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What is 'following'?Restaurant: Vegetarian
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Vanilla Black - Vanilla Black - © Ming Tang-Evans
Time Out says 5 Users say Rate it
Contemporary, innovative and refined, Vanilla Black occupies a top spot in the pecking order of London's vegetarian restaurants. Attention to detail is the defining quality, from its imaginative culinary creations to its beautiful plating. Obscure ingredients such as sea aster (a coastal plant) and cheffy embellishments - gels, infusions, smoked ingredients - pepper the elaborate menu.
To start, a duck egg poached for two hours to retain a loose wobble and served cold was too adventurous for our tastes, but potato cakes with a surprising smoked olive oil mayonnaise were delicate and delectable. Mains included a tomato tarte tatin that paired vibrant cherry tomatoes with light, flaky pastry.
Peanut butter cheesecake was a far cry from the doorstop dessert you might expect, instead exemplifying the restaurant's intelligent way with contrasting textures. It involved slender cream cheese cigars balanced on perfectly sweetened toffee sauce swirls, sprinkled with shards of bitter cocoa beans to resemble a deconstructed, high-class Snickers bar.
That Vanilla Black manages to pull off such culinary sophistication while sidestepping overt formality is largely thanks to its expert yet friendly staff. Decoration is limited to expensive flowers and streamlined mirrors on walls painted soft grey. The venue livens up as it fills with diners from the nearby legal quarter and folks out for a celebration.
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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
Restaurants & cafés near Vanilla Black
See all restaurants near Vanilla BlackBars & pubs near Vanilla Black
See all bars & pubs near Vanilla BlackComments & ratings 3/5 (Average of 5 ratings)
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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