Whether you’re a committed vegetarian or just cutting back this month, there’s never been a better time to go meat-free. From pies and pizzas to tacos and tofu, here are ten plant-based dishes to try in London.
Plateau are making it easy and affordable to go meat-free with a vegan set menu priced at 2 courses for £18.50 or 3 for £22.50. Start with a classic Waldorf salad or leek and potato soup, followed by a spinach and salsify galette, onion squash ‘quiche’, or beetroot tagliatelle with smoked beetroots and pine nuts. There’s a vegan tasting menu with paired wines on offer too, plus a botanical brunch with Seedlip mocktails if you’re off the booze.
There’s still time to try the Veganuary menu at Aubaine, which is a total bargain at £12.50 for a starter and main. Kick-start your healthy eating with beetroot and green apple tartare or treat yourself to their indulgent butternut squash risotto with fried sage and walnut crumble. For a twist on a French classic, there’s mushroom bourguignon with carrot bacon. They’ve even sourced a vegan wine to go with!
It’s all change in Soho where Rosa’s Thai Café on Dean Street is going completely vegetarian until April 15th. Now known as Rosa’s Thai Veggie, it’s serving dishes like spicy mushroom larb, fried aubergine with yellow bean sauce, and sweetcorn and kaffir lime fritters. There are four curries to choose from, including this fragrant panang curry with fried tofu – the perfect way to warm up on a winter’s evening.
We couldn’t pick just one dish at Wildflower, and when you see the menu you’ll understand why. The vegetarian canteen is on the fifth floor of Peckham Levels, a multi-storey car park that’s been transformed into a destination for food, drink, and arts. The menu changes daily but you can expect dishes like smoked tofu with ssamjang sauce, purple sprouting broccoli with labneh and almonds, and calçots and romesco. Weekend brunch is already a hit with the locals, so book ahead and treat your hangover to a vegan Full English or baked eggs – served until 4pm.
Ahead of opening their first restaurant in Shoreditch, plant-based burger company The Vurger Co have created this seriously special burger for Tom’s Kitchen. The hoisin-glazed mushroom patty is topped with crispy pak choi, stir-fried oyster mushrooms, spring onions, red cabbage, and cucumber. Come hungry – it’s quite the mouthful! The Vurger Burger is on the menu at Tom’s Kitchen restaurants in Chelsea, Canary Wharf and St Katharine Docks until January 31st.
Comptoir Libanais has always catered well for vegetarians but they’ve gone all out this month with a vegan feast priced at £19.95 for two to share. There are mezze dishes like beetroot hummus and falafel to start, followed by a choice of aubergine tagine or quinoa and pumpkin salad. Be sure to save room for dessert – rose water Mouhalabia, a Lebanese milk pudding. A meat-free meal for a tenner a head? Sold!
Hawksmoor’s little sister might be famous for its meat dishes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your vegetarian mates along. At Foxlow, there are three meat-free mains to choose from – spice-roasted cauliflower; baked aubergine with cheese, harissa yoghurt and herb crumb; or, best of all, the roast squash, chestnut mushroom, and spinach pie with veggie gravy. It’s a proper winter warmer.
Visit OpenTable to book a table at Foxlow in Clerkenwell, Soho, Chiswick,or Balham.
For their latest collaboration, Yard Sale have teamed up with street food stars Biff’s Jack Shack, who you might have seen slinging vegan junk food at KERB or Broadway Market. On the menu until February 11th, the ‘Jack To The Future’ is topped with Biff’s crispy fried jackfruit, buffalo sauce, blue cheese sauce, fresh slaw, coriander, and a yoghurt dressing. Try it out on some carnivore pals – they might renounce pepperoni for good.
Over in Fitzrovia, Foley’s are going meatless all month long, swapping meat and fish for Asian-inspired plant-based dishes. We love the sound of roast sweet potato with miso butter, spicy shiitake mushroom and tofu hot pot, and whole baked broccoli with sesame dressing. If you like to get hands on at the dinner table, there are steamed buns to be stuffed with salt and Szechuan pepper tofu, fried oyster mushrooms, or crispy aubergine. Add a few cocktails (or mocktails) to the mix and you’re good to go.
Street food heroes Club Mexicana are heading up the kitchen at The Spread Eagle in Hackney, London’s first 100% vegan pub, and there’s not a sad salad or bean burger in sight. After a few pints, get stuck into oyster mushroom ‘scallops’, a Mexican chik’n burger, deep fried ‘cheeze’, and tacos filled with beer-battered tofish and jackfruit carnitas.
Are you going meat-free, full-on vegan, or sticking with steak in 2018? Let us know in the comments.
