bhavan ticked all the boxes. It was very much a cheap and cheerful lunch spot chosen for convenience, and it wouldn’t be somewhere that featured in my ‘must-visits in New York’ list. The Happy Cow reviews indicated that vegan options were labelled on the menu, but I could not see any such labels. I’ve since been assured that they are there, they’re just hard to see. We all ordered dosas, as I remembered that the other Happy Cow diners had eaten those so they seemed like a safe bet. I’m always thankful to people who keep Happy Cow up to date!

I absolutely love a dosa, and this was a pretty good one, nice and thin and crispy. I ordered mine with a potato and onion filling, and found the potato a bit greasy and the onion disappointingly raw when I’d expected it to be fried and softened. Still, it was tasty enough and it fuelled me up for the afternoon. I wasn’t sure which of the accompaniments would be vegan, so I stuck with the dahl, which was pleasant but unremarkable.

A selection of brightly coloured minerals in a display case in the American Museum of Natural History

This restaurant is close to the American Museum of Natural History, so it’s very convenient for a lunch break from there. As always, we did not have time to explore the museum in its entirety so we prioritised our favourite sections: minerals and dinosaurs. The Natural History Museum in Vienna really got me into minerals, to Dr HH’s frustration and delight. Delight because his chemistry background is in minerals, and frustration because he took me to a mineral exhibition on our first date and I had totally forgotten it! Still, better late than never when it comes to developing an interest in minerals.

Dinosaur skeletons in the American Museum of Natural History

Nobody needs convincing to love a dinosaur exhibition though! It was a really fun and quite extensive collection – though, unsurprisingly, much busier than the mineral hall. Justice for minerals!

Are you a dosa fan? Or, more importantly, a minerals fan?!

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