Vegan Viasko in Kreuzburg

Patrick Berlin, Restaurants, Vegetarian

The Happy Cow has proved to be an essential partner to easily finding some vegetarian places in Berlin. The lastest on our trail was another Kreuzburg location called Viasko. This place serves entirely vegan food and had a reasonable selection of different things to please the appetite.

They’re interior’s really interesting and we couldn’t work out if effects were intended, or simply painted over effects. It fits in almost too well. I booked us for a table of eight, and we took up one side of the restaurant. I’m guessing that they probably can cover about thirty people before running out of room.

Several of us ordered the gyro which tasted so good and realistic than we had to confirm that it was definitely made out of tofu, and not some magical meat mixture. The portion sizes were huge and defeated me that I couldn’t really think about dessert.

Other people got some dumplings served with some potato salad. Apparently pretty good but very stodgy and filling.

I was pretty happy with this place. It’s not quite as high end as several people thought I’d make it, but the prices were very reasonable with dinner for eight of us including a few beers and various drinks coming to about €150 (and some people managed to fit in dessert).

Name: Viasko
Found at: Erkelenzdamm 49, Berlin, Germany (closest U Bahn being Kottbusser Tor)
Website: http://www.viasko.de/

Cookies Cream

Patrick Berlin, Restaurants, Vegetarian

“It was destiny,” they said when two things came together tonight and we dined at Cookies Cream. One, a preference for vegetarian fare, and another, trying to tap into the wonderfully hidden subcultures of Berlin. Seeking vegetarian fare in Berlin, Cookies Cream is one that you would eventually stumble upon. It had good reviews on both Tripadvisor and The Happy Cow, although it’s “vegetarian fine dining” that you don’t really run into that often. I’d been to Vanilla Black in London, so I kind of knew what to expect. Trade off in quality for portion size, but that’s fine with me.

I’m pleased that our table of ten didn’t have too many problems finding the place. It is, after all, located right next to a set of dumpsters around the back of the Westin Berlin Hotel, and the least expected place you’d find. You walk through, what I think is, the club part of Cookies, ascend a staircase and open up into a warm and modern dining room with tables lit by candlelight. Exposed ceiling and industrial brick wall surrounded us although I noted a number of art pieces hanging.

Service was excellent for a place in Berlin, where I’m starting to expect even worse than that you’d get in the UK. Not because people are rude, but often because the wait staff seem to always be disproportionately outnumbered by the diners. We were offered a wonderful aperitif – the house cocktail made out of vodka and rhubarb. I hadn’t expected such strong rhubarb flavour, although I also wasn’t expecting the strength of the vodka to hit me so quickly.

Originally offered the tasting menu, I’m pleased that they opened up the a la carte menu where we had a lot more variety and the kitchen wasn’t going to be too fussed. We all had three courses in the end so saw a good variety of the menu. Many of the dishes made me think about definitely returning someday.

I started with the Vacherin Mont-d’Or in brick pastry with salad of Jerusalem artichoke with vinaigrette of truffles, and pears marinated in pepper. I had no idea what would come in the “brick pastry”. What it ended up being was a very thick custard filling where you could really taste the truffle infusion that I love. I’d definitely get this one again.

Many people also went for the red lentil soup with beluga lentils, apricot goat cheese and basil.

We also got some nice heavy bread to go along with a strong curd (ricotta?) in some sort of green mixture that we guessed as avocado mixture.

For mains, I ordered the parmesan dumplings with braised artichoke, a BBQ tomato sauce. After having this dish, I’m compelled to know how they made them. My dumplings were light, full of flavour and the artichoke and tomato provided perfect balance with that hint of bitterness and tang. I would have been very happy with the dumplings.

I liked the look of the brussels sprout cannelloni, cassis apple, black walnut and truffles cream sauce as well. Good choice Sha Sha. I think someone also got the Potato tarte stuffed with winter asparagus but I didn’t get a chance to take a photo.

I’m pleased that everyone really enjoyed their meal, even the self-proclaimed anti-vegetarian diner at our table. It must have been that good!

Everyone tempted by dessert, we got a good mix of all at our table including the toffee cheesecake, marinated kaki (persimmon) and raspberry sorbet.

I couldn’t help but go for the chocolate slice with acacia honey ice cream, cocoa tuile in old balsamico marinated blackberries simply because you don’t really find honey ice cream nearly as much you should. Without that, I would have opted for the final dessert.

Curd cheese dumplings with blueberrymousse, saffron vanilla sauce and butter cookie crunch. This last dish would have won me over with the saffron vanilla sauce and crunch providing texture.

We had fantastic wine recommendations, lovely surroundings and I’d definitely come back here for vegetarian fare you wouldn’t get every day.

Name: Cookies Cream
Found at: Behrenstrasse 55, 10117 Berlin, Germany (behind the Westin Berlin Hotel)
Website: http://cookiescream.com

Peking Palace

Patrick Asian, Restaurants, UK, Vegetarian

Tucked away on a busy street in Holloway Road, we ventured out into the extreme cold to dine at a vegetarian Chinese restaurant called Peking Palace (apparently now taking on the less appealing name, “Loving Hut”). Strange? You betcha. Good? Indeed. Our relatives in New York once took us to a similar place, apparently Buddhist run to typical Chinese dishes with mock meat. Here was us testing this small restaurant.

Things looked pretty good with this first platter of appetisers. Boy were we hungry. The ribs probably felt the least close though tasted strangely the same as one would expect. The “prawn” toast also felt a little bit gummy, as I suspected some sort of turnip paste instead.

We next went for the “duck” and isn’t it strange to see how close it looked like to the original. It even had whatever was the equivalent of the crispy skin and meaty flesh minus all the typical oil of the real duck. Served with spring onions, hoisin sauce and pancakes it really didn’t seem to be any different from the original.

Next up, “crispy beef”. We wouldn’t normally order this when dining at a Chinese restaurant yet wanted to see how it compared. Very close to the original as well. The “beef” was very thin yet the taste persisted even with its crispy coating.

Probably the weakest dish that we had, the meatballs seemed a little bit doughy if not slightly chewy and one jumped off the table as I tried to put my fork in it. We were also a little disappointed the sauce seemed to close to the our next dish.

The aubergine. No need for mock meat here.

We decided to have fried rice with “king prawns” and the wobbly equivalents sat on top of the rice when they first delivered it. Reasonable tasting fried rice.

Apparently the carrot cake was pretty good.

My toffee banana was devine, and despite asking if they had non-vegan ice cream it turned out surprising well. I think it might have been a soya-based equivalent instead of a rice milk that makes ice cream too gritty for my liking.

I really enjoyed myself at this restaurant and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a healthier Chinese meal equivalent. Everything tasted very light and surprisingly packed full of flavour. I think their other name was probably better and I’m surprised they changed the name after only a few weeks when we ate there.

Name: Peking Palace (now Loving Hut)
Found at: 669 Holloway Rd, London, United Kingdom N19 5SE
Website: http://www.thepekingpalace.com/

Zilli Green

Patrick Asian, British, Italian, Restaurants, UK, Vegetarian

Another month and another vegetarian outing. Our last outing brought us to Zilli Green, the vegetarian outpost of Italian chef, Aldo Zilli. Located really centrally in Soho, it’s a great spot for all of us to meet at because it’s pretty much surrounded by all sorts of transport.

When I walked in, one of my dining companions already had been seated. The first dining area isn’t very large – in fact, it’s no larger than a small hallway and I thought it was going to be a much larger place. Maybe there’s some seats downstairs.

They went to quite a lot of effort to cram in plenty of tables. In fact, I noticed this clearly when sitting down and found my legs almost barely squeezing in between the two table legs and the chair. No space for them to sit outside. Hmph.

Anyway, on to the food. Zilli Green’s menu covers a broad range of dishes. It wasn’t quite as Italian-centric as I anticipated with dishes inspired by Asian classics, British favourites and the touch of Tex Mex. Each menu option lists some useful symbols to help choose if you happen to be vegan, nut or gluten allergy-friendly dishes. Helpful!

Quite a few of us went for the Squash, Corn & Feta Quesadillas with Guacamole & Sour Cream (£7.90). I’d hoped for a bit more kick than we got, and though the flavours tasted strong and well prepared, seemed a bit overpriced for a starter.

I admit I’m obsessed by truffle flavours at the moment. Their umaminess and richness add so much depth to the dishes, it’s my winter comfort food. I was struck when on the menu, two dishes included this magnificent ingredient. In the end I picked the Tagliatelle, Porcini Mushrooms & White Truffle Oil (£13.90). I think it was the extra dash of oil and the porcini mushrooms that did me in. Perfectly al dente pasta and each mouthful a flavour sensation, I was certainly pleased by it.

Fortunately someone else went for the Mushroom & Fresh Truffle Risotto, Grilled Asparagus & Mascarpone (£11.90). I had a small taste and the truffle flavour seemed a bit more sublime, it carried on the palette slightly longer probably due to the creamy mascarpone.

Another person ordered the Cous Cous & Soya Burger with Pickled Cucumber, Avocado, Mustard Dressed Mixed Leaves, Homemade Mayo & Ketchup, Thin Chips (£10.90) though wasn’t particularly impressed by it. They reported it not bad, but not the best vegetarian burger they’d ever had.

We had better reports from the handful of people ordering the Thai Green Curry with Sweet Potato & Thai Vegetables served with Quinoa (£11.90). Strong flavours and a very reasonable serve though slightly out of place in what I’d consider an Italian restaurant.

On all reports, it’s worth avoiding the Tofu Sausage with Spring Onion Mash, Mushroom Gravy & Mushy Peas (£11.90). Perhaps it’s just me, but I think it’s always a bit dangerous trying to replicate a dish typically relying on the quality of the meat to make it that good.

I wasn’t close enough to capture the picture but one other diner recommended avoiding the Beetroot Gnocchi filled with Blue Cheese in a Red Pesto, Potato & French Bean Sauce (£10.90) where the giant sized (and few) gnocchi ended up being very chewy pillows with, as they described it, ” what tasted like splashes of bottled pesto”.

Zilli Green isn’t going to win any Michelin stars for service any time soon, although we do have to acknowledge one of the waiters who, when pressed for vegan-friendly ice cream, went next door to sister restaurant Zilli Bar to report on what gelato and ice-creams they had. Apparently vegan-friendly ice cream wasn’t favoured by this group of vegetarians. Upon making our waiter go next door, my dining companion couldn’t help but feel compelled to order a scoop.

Their slightly different twist on the classic, Apple, Currant & Clove Crumble with Cream or Ice Cream (£5.50) had be tempted yet was completely full from the rest of the meal.

Name: Zilli Green (currently moving or closed)
Found at: 41 Dean St, London, W1D 4PY

Otarian

Patrick UK, Vegetarian

Otarian arrived in London to a bit of a fanfare with lots of press talking about how planet friendly the entire operation is. It’s a vegetarian takeaway joint made popular by the US and since I’m always intrigued to see how well the British tend to frown upon American trends, I had to go and see it for myself.

Going along to the one located in Soho, the first thing that strikes you is the bright lights, the neon signs and futuristic plastic chairing littering its location. Feeling like I was an ADD diabetic just given a spoonful of sugar, I found the whole place completely overwhelming to look at and looking at the handful of other people I wasn’t the only one.

Their menu isn’t exactly easy on the eye with everyone vying for you attention. It took me a good five minutes to work out what the different combinations made available to me and what I could order on its own. I ended up settling upon the “Quick Bite Meal”, choosing a toasted burrito wrap with salsa and a vegetable couscous salad combined with a bottle of water.

Otarian’s “inherit the Earth” philosophy is about reducing the number of carbon miles, so as an informed consumer, they label everything with how much carbon is used to produce or transport the meals. To be honest, this number is pretty much meaningless when you have nothing to really compare it to. What also concerned me is given how “Earth friendly” the chain claims, the amount of packaging associated with the meal left me stunned – with a hard cardboard box for the wrap (a simple paper wrap would do!), an even more solid and robust recycled cardbox box (a lighter, paper box would have been fine), each of these then wrapped in another cardboard element describing what it was (how about a pen writing on the wrapper) all then added into a paper bag with plenty of paper flyers telling me how utterly good they are to the environment. Hmmm… I didn’t buy it.

On the plus side, the flavours of the food impressed me with the burrito packing enough of a spicy bite and the salad a decent size I left it for a mid afternoon snack. It’s not exactly the cheapest meal around with their meal deal around £8. Despite joining up for their frequent diners’ club (more plastic!), I can’t say Otarian left an impression that really encouraged me to return. It looks like I’m not the only one who thought so.

Name: Otarian (closed)
Former location: 181-183 Wardour Street, London, W1F 8ZA

The Gate

Patrick Restaurants, UK, Vegetarian

I remember having very good memories about eating at The Gate many years ago, and I’m glad to report the quality of the food hasn’t degraded over the years. I’m also unsurprised to see that the nonchalant service didn’t really improve either having to ask for some more tap water.

Just like last time I ate at The Gate, we came for dinner though this time it was during the week instead of the weekend. The airy dining room, found in a lofty part of of a church helped brighten the otherwise dark sombreness from outside. The dining room appeared relatively full though with only two waiting staff, it seemed to almost be a seat-yourself service and ask for things to be brought to you when you wanted them. Fortunately the food is worth the wait.

Being in season in September, I always have to order the rather rare stuffed Courgette Flowers when they’re available. The Gate’s version, filled with sweet potato, goats cheese & pine nuts, deep fried in crisp batter & served with puy lentil salsa & garlic aioli (£7.50), though pricey was definitely worth it. The flower was crisp, the stuffing flavoursome and the salsa and aioli generous and a great way to start the meal off.

Although tempted by their well known Teriyaki Aubergine dish, I couldn’t imagine not having their Wild Mushroom Risotto Cake – sautéed girolles, trompettes de la mort, oyster & chestnut mushrooms, served on a truffled risotto cake, with a creamy cep sauce, rocket & parmesan (£15.50). With all of those different types of mushrooms, I’d be terribly disappointed if it didn’t have the deep flavours one would expect – and I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint. The risotto cake, slightly crunchy and crackly provided a very different (in a good way) texture to the softness of the mushrooms surrounding it. The creamy cep sauce really adding another level of depth to the dish.

Rounding off the meal, I finished with the Orange and Cardomom Creme Brulee (£5.50). Perfectly creamy, lightly flavoured and unusual from a classic creme brulee, this was the perfect way to finish off the meal.

Name: The Gate
Found at: 51 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, W6 9QL
Website: http://www.thegate.tv/

Vanilla Black

Patrick Restaurants, UK, Vegetarian

I’ve know about the vegetarian friendly Vanilla Black restaurant for some time. When it first appeared on the dining scene several years ago, it had some really great reviews focused on fine dining that’s vegetarian friendly yet using very modern techniques and presentation to raise the game of vegetarian cuisine.

We went as a group of seven with a booking on a Friday evening. When I arrived at the restaurant for our 7pm booking, it wasn’t particularly busy, but then the tiny hidden street Vanilla Black sits on isn’t one visitors simply stumble upon. Thus, I’m glad to see this restaurant still operating after many years, a good sign of excellent patronage.

When asked for a drink before dinner, a few of us were surprised they didn’t have a cocktail list, or even a very extensive drinking list. They seemed to have basic house spirits, wine and beer.

After deciding on what we’d like to order, they quickly brought out an amuse bouche, that ended up tasting like a bloody mary shot, a spicy tomato soup, served warm in a shot glass. A nice touch and a great way to warm the palette.

They also served fresh bread rolls up until our appetisers. The bread, soft and slightly warmed went well with the fresh butter they served although they also had olive oil and balsamico for those included..

My first dish, Cream of tomato soup with lemon and lime, served with crispy bread and parsley arrived. You can tell immediately it wasn’t a classic creamy soup with the tomato flavoured broth sitting beneath the creamy, slightly foamed cream on the top. Around the top of the cream, they dotted lemon and lime oils, the fragrance immediately noticeable when it first arrived. As far as soups go, this was such an extraordinary and exciting experience.

Choosing a main was easy, Poached duck egg and Ribblesdale pudding served with hickory smoked potato croquette and pineapple pickle. Admittedly I wanted to try many of the other creative and interesting concoctions, particularly the baked mushroom duxelle that proved particularly popular with our table. I had no idea what a Ribblesdale pudding was but the waiter explained it as something similar to a upside down soufflé. The dish was very well presented, perfectly composed and went down just a little bit too easy.

The final dish of the night for me was the olive oil and vanilla roasted pineapple served with chilli syrup, mango puree and white chocolate ice cream. I figured this was one of the lighter desserts despite wanting to try their popular peanut butter and chocolate parfait with iced banana and butterscotch sauce. Once again, I was thrown off by the interesting combination of flavours that worked so well together – the vanilla bringing another dimension to an already sweet fruit, only to be offset by a sudden kick provided by the chilli in the syrup. This rollercoasting sensations then quelled again by the freshness of the white chocolate ice cream.

I really enjoyed the meal at this restaurant. For three courses at £30 (not including service), I think it’s a bargain for the experience and flavour sensations you get.

Name: Vanilla Black
Found at: 17 Took’s Court, London EC4A 1LB, United Kingdom
Website: http://www.vanillablack.co.uk/

Saf Restaurant

Patrick Restaurants, UK, Vegetarian

I’ve heard great things about Saf and based on our dining experience there on Tuesday, lives up to its reputation. I know that they recently opened another branch elsewhere in London although hoping this won’t reduce the attention to detail on what they offer. Saf does vegetarian and raw food although doesn’t do anything near bland or ordinary flavours.

I sat at the bar with a friend whilst waiting for the rest of our companions to join us for dinner. The drinks menu includes a whole range of interesting cocktail recipes, made with their home made flavour infusions all focused on in season ingredients and focused on organic foods. The drinks were not only strong but just like the food, packed full of flavour. Their wine menu is interesting and I’m happy to report many a vegan or vegetarian person doesn’t need to think twice about drinking any of them.

The weather was still fairly nice from the glorious sunny weekend and so we sat outside with a number of other diners in their courtyard. Whilst deciding on what to have, we started with some chilli edamame (pictured below) and some cooked mushrooms, both amazingly packed with flavour. I’m not normally a fan of edamame (who needs more salt in their diet!) but these chilli coated ones had enough punch to give you a slight tingle without an overpowering fire taking away from the bean. Definitely very more-ish.

We all decided on having an appetiser and all the vegetarians at the table exclaimed at how much choice there was – explaining that in other restaurants, there’s normally one or two things to choose from. Of course it wasn’t surprising how long it took for us to decide on what to have. I ended up with their Saf Tacos (Chipotle, Guacamole, Tomato & Pineapples Salsas) for £8.25. Their tacos were a trio, filled with a various of differently flavoured salsas and packed plenty of flavour. I suspect the chipotle actually went into the tacos shells, giving it that slightly heated smokey flavour.

I think four of us picked the Aromatic Thai curry (aubergine, snake beans, okra and brown rice) for £13.75. The curry arrived separately from the rice and it seemed much more like a soup than a curry with plenty of liquid floating around. We weren’t sure if this was a normal state because they didn’t even bring us a spoon until towards the end of our meal. Nevertheless, the curry was packed full of flavour and even the “fishing” for vegetables with our fork seemed to be highly entertaining in a bowl that constantly threatened to spill over its lower edge.

Unfortunately I think we hit Saf in between seasons, or just on a bad night because when it came to dessert, out of the six items on offer, we could only really choose from two of them. Everyone else when for the chocolate tart, where I went for the lighter sorbets (scoop of mango and another of passionfruit). I was surprised at how large the scoops were when the arrived and helped to finish off a wonderful meal.

At the end of the meal, we all commented on how full we felt from something you wouldn’t expect to keep you full and also a round of appreciations went around for the complex flavour profiles. Eating at Saf you will end up paying just as much as any other meal, but I do think you’ll feel better for it.

Name: Saf Restaurant & Bar
Found at: 152-154 Curtain Road – Shoreditch London EC2A 3AT
Website: http://www.safrestaurant.co.uk/
Twitter: @safrestaurant

Homemade Honey and Pear Sorbet

Patrick Dessert, Recipe, Vegetarian

When I had some friends around for dinner in January, I wanted to focus the meal using seasonal ingredients. One of the ones currently in season (in January) at least, are pears, so the weekend before I ended up at the Islington Farmer’s market.

The wonderful thing about the farmers markets is that you end up with some really fresh fruits and vegetables, and even though they don’t look like the perfectly polished wax-ware you might find in your typical supermarket, the taste is like nothing you can believe. At the stand that I purchased them from, they even had four varieties of pears on offer, some better for cooking retaining their shape, others better for reducing down into sauces, and others that were best for eating fresh, remaining crisp.

Inspired by the fact that I had, indeed, bought some really fresh fruits, I wanted to make a pear and honey sorbet. I couldn’t really find any recipes on the internet, so I made one up myself.

Here’s the one that I used:

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg pears
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • squeeze of half a lemon
  • tablespoon of vodka

Put the honey, sugar, lemon and water in a saucepan and heat using a low heat until the sugar has melted. In the meantime, peel the pears, taking out the core and seeds, and then slice them so they all sit underneath the liquid. I substituted honey instead of sugar to add a different dimension of sweetness. I added the lemon because I didn’t want the pears to brown too quickly. Poach the pears until you can stick a fork through them without too much resistance.

Cool the mixture down, and add the vodka. I don’t know if the vodka had much effect, but I hoped that it would mean that the sorbet didn’t freeze too hard.

After the mixture is cooled down, using a blender (I used a stab blender), puree the mix until you achieve the same sort of consistency. I guess you could choose to them pass it through a sieve if you want the pear juice/nectar but I think it’s quite nice to have some texture in the sorbet.

Freeze in an ice cream maker and you’re done!

How did it turn out? I served the sorbet with a pear crumble and it went down a treat. The honey certainly added depth to the sorbet, although I think I would change the ratio of honey to sugar next time to further accentuate the flavours of the pear.