Restaurant reviews
Acorn By Katrina Gazley
Mildreds By Director, Juliet Gellatley Mildreds has been established since 1988 but I want to make sure everyone knows about it! It is a fantastic mix of café chic and top class food at incredibly reasonable prices – for London’s Soho. Décor is pleasant and simple, with an olive green banquette running around its small perimeter, with wooden tables. It is always busy and you can’t book so I went at 2pm and was seated immediately. First the cocktail menu (oh dear!) – tasteful, imaginative and refreshingly good! Ever tried a marmalade mule (marmalade vodka, ginger beer and angostura bitters) or raspberry ambrosia, (Bacardi, St-Germain, raspberry and lime)? Good reasons not to drive. The food is first rate with plenty of vegan options – about seven of the 10 main courses. I began with truly-tasty chargrilled artichoke hearts (£6.50), followed by Sri Lankan sweet potato and cashew nut curry and yellow basmati rice with peas and coconut tomato sambal (£10.50). I’ve eaten many curries over the years and this one is to die for – delicate, delicious, delightful. For dessert I opted for passion fruit and coconut mousse cake with passion fruit syrup (£6.50). The presentation alone deserves five stars! And the service? Staff were busy but were welcoming, friendly and efficient. Mildred’s is a gem of a find – try it my precious! www.mildreds.co.uk. MILDREDS 45 Lexington St, London W1F 9AN 100% vegetarian/vegan. Opening times: noon – 11pm, Mon to Sat.
In a previous incarnation, Acorn was Demuth’s, the go-to gem for gourmet veggie dining in Bath, now under the whisk of head chef Richard Buckley. Upon our evening arrival, the candlelit atmosphere was relaxed with a refined, natural charm – rustic wooden place settings, hand-thrown pottery and woodland artefacts. We chose our food from Acorn’s seasonal menu, where vegan options account for 50-60 per cent of the dishes. We opted for a medley of vegan dishes to share – but first whetting our taste buds with an English, garden-inspired cocktail – strawberry, vanilla and thyme Martini (£7.50). The smooth sweetness provided a pleasant contrast to the zestiness of the complimentary bread board of Bertinet sourdough with homemade dukkah (herb, nut and spice dip) and olive oil. Our beautifully colourful starters (from £7.25) included an Acorn menu staple – a light and savoury-sweet carrot and cashew pate with spelt crisps cooked to perfection and griddled summer squash with pine nut, lemon and mint ice. Our mains (all £15.95) were bursting with rich, autumnal flavours; and the ‘what do I devour first?’ ritual soon began. Smoked field mushroom was a woody, plump mushroom mix resting on a salted celeriac pureé and golden baked baby potatoes, all doused in a fresh, zingy chervil sauce with hints of grainy mustard. The second dish consisted of aromatically-spiced cauliflower fritter surrounded by a garlicky dahl, crispy-kale, cumin cauliflower florets and a punchy tamarind and raisin pureé. We happily had room for dessert (from £5.95) – passing back and forth forkfuls of paper thin slices of pineapple carpaccio and spoonfuls of creamy, aniseedy fennel and coconut sorbet. Washed down with an organic espresso – this was an evening of cruelty-free hedonism to remember. Acorn is modern vegan cookery at its best, where fruits, vegetables and pulses are transformed into tantalising works of culinary art. reservations@acornvegetariankitchen.co.uk. ACORN 2 North Parade Passage (just off Abbey Green), Bath BA1 1NX (01225 446059) 100% vegetarian/vegan. Opening times: ?? www.viva.org.uk 39