‘New year, new you’, yadda yadda, we’ve heard it all before. While reinvention can be a great career move if you’re a popstar with a dwindling fanbase, it can also be a lot of hard work if you’re not in possession of a designated re-branding team. Naturally, it’s best to start with some small changes, and with Veganuary upon us, there’s no better time to investigate the options out there for moving to a more plant-based diet. Curiosity is the mother of reinvention, so whether you’re a reformed carnivore intrigued to know what else is out there, or a dedicated vegan wanting to find the best dishes in the city, our round up of London’s best Veganuary menus should pique your interest.
Aubaine
From Kensington to Broadgate, French sophisticates Aubaine will be rolling out a full Veganuary menu across their restaurants. Diners will be treated to a delicious array of fully plant-based starters, mains and desserts. Dishes include cauliflower roasted with turmeric, paprika and pine nuts, a mushroom Bourguignon with carrot bacon, and a polenta and poached plum cake, amongst other options. To accompany the menu, Aubaine’s sommelier has sourced a fully vegan wine from France’s largest certified organic and biodynamic estate.
Aubaine are launching a whole series of vegan dishes across all of its restaurants.
Four Hundred Rabbits
Never one to shy away from a maverick pizza topping combo, the chefs at Four Hundred Rabbits have pulled out something truly outside the box - peanut butter. Their 100% vegan January special features chickpeas, crispy onions, wood-roasted beets, squash pesto, sultanas and Pip & Nut’s crunchy maple peanut butter. The Neapolitan sourdough pizza specialists will be launching this vegan curiosity at its Crystal Palace and Nunhead locations on the 5th of January.
This peanut butter pizza may seem like a daredevil, but it's certainly worth the risk.
Flavour Bastard
Having flown the vegan-friendly flag since it opened back in September, the naughty schoolkid of the Soho scene, Flavour Bastard, will adding even more plant-based dishes to its menu this month. The ‘cuisine-agnostic’ eatery on Frith Street will continue to push its melting pot of flavours with new additions like the miso and mango-glazed aubergine, chickpea and rose harissa salad and roast sweet potatoes with soy yoghurt and pomegranate popcorn.
Friends of the vegans, Flavour Bastard, will be adding even more dishes to their menu for Veganuary.
Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar
A real curve-ball in the Veganuary stakes, Gillray’s Steakhouse will also be climbing aboard the plant-based train this month. Their limited edition vegan set menu will be available throughout January, with the Southbank restaurant offering new dishes to excite even the most blood-thirsty carnivore, including cauliflower fritters, aubergine dahl and baked red onions with kale and pearl barley. For the extra virtuous amongst you - or maybe those who just went too hard during the festive season - Gillray’s will also be wheeling out a range of mocktails.
Even meat merchants, Gillray's Steakhouse, are pushing the plant-based boat out.
Harvey Nichols
When it comes to luxury it’s hard to match Harvey Nichols for delivery, and their vegan menu is no different. Far from anything vaguely close to ‘clean eating’, the dishes are made with the same high-quality ingredients and indulgent flavours that you’ve come to expect from Harvey Nichols’ eateries. With meat and dairy-free takes on classic dishes such as an egg-free omelette, tofu fish and chips and artichoke Coq Au Vin, the department store’s restaurants will also serve a selection of vegan wines to accompany the new additions to its menu.
Harvey Nichols' vegan 'Fish 'n' Chips' - battered tofu-wrapped seaweed with minted peas and tartare sauce.
The Kitty Hawk
This City drinking and dining destination is usually renowned for its fantastic steaks and delicious eggy brunch dishes, but that doesn’t stop it from being able to lay on some quality vegan options. Their three-course Veganuary menu pulls together old favourites like the roasted cauliflower steak, with something a little more novel like the horseradish foam and oat crumble, and pineapple carpaccio.
The Kitty Hawk will be offering a three-course set-menu specifically catered to those taking part in Veganuary.
Yard Sale Pizza x Biff's Jack Shack
Yard Sale Pizza have teamed up with purveyors of filthy vegan junk food, Biff’s Jack Shack, to bring you this crispy jackfruit pizza. Available from the 15th of January to the 11th of February, this spicy, salty plant-based offering consists of Yard Sale’s trademark double-fermented dough base, covered with Biff’s fried jackfruit, Buffalo and ‘blue cheese’ sauces, fresh ‘slaw, coriander and drizzled with a yoghurt dressing. For those craving some truly dirty vegan food, get this warm, greasy pizza in your belly.
If you're craving a slice of the good, greasy stuff, this 100% vegan pizza will really hit the spot.
