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What is 'following'?Restaurant: Vegetarian
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Time Out says 6 Users say Rate it
Vanilla Black staked out a niche in meatless haute cuisine in 2008 and hasn't wavered since, in standards or appeal. Diners come to this sophisticated space for business meetings, smart lunches and memorable dinners. Adornments are limited to streamlined chandeliers, muted paint colours, solid wood furniture, tasteful flower arrangements and starched linens - it could seem austere, but the charming, attentive staff help create a thoroughly pleasing dining experience.
The understated interior is a stark contrast to the fireworks created on the plate, where unconventional, imaginative combinations of textures and flavours are showcased. Savoury mushroom mousse was presented with tarragon pancakes, bright pea purée, refreshing fennel and a palate-awakening fizzy grapefruit foam. A painterly dessert of burnt orange marshmallow (made with a vegetable gel in place of gelatine) surprised with sweet and crisp parsnip tendrils, though the parsnip purée was less successful. The hit rate is usually high, especially given the numerous different elements to be savoured in each dish.
The set menus, especially at lunch, are exceptionally good value for cooking of these exalted standards. Recently opened offshoot Orchard, which caters to a lunchtime crowd in nearby Holborn with some of the same high-quality ingredients (including own-made breads), is also worth checking out.
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Vanilla Black details
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What is 'following'?020 7242 2622
Lunch served noon-2.30pm Mon-Fri. Dinner served 6-10pm Mon-Sat
Set lunch £18.50 2 courses, £23.50 3 courses. Set meal £24.50 2 courses, £32.50 3 courses
Credit cards AmEx, MC, V
Facilities
Babies and children admitted, Booking advisable, Disabled ( toilet )Vanilla Black map
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See all bars & pubs near Vanilla BlackComments & ratings 3/5 (Average of 6 ratings)
Went to Vanilla Black for the first time a few weekends ago. I'm a veggie but haven't always been and I took my non-veggie family. I have to say that the rest of the family has a better meal than me, and on the whole the food was of an excellent standard. Top marks go to my main of Cauliflower and goat's cheese millefeuille which was unconventional but absolutely delicious. For me the problems lay in my other 2 courses. Starter was a beetroot dish which sounded amazing on the menu, however the beetroot itself lacked flavour, and the "baked porridge" was more of a granola. Not a bad dish just lacked flavour and depth. The real problem was the dessert. Feeling adventurous I chose the White chocolate and Cep tart. What a bad mistake. The cep was completely overpowering and the dish came with added licorice sauce/jel which was not on the menu and not very nice! Overall my meal was pretty disappointing, but the quality of the main course reveals the quality of cooking the establishment can produce. Clearly I just made some bad choices, as the rest of the family had lovely dishes. Special mentions go to the Yukon potato starter, the Hen egg and ribbesdale main (pretty rich I warn you!) and the Peanut butter cheesecake dessert which was heavenly!
I have been to Vanilla Black on two occasions (with at least 18 months inbetween) and both times I have felt welcome and enjoyed the food. Some of the alcohol-based flourishes to the dishes were not to my taste but they were modest and it was overall a lovely dining experience and I would definitely go again. It's great to go for something a bit different as I have been vegetarian a few years and already finding options for dining out somewhat limited. Reasonably priced considering the location, and staff very friendly explaining the dishes when we ordered.
A disappointing birthday treat, we will not be back. Went with high hopes, to find overpriced, bland, quasi-stodgy, and unimaginative food (retro in a bad way) with decor to match, reminiscent of a provincial spa. For stylish, high end vegetarian/vegan food, Saf is the winner in London by miles. OK, so they (Saf) do have some cheesy paintings up (that only serve to compromise an otherwise elegant room) BUT the food and the winelist and cocktails (and some nice exposed concrete) more than make up for that.
I wanted a first class restaurant and an exceptional meal for a special occasion. None of the menus at the most high profile places seemed to offer interesting options for our vegetarian guest of honour....and then I discovered Vanilla Black. Briliiant! For the first time he was spoilt for choice - and what a choice. Every dish was exhilaratingly original, delicious and beautifully presented. What a find. We shall certainly find the earliest possible excuse to eat there again.
We dined at Vanilla Black at the suggestion of a concierge from Chancery Court. My dining guests were vegetarian however, not I. I have become accustomed to a "rustic" style dining experience when eating vegetarian food but found Vanilla Black to be a fine dinign experience. I loved the food- absolutely special. The attention to detail, delicate flavours and excellent service made it a wonderful dining experience for myself and my two young vegetarian companions. I predict that this restaurant won't be tucked away in this location for very long.
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