World Vegetarian Day: Veggie Voyage

Vegetables are out to reclaim their main character energy. Once relegated to being an accompaniment to proteins and carbohydrates, vegetables are finding their spot in the sun at restaurants across the world. They are emerging as the rightful stars of many fine-dine tables. Chefs, driven by the need to experiment, are taking vegetables, herbs and fungi and allowing them to shine in simple but glamorous forms. This strong global movement towards vegetable-centred cuisine and plant-based menus go beyond just dietary (or religious) restrictions, from ethical to environmental concerns.

Ahead of World Vegetarian Day (Oct 1), take a look at some of the world’s most unique vegetarian restaurants.

Avatāra, Dubai

They call themselves the only vegetarian Indian MICHELIN star fine dining experience. A 16 course menu at Avatāra features exquisite vegetarian dishes, influenced by Indian cuisine and constructed with care and precision. Chef Himanshu Saini, whose other restaurant Trèsind Studio, is also making waves, has curated familiar Indian dishes presented with flair. The Avatāra experience is influenced by chakras, and offers explanations for each course. Dal vada with beetroot kanji, Jackfruit Momo with sea buckthorn thukpa, Achari Broccolini with paanch phoron carrot, and Jalebi Fafda with pumpkin dhokla. Recently, Avatāra launched an outlet of the restaurant in Mumbai.

Mita, Washington

Chefs Miguel Guerra and Tatiana Mora (Mita is a fusion of their names) have created a plant-based Latin American restaurant in Washington. The menu is a tribute to Latin American flavours and the vegetable kingdom. The 14-course tasting menu promises an introduction to some little-known veggies, and a holistic approach to dining. Dishes are a spectacle and easy on the eye. Watermelon is paired with fermented carrots and wild rice, a tortilla or marinated squash and crispy kale, Asado Negro Terrine is a blend of local-grown mushrooms, seasonal greens, and tubers, arracacha with fava beans and sweet plantain, and a yucca cake with chirimoya ice cream.

Tendril Kitchen & Bar, London (pic credit: Jamrita Diwanji)

Chef Rishim Sachdeva left Mumbai’s shores for London, and soon turned his cooking onto its head by going (almost) vegan. His first restaurant, Tendril, is where he showcases his prowess with making even simple vegetables like beetroot sing. Think smoky beetroot bao, Chinatown purple potatoes with sticky soy, a cauliflower massaman heavenly combination, Jerusalem artichokes with wakame and roasted carrots with harissa. No wonder cricket star Virat Kohli and actress Anushka Sharma love it so much. Rishim recently opened the (mostly) vegan Café Petiole.

Balwoo Gongyang, Seoul

Balwoo Gongyang is a simple space dedicated to serving Korean Temple food. This is food eaten by Buddhist monks, seasonal, abundant in local produce and meant to nourish the body and mind. There are explanations and thoughts behind each course. Expect a feast: Danhobak juk and seasonal mulkimchi (sweet pumpkin soup and watery kimchi), Saenma and Doenjang-chamkkae sauce (raw Korean yam with soybean paste), Yeon-geun gui (grilled lotus root), temple-style kimchi and dumplings, Doraji-jeonggwa (balloon flower root preserved in grain syrup).

Vedge, Philadelphia

Vedge takes local, seasonal vegetables and turns them into modern, fine-dining dishes that everyone will love. Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby’s restaurant is vegan, but not boring in the least. They can take a simple rutabaga (root vegetable) and turn it into a complex fondue, bring mushrooms into a carpaccio, salt roast chioggia (a garden beet) with an arepa pancake, and give rhubarb a sweet upgrade with a cheesecake, and a sweet pea ice cream. It is inventive, skilled cooking.

TIAN, Vienna

Tian welcomes diners into an exciting world of vegetarian and vegan dishes that follow a no waste, only organic culture. Chef Paul Ivić’s menus highlight some long forgotten regional and seasonal vegetables, fruit and grains, to create an inventive menu. Dish names are sparse, adding to an element of surprise: Eggplant (with fava bean, almond), Courgette (with pumpkin seed), and their signature Porcini (with blackberry and sunflower).

Fu He Hui, Shanghai

It is Chinese cuisine but not as you know it. Another restaurant that finds its way in ‘best’ lists, Fu He Hui in Shanghai is where chef Tony Lu celebrates the plant kingdom. His dishes are artfully presented, with a focus on nourishment and sustainability, while still showcasing skill and technique. There’s lily bulb, roasted with garlic and served with chestnut purée, bamboo shoot with tofu skin and black bean, carrot with black fungus and kohlrabi, morel mushroom with quinoa and water chestnut, and a ‘flower pot’ dessert with roselle and apple ice cream and a dehydrated enoki mushroom flower. By the side are sophisticated Chinese tea pairings (rather than alcohol) to complete the meal.

Joia, Milan

In 1996, Pietro Leemann’s Joia became the first vegetarian restaurant in Italy to be recognised with a MICHELIN star. Pietro, after spending many transformative years in Asia (especially Japan) opened Joia in 1989 with the vision of highlighting healthy, plant-based cuisine. Over the years, Joia has stuck to this philosophy with dishes that are nutritious but indulgent, colourful and inventive.