Restaurant Review: 123V Vegan Sushi


Big plate of sushi.

Have you ever grabbed a little pack of sushi as part of a supermarket meal deal? Some dry and flavourless rice, wrapped in something slimy, tasting overwhelmingly of sadness? 123V is the literal opposite of that. Flavours so enticing that the soy sauce and wasabi almost felt redundant. A panoply of delights, presented with care and served with a flourish. We went for the お任せ (Omasake) - which means the chef chose 20 pieces of sushi for us. We had a 241 deal, so got that twice. Is forty sush…

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Restaurant Review: No Catch - Vegan Fish and Chips


Artful photo of a large piece of battered food shaped into a curved fishtail atop a pile of chunky chips.

There's nothing finer to do in Brighton than walk along the promenade eating a wodge of chips the size of your face. But it was raining, so we sat inside and ate all the chips instead. This is Brighton's 100% vegan chippie. As well as big fluffy chips, battered (veggie) sausage, and all the standard condiments - they specialise in fishless-fish. It looks like this: Thick and juicy plant-based protein (available in "Smoked Haddock" or "Cod" flavours), wrapped in a sheet of seaweed, and…

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Restaurant Review: Chef's Table at The Savoy


A booth looking over a kitchen.

My mate Greg, without meaning to, makes all other husbands look bad. It's not enough that he is a loving partner, devoted father, and pillar of the community. Oh no. He also has to go and make the most amazing reservations for wedding anniversaries. My wife, Liz, and I were running slightly late for our meeting with Greg and his delightful wife Jamie. We hadn't seen them for... oooh... About a decade. Time flies when you're adulting. And we're on different sides of the Atlantic ocean. So when…

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Restaurant Review: Gauthier Soho


Photo of a play of pasta, black truffle shavings, and white wine.

I don't think I've ever spent £400 on a meal for two before...! Let's get that out of the way first. We decided to go out to celebrate our wedding anniversary, the completion of my MSc, Liz being appointed to a committee, and... you know what? Fuck you! It has been a bastard of a pandemic and we wanted a night of ridiculously extravagant luxury dining - and boy did we get it! Gauthier is a vegan dining experience like nothing I've had before. We took the "Grand Dîner" tasting menu. 11-courses …

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Restaurant Review: 3D Printed Redefine Meat @ Unity Diner


Inside of the fake steak. It looks stringy, just like real meat.

"How long have you been vegetarian?" Asked the waitress. "Oh, over twenty years now," I replied. She looked concerned. "Some people find the 3D printed steak a bit..." she paused, considered, and continued, "A bit intense. It takes people by surprise how it makes them feel. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I'd eat it again." With that, she swept off with our cocktail orders. Unity Diner is a lovely vegan diner near Brick Lane. It has kitschy booths, funky cocktails, and a menu stacked with…

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Restaurant Review: Kusa Japanese Vegan - Bukit Bintang


Big platter of veggie sushi.

We flew in early to Kuala Lumpur - the only way to stave off the jetlag was to go hunting for lunch. We made the mistake of trying to walk through the city. What looked like a brisk 30 minute stroll became an exercise in dashing across busy roads in the sweltering heat. My brain was mush by the time we found the restaurant - a little out of the way and nestled inside what looks like an office block - so we ordered one of the sushi set menus. (My brain was too mushy to take a photo - but the …

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Restaurant Review: Rani Vilas Restaurant Batu Caves


Photo of Liz tucking into a big pile of colourful food served on a banana leaf.

If you've visiting Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, I have two tips for you. Firstly, get there as early as possible in order to avoid the heat and other tourists. Secondly, after climbing a mountain of stairs, marvelling at the wonders therein, and being stared at by hundreds of monkeys - you're going to be hungry. So treat yourself to lunch at Rani's. A varied vegetarian menu - helpfully illustrated. Great big piles of food served on a banana leaf - you can't go wrong. Just spicy enough to be…

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