Vegetarians and vegans: What is the best meal that you’ve been served in a restaurant?

[EasterLunch]

I know that vegetarian and vegan options are so often disappointing but what’s the best that you’ve enjoyed in a restaurant or cafe?

TIA

Can't beat Lebanese mezze

Welsh rarebit (made with non anchovy Worcestershire sauce) on sourdough with sautéed mushrooms and saffron coleslaw
Can’t wait to go back and have it again

I am also a weird one who likes meat substitutes! But the best vegan meal I had was cauliflower steak with red pepper sauce, chargrilled asparagus and herby sauteed potatoes. It was in a pub in the lake district while on holiday where I only had like two options to choose from and I wasn't expecting much because the menu was so meat focused. I am actually a pescatarian but all the fish dishes also contained meat.

Food from countries that has always had vegetarian dishes (Middle Eastern, Indian)
Vegetarian restaurants.

Anything that isn't mushroom/butternut squash/fake meat/beetroot/pastry/goats cheese/risotto.

This sums it up.

Though Sri Lankan or S Indian beetroot dishes are incredible.

They may well be, but when you see the same ingredient on nearly every menu...
I've had many delicious meals but when it's off the list I posted, my heart tends to sink.

@Lentilweaver , any recipes you could link please?

@HouseAshamed there was a phase when just about every menu in just about every restaurant had a beetroot and goats cheese something as the sole vegetarian offering on their menu.

Bleugh.

Yes, a fairly local michelin-starred pub had it as the only vege starter and the only main. Needless to say, I've given that establishment a miss.

Mushroom followed by mushroom is also a menu I've seen. Bleugh.

Posh restaurants really should do better than repeating ingredients across courses.

And I’ll be very happy to never see a mushroom risotto or a chunk of hispi cabbage (good as both can be) ever again.

And cauliflower steaks can fuck off.

Although Maray (in Manchester and Liverpool) do an excellent whole baby cauliflower, known as disco cauliflower on the menu.

Glad to have solidarity!

I'd not heard of Doner Summer, thank you, it looks good! Reading tripadvisor reviews now.

I agree about pizza express. I'd actually love to put my money in to smaller, independent or family businesses rather than chains but unfortunately the chains are just so much better for casual dining. Different in more higher end places but I am unfortunately not in a financial position to do that a couple of times a week

And yes, same regarding health reasons. I probably am healthier for being vegan, but that's not the reason I do it.I can't really remember meat, I haven't eaten it since 1993, but I do like the taste of the 'fake meat' subs most of the time.

I fully agree with this! So eloquently put, too
Cauliflower steak---just no. But then, I don't like cauliflower.

I went to a hotel in the North East fairly recently where none of the veg/sides were vegan, must've been cooked in the same fat as other things.

The small plate/starter option was cauliflower 'wings'. I did try these once out of a mixture of curiosity and being very hungry and it being the only vegan starter. It was like eating a grease-saturated sponge. Nope.

And the main was cauliflower something or other too.

I ate elsewhere.

Agree with you about the risotto. I'm sure somewhere someone makes a delicious one but I'm not going to find out.

The repeated ingredient is common, and they're common ingredients, so it's off-putting.

I'm not going to get excited about a cauliflower steak, but a simple dish done well can be just right.
Cauliflower wings followed by cauliflower steak? Do they hate vegans?

The worst one was goat's cheese on top of a few julienned carrots, celery and potatoes, to replace the three bean croquettes, because the actual chef for that dish was ill.

The best dish(es)
Tofu green Thai curry from a Thai restaurant nit a pub version.

A good Indian curry - Jalfrezi and Rogan Josh are favourites.

Baked aubergine with lemon yoghurt and pomegranate seeds from Cafe Andaluz in Newcastle.

Discovered Supernatural vegan restaurant in Newcastle. Had a vegan fish and chips. I think it was jackfruit with sea weed for the "fish".

I had a vegan battered sausage in Leeds and I felt like I was in heaven. It was on a market, absolutely beautiful - Vish and chips?

Get hold of a Country Choice / Brake Brothers / 3663 price list
you will RAPIDLY learn what is made in warehouses and frozen versus designed on site

Bet they male spinach and ricotta cannelloni, goat's cheese and caramelised onion tart...

Braised lettuce at the George in Stamford. Unfeasibly good.

Or any south Indian thali, provided it had idli.

Aubergine Parmigiana is my favourite and I've never really had a bad one in a restaurant.

I once had an amazing Cauliflower steak once. That was beautiful!

I've just remembered. Burger King used to do an amazing spicy bean burger back in the 90s.

A ricotta cannelloni in a posh pub in Tunbridge Wells.

Curry anywhere in the midlands.

Good chippy chips anywhere.

Greek salad in Greece.

Chilled gespacho in Spain.

And I love a veggie patti Subway!

Pumpkin ravioli with a sage butter sauce at a vegan place near Cambridge station

Horn Ok Please in Borough market