Vanilla Black

A while ago my boyfriend wanted to treat me, so he (rather spontaneously!) booked a table at Vanilla Black for lunch. I'm vegetarian, and he'd researched the best vegetarian restaurants in London and this one was deemed the best of the bunch! Michelin recommended, the cuisine at Vanilla Black is contemporary and experimental - I doubt you'll have seen the flavour combinations anywhere else.

Starters

He had Yellow Pea Soup and Marmite Dumplings. This is the most famous dish on the menu, and I can see why. Although it doesn't sound particularly appetising, the sharp taste of the marmite works really well with the creamy yellow soup, and didn't actually taste that odd after all! I felt that this was one of the most successful flavour experiments we tried.


I chose a slightly more weird option: Dried Yeast Ice Cream with Red Pepper and Almond Milk Puree. I know, I was trying to be adventurous! This is one of the dishes we tried that we didn't think really worked. The ice cream did taste of yeast, but I didn't really get the point of it. It felt like they were just trying to be 'out there' rather than thinking about an unusual flavour/texture combination that actually works. The avocado brioche was yummy though...

Mains

This time I chose the less risky option: Double Baked Ribbesdale Pudding and Smoked Croquette. Because really who can resist a cheese souffle? This was completely delicious: the textures were perfect, and the strong, smoky cheese was well balanced by the pineapple sauce and the pickle. The egg was perfectly poached too - I'd definitely choose this dish again.

He had Seared Seaweed and Cabbage with Pickled Potatoes. This just looked so beautiful on the plate! Although this sounded quite odd when we ordered, in actual fact the flavours were well balanced and the soda bread sauce really brought everything together. I was a little bit jealous of the smells wafting over from this plate.

Puddings

My date chose Smoked Paprika Fudge, Malt Loaf and Builders Tea Ice Cream. This was the other dish that we didn't feel really succeeded. The fudge was very sweet, and really did taste of paprika. There was a lot of it, and it just didn't really seem to go very well with the other components.

I picked the Baked Black Treacle Sponge and Cardamom Milk. Although these rich, dark flavours aren't usually my thing, this choice paid off. The treacle sponge was very sweet, again, but the mandarin, lemon jellies and cardamom milk balanced this out with sharp and creamy flavours. I did struggle to finish the whole dish, but I did really enjoy it.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my little lunch surprise, and I would really recommend it if you're trying to think of a little treat for a vegetarian - it's quite rare that I feel really special and catered for in a restaurant, but I definitely did here. A couple of the dishes didn't quite work, but I think when chefs are really pushing the boundaries and creating new flavour combinations that is always going to happen to an extent. I would definitely return to Vanilla Black, and will be looking into more vegetarian fine dining restaurants in future. Maybe I'll even be treated to another meal at one!


Rating: 8/10

www.vanillablack.co.uk
020 7242 2622
17-18 Tooks Court, London, EC4A 1LB