Fish / Vegetarian Restaurants

[dkps_2000]

Some of you may have read about my 100 club challenge at work which I have now hit and am going to RHR in May if it can be booked

However one of my colleagues is due to hit her 100 Club soon and is looking for advice on Fish or Vegetarian restaurants in the UK, probably London as it helps make a weekend of things! Rick Stein has been discounted as just been a little too far to travel!

Any advice please?

[dkps_2000]

Apologies for my awful spelling / typo in the subject heading!!

[camp_dick]

However one of my colleagues is due to hit her 100 Club soon and is looking for advice on Fish or Vegetarian restaurants in the UK, probably London

←

Obviously, it has to be 101 Knightsbridge!

[naebody]

What about the Lanesborough Conservatory? Outstanding at both fish and veg, and ritzy enough for a special occasion. Unfortunately, the dining room itself can be a bit staid and vacuum packed, not unlike dining in the Brighton Pavillion with a Saga coach party. But you can always decamp to the outstanding Library bar afterwards.

Alternatively, Morgan M in Islington does a great garden menu and has a bit more life to it. I've also found Rousillion's veg set menu top class, although some on this board appear to disagree.

[GastroChick]

I agree with the last member re.Morgan M as a self confessed meat junkie I diverged and ordered the garden menu on my last visit and was suitably impressed.

As another option how about J.Sheekey?

[naebody]

Am resurrecting this mis-shapen thread to ask if anyone has any bright ideas.

Need a special occasion London restaurant for a veggie who tolerates selected seafood ("providing it doesn't taste fishy" ... that rules out everything except prawns and scallops, apparently). Have done Morgan M and Rousillion way too much for them to be remotely special occasion-able. Also looking for somewhere with a bit of life on a Tuesday night, which eliminates Lanesborough.

Was thinking The Square, which I seem to remember has good veg choices on the a la carte, although part of me (the Scottish part) does not overly fancy paying £60 a head for roots and hedge clippings. Also weighing up a posh Indian, possibly Amaya in Knightsbridge.

Anyone got any other suggestions? Is there anywhere I've missed? Is there any chefs out there who are sympathetic enough to the meat intolerant to rejig their taster menus?

All views, thoughts and opinions appreciated.

Edited June 20, 2006 by naebody (log)

[ravelda]

A foodie client of mine (if a veggie can be a foodie) swears by Benares as the best veggie option in London. He goes there whenever he is in London

[Stephen W]

Tom Aikens. In addition to "selected" seafood options he offers a vegetarian menu - which in March was five dishes any of which could be taken as a starter or a main course. I'm pretty sure they'd offer it as a tasting menu as well, but it would be worth checking this with them when booking.

[naebody]

A foodie client of mine (if a veggie can be a foodie) swears by Benares as the best veggie option in London.  He goes there whenever he is in London

←

In the end, we went with the Benares suggestion. Won't try and do a full review, but here's the edited highlights:

Excellent atmosphere, very buzzy for a Tuesday night. Elegant room. Nice bar. Great service -- relaxed, quick and chatty without overstepping the line. The restaurant manager is a star who seems to genuinely get on with his staff (see postscript).

Food, on the evidence of this visit, is a several notches below excellent. The most successful dish was one of the sides: water chestnuts, French beans, lime and sesame. Original, and nicely balanced. Otherwise, much of it felt a little like proficiently prepared modern Indian standards, with the addition of an odd ingredient or two to liven up the plate. For example: scallops and prawns plus grapes; paneer and mushroom plus avocado.

The kitchen seemed better at simplicity than complexity: grilled garlic prawns with tomato salad benefitted from zingy ingredients and not much messing around, while a stuffed bottle gourd in cashew sauce started dull and finished stodgily inedible. Bread was surprisingly poor. Portions very hefty, which suggests to me they've given up on any hope of Michelin recognition and are aiming to keep the hungry masses happy.

Very good petit four helped take the sting out of the bill, which was typically Mayfair-sized.

In summary: it's not up there with Morgan M or Rousillion as a vegeternative. The kitchen needs to raise its game if it wants to compete with London's best, both Indian and herbivore. But, on a wet Tuesday in June, there are worse places to hammer your credit card.

Postscript:

At the neigbouring table was a man who looked very like Bernie Ecclestone, accompanied by a completely silent Asian woman. He was a professional complainer, moaning about everything from the menu typeface to the shape of the wine glasses. His final tirade to the browbeaten waiter ended thus: "I came here because I saw that chef on the BBC and he seemed like a nice person, but I want you to tell him personally that I don't like his food at all". With that he walked out -- taking his silent partner but leaving half a bottle of Chateau Margaux 2000 on the table.

Fortified by rather a lot of (cheaper) liquor, we waited for a quiet moment and surruptitiously moved the bottle onto our table. The restaurant manager appeared instantly. We assume we've been rumbled and prepare to grovel like peasants. He begins: "I had my eye on that! Was going to have it with some lamb chops. Oh well. Perhaps it'll make up for having to listen to all that whinging all night. Enjoy!"

Top marks, Mr Manager. And thanks, Bernie.

Edited June 28, 2006 by naebody (log)