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What is the Best Restaurant for Vegetarians?

countryboy
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countryboy

countryboy

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hello all,

I need the best restauant in London for vegetarians. Not too bothered about price, important thing is diversity of menu. Should I go fine dining with veggie tasting ie The Square or Hibiscus etc, or go Salt Yard glamorous tapas type thing who often have a good veggie range?

Help me please.

Reviews, experiences, are you a veggie and what do you do? Anything would be greatly appreciated.

Edited by countryboy (log)
Jon Tseng

Jon Tseng

Posted
Posted

You're struggling.

Morgan M in Islington has long had a reputation for high end veggie stuff, if that isn't a contradiction in terms.

The Ledbury isn't a veggie specialist per se, but I note it does have dishes which flag up the vegetal angle such as the celeriac baked in a salt crust.

Generally though I wouldn't go to a normal high end place and take the veggie option. At best its still slightly perfunctory. At worst the restaurant just sees it as gross margin on a plate.

J

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CFT

CFT

Posted
Posted

Well A.A Gill's review in the times on sunday comes to mind. I can't say I have been but he seemed to enjoy it.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/eating_out/a_a_gill/article7115474.ece

That was a good review, but the restaurant is in Brighton some 50 miles away from London.

Best Wishes,

Chee Fai.

countryboy

countryboy

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In which case what do I do? I don't want to go to Mildred's or the universally panned Zilli Green, the so called restaurants for vegetarians. Ledbury sounds intriguing. I'll check it our, and this place in Islington which I must admit I have never heard of. Cheers guys.

countryboy

countryboy

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Morgan M really does sound good. Why has that place never come up on my radar before? Right in my neck of the woods too.

The Ledbury veggie tasting sounds great and it would a good for conviviality if my friend (the veggie) and I (the meat slut) ate the same food.

I have often thought that this is the only good thing about tasting menus. Everyone has to eat them. Limits as this does haev at least you all have a comparable experience, for the good or the bad.

Anyone else got any favourites? Am I being mean about Mildred's, it's always sounded awful to me.

Edited by countryboy (log)
PoppySeedBagel

PoppySeedBagel

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Mildred's is only so-so - I've been there because a colleague is a vegan, so she thinks it's great. I often cook veggie food at home (I have all the Greens cookbooks and they are very good). However Mildred's is too bland and unadventurous for my liking. Their puds and cakes look good, but the rest is bland and boring.

For good vegetarian food I'd advise you go to the professionals - Indian restaurants - Benares for example is good for veggie food - you can put together a good meat-free meal using the main course and the vegetable side dishes.

Edited to add - try Carnevale, 135 Whitecross Street near the Barbican. I used to go here a lot a while ago. I haven't been recently but it still seems to get good reviews

Edited by PoppySeedBagel (log)
countryboy

countryboy

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Reviews on London Eating of Morgan M are abysmal. I wouldn't normally pay much attention but they are quite something. I'm thinking maybe the Ledbury now.

countryboy

countryboy

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Saf? Never heard of it. I'll check it out. As an ex-waiter I have a bit of an issue with vegans: "eeerr...waiter, there's nothing I can eat on this menu." YOU'RE A F#*!ING VEGAN. THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN EAT.

tsg20

tsg20

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My wife is a vegetarian, so we have considerable experience of this. Most of the higher-end restaurants do a very good job for vegetarians - Pied A Terre springs to mind, as does Roussillon, and the Ledbury too - but I'd be surprised if anywhere did a bad job, and all of these places do far, far better vegetarian food than any vegetarian restaurant I've ever been to, unsurprisingly. Occasionally you find places that opt to pretty much leave the meat off and give the side vegetables to the vegetarians (Tom Aikens did this, as I recall), but most places make rather more effort than that.

  • 2 weeks later...
naebody

naebody

Posted
Posted

Occasionally you find places that opt to pretty much leave the meat off and give the side vegetables to the vegetarians (Tom Aikens did this, as I recall)

I'm surprised you recall this. He offers a solely vegetarian a la carte, and has on several occasions put together a veg tasting menu that's kept my missus entertained for several hours (which is more than I've ever managed). Otherwise, I can fully endorse your sentiments regarding high-end places.

Mildred's is not for vegetarians, incidentally. It's for people who hate food. Morgan M, meanwhile, tends to be enjoyed by vegetarians and reviewed by people who hate food.

PhilD

PhilD

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Posted

Giles Coren's review of Gauthier indicates it could be good bet for veggies. As usual you need to cut through the waffle in the review but the food sounds promising.

tsg20

tsg20

Posted
Posted

Occasionally you find places that opt to pretty much leave the meat off and give the side vegetables to the vegetarians (Tom Aikens did this, as I recall)

I'm surprised you recall this. He offers a solely vegetarian a la carte, and has on several occasions put together a veg tasting menu that's kept my missus entertained for several hours (which is more than I've ever managed). Otherwise, I can fully endorse your sentiments regarding high-end places.

Mildred's is not for vegetarians, incidentally. It's for people who hate food. Morgan M, meanwhile, tends to be enjoyed by vegetarians and reviewed by people who hate food.

Our experience of Tom Aikens was a long time ago (the first year it was open, maybe?) so I can well believe it's not like that now.

Giles Coren's review of Gauthier indicates it could be good bet for veggies. As usual you need to cut through the waffle in the review but the food sounds promising.

Given how good Roussillon was for vegetarians, this seems extremely plausible.

sheepish

sheepish

Posted
Posted (edited)

For some ideas of what you might expect to be served in the swankier places take a look at http://truetraveltreasures.blogspot.com/2010/05/london-restaurant-reviews.html

Find the menu thingy in the bottom left of the page and click on "London Restaurant Reviews". She takes the vegetarian option frequently.

The blog is from a egullet member, Loving Annie.

Edited by sheepish (log)
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