I will admit that I am that person who got a little annoyed at the idea of a ‘mostly vegan’ restaurant. In my eyes, it is either vegetarian or vegan, not mostly one, or the other. But then I am a passionate vegan of 7+ years and maybe not quite the target audience of a ‘mostly vegan’ restaurant. So, despite having known about Tendril Kitchen for quite some time, I have only now been convinced to look past my judgements and give it a go (with the excuse of creating this Tendril Kitchen review). Especially since I do occasionally eat at non-vegan establishments.
They had a temporary residence in a pub in Soho but have recently found a new pop up space just off Regent Street. I decided to book in for a Friday evening to get a real feel for the food, the service and the atmosphere.
Carry on reading my Tendril Kitchen review to see what I thought!
Review summary of Tendril Kitchen
Despite my initial judgements of Tendril (mostly) Vegan Kitchen I have been blown away by the food, the service, and the atmosphere in the restaurant. Maybe they are on to something with the ‘mostly vegan’ concept, as the restaurant was packed and had a great buzz about it.
Editor’s rating: 4.5
Pros
- Their menu is seasonal and exciting
- The food is cooked to really high standards
- The restaurant has a great atmosphere
Cons
When I arrived at Tendril Kitchen I was pleasantly surprised by how busy it was. It was evidently a very popular spot. The building it is housed in is beautiful and the inside is decorated really tastefully. I noticed how easygoing and laid back it was whilst still oozing sophistication.
One thing that really stuck out to me was the smell wafting through the room. I knew instantly that there was some good food in this restaurant.
The evening I spent at Tendril Kitchen was full of surprises, really lovely-tasting food, and great service. Ultimately, I’d have to say what stood out for me was the inventive menu which was both seasonal and exciting, as well as the food being cooked to the high standards that I would expect from such an establishment, all of which was accompanied by a great buzz in the restaurant.
Keep on reading to find out more about my positives from dining at Tendril Kitchen.
Their menu is seasonal and exciting
One of my major concerns about a vegetarian spot was that the vegan dishes would be an afterthought. What Tendril Kitchen had on offer was actually quite the opposite. The menu was innovative and exciting, with just one vegetarian dish on offer.
We opted for the discovery menu which came in at a really reasonable £39 pp. We thought this was a steal considering the look of the dishes highlighted to us on the menu. We knew we were in for a treat!
As we are very much in the middle of Autumn right now I was very happy to see the mighty celeriac take centre stage in what was my favourite dish of the night – roast celeriac, mustard, truffle, remoulade. It was wonderfully balanced and gorgeously deep in flavour. The comforting hug you need as the weather really starts to cool down.
Other highlights were the tostada with squash, the chipotle mushroom with the most amazingly crispy potato I’ve ever eaten, and the heavenly melt in the mouth tiramisu.
The menu is definitely up there as one my favourites in London. I still feel it is a shame that they have a veggie dish on there though, but I can also see that their menu is still drawing in a crowd!
The restaurant has a great atmosphere
From the moment you walk into the restaurant you are made to feel welcome by the attentive wait staff. It is a really small space but has an intimate vibe that was luckily helped by the fact that every table was engrossed in conversation, keeping introverts like me happy.
The service throughout was perfect and it all looked so effortless. This really helped to make the restaurant feel like an easy and enjoyable spot. And because of the great food you could hear the whole room were busy enjoying themselves.
The venue they are currently using just off Regent Street is beautiful. So I was a little gutted to find out it is another pop up. But hopefully they can be there for some time as I’ll definitely be paying them another visit to try some of the dishes on their à la carte menu.
The food was cooked to really high standards
There wasn’t an element on any of the dishes that I felt was under seasoned or not cooked correctly. Everything from the warm bread served up with the wonderfully spiced muhammara sauce, to the puff pastry with aubergine and tahini, was cooked to a really high standard. Which comes as no surprise when you take a look at the experience of the chef and owner, Rishim Sachdeva.
I also got the impression that he was trying to show just how amazing vegetables are. He didn’t feel the need to overcomplicate them by cooking them in strange and different ways. They were cooked up simply, but properly, and paired with suitable flavour combinations.
Now that is the kind of food I could devour and enjoy time and time again.
My thoughts on Tendril Kitchen
The biggest surprise for me whilst eating at Tendril Kitchen was just how amazing the vegan food was despite it not being a fully vegan establishment. It proves all of my preconceived judgements about a ‘mostly vegan’ concept wrong. And I am happy about that, because eating at Tendril Kitchen was a true culinary delight that should be shared with vegans and non-vegans alike.
Areas of improvement
At risk of sounding like a broken record, I do still believe Tendril Kitchen could get away with being a fully vegan restaurant. But I do also respect the chef’s decision to run with this concept as it is evidently working out for him. So whilst I would be pretty certain that they would succeed with a fully vegan menu of the same high standards of cooking, I do wonder if they may also attract more and more non-vegans to their restaurant by running this way.
Review conclusion
I didn’t feel too worried about there being a vegetarian dish on the menu in the end. The fact that there is just one and I didn’t really see or smell it coming out of the kitchen, put me at ease. It isn’t at all like going to a non-vegan & non-vegetarian restaurant with just a few vegan options on the menu where you may feel concerned about being served the wrong thing.
They obviously take vegan food really seriously and can show it off to people who may be put off by visiting fully vegan establishments.
Overall, I would definitely recommend visiting here whether you are fully vegan or not. It is the perfect spot to take your vegan sceptic family and friends, with the reassurance that they can eat cow’s cheese if it really does scare them that much.
Where can you reserve a table at Tendril Kitchen?
Reserving a table at Tendril Kitchen is really easy. Whilst they don’t accept reservations via phone, they do use Resy, which is a super easy online booking tool. It easily allows you to add in any allergies of the guests as well as being able to let the team know of any special requests or celebrations.
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