Top 5: Vegetarian Week Special MenusBy Alicia Grimshaw
Some say a meal isn’t complete without a serving of meat, we would have to disagree. London has so many vegetarian delights on offer, we’ve handpicked some of the best veggie menus and dishes to celebrate National Vegetarian Week. Happy eating, London:
1. For a Vegetarian Dinner: San Carlo Cicchetti
Photos courtesy of: Stevie Thomas/The Amalgamates.
What: Aldo Zilli has teamed up with The Vegetarian Society to create a vegetarian menu available at San Carlo Cicchetti in Covent Garden and Piccadilly.
Why: Aldo Zilli is an award-winning celebrity chef and restaurateur who has created this tasty menu packed full of delicious veggies – no sad tartlets here. Running from Monday 18 May to Sunday 24 May, the menu consists of exciting vegetable dishes including nettle ravioli with walnut sauce, barley sage butter and broad bean radicchio risotto and the totally dreamy stuffed courgette flowers with beetroot risotto and Peroni jelly.
Where: 30 Wellington St, London, WC2E 7BD and 215 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HL
2. For a Vegetable Dessert: Cinnamon Soho
What: Cinnamon Soho is launching two new vegetable desserts to tie in with National Vegetarian Week.
Why: Showcasing Executive Chef Vivek Singh’s signature fusion of British classics with Indian cuisine, the new limited edition desserts are sweet with a savoury influence. Diners can enjoy a quirky twist on traditional sweet treats including the classic Crème Brûlée which has been transformed with British vegetables. Tuck into crisp and sweet spring rolls filled with beetroot halwa served with clove-infused iced double cream or order the Spiced Pumpkin Brûlée, both are cracking options.
Where: Desserts are available from 4th – 30th May. 5 Kingly Street, London W1B 5PF
3. For Healthy Vegetarian Food: Ethos
What: Serving all-year round vegetarian dishes. Being vegetarian is for life and not just for one week (or Christmas).
Why: If you haven’t been to Ethos you really need to, the serve dishes from around the world that are full of flavour, healthy and a better option to your sandwich meal deal. The restaurant is a pay-by-weight concept and serve gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options. Stop by for breakfast and dig into scrambled eggs with a range of different toppings, dairy-free porridges or keep it simple with smashed avocado on toast. For lunch and dinner, choose from Japanese miso-roasted aubergine, regularly-changing vibrant salads and the ever popular aloo Scotch egg with spiced tomato ketchup. Wash it all down with one of their vegetarian, vegan or organic wines.
Where: 48 Eastcastle Street, London W1W 8DX
What: A six-course, meat-free tasting menu (£55 per person).
Why: Gordon Ramsay’s Michelin star restaurant, Maze creates melt in the mouth, delicious and fresh sushi and sashimi that puts your shop bought tuna rolls to shame. Mixing things up, Head Chef Alex Thiebaut is celebrating National Vegetarian Week by curating a ‘Taste of the Earth’ menu packed full of different fruits, roots and herbs. Dishes include smoked Jersey Royals with lemon thyme, crispy shallots and mint, English asparagus with lemon verbena, pink grapefruit and puffed nuts. Finishing things on a sweet note is strawberries with basil, Champagne and yogurt. Foodie heaven.
Where: 10 – 13 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 6JP
What: Limited edition vegetable juices.
Why: Roast is a British restaurant dishing up classic, hearty dishes whilst using ingredients from Britain’s farmers and producers. The restaurant has raided the nearby vegetable stalls and created an array of outrageously good, freshly pressed, vegetable-infused juices, packed full of veggie goodness. There’s 5 juices on offer including; Rise and Shine Bunny, a mix of carrot and orange juice with freshly ground ginger and the Homemade Sexy Green, a combination of fresh cucumber, romaine, pear, celery, broccoli, spinach, ginger and apple. If that doesn’t sway you, anyone that pre-books for breakfast during 9am – 10.30am throughout National Vegetarian Week will receive a complimentary veggie juice, remember to quote ‘veggie week’.
Where: The Floral Hall, Stoney Street, London SE1 1TL
