Think lobster slays legumes and terrine trumps tofu? Well, traditionally you may have been right, but these days plant-based haute cuisine is gaining popularity as health and eco-consciousness permeate top-notch fine diners and their normally meat-heavy menus. Go green, go glam!
Saint-Pierre, Singapore
With newly established digs overlooking glimmering Marina Bay, this longtime primo plater is upping the ante with staggering vistas and stellar veg fare to pair. Warm and understated decor set the scene for Emmanuel Stroobant’s artful portions, blending French technique with trad Japanese ingredients. Opt for the seasonal ‘Nature’ menu for dinner and savour six or ten courses spanning ginger-infused cauliflower mousse to winter melon tartare to a diet-busting French fromage cart, with sophisticated service to boot – merveilleux! 02-02B One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton Rd, saintpierre.com.sg
Transformer, Melbourne
She may look more mean than green from the outside, but don’t let her grungy, graffiti-clad exterior fool you. With foliage that extends beyond the kitchen to the ivy-filled courtyard, Laki Papadopoulos and Mark Price’s moody resto is redefining the dining scene with elegant and experimental vegetarian dishes including ricotta and rye gnocchi tousled with organic sprouted lentils, pumpkin mousse and blueberry compote. Want the skinny on the best first-time tasters? The ‘Feed Me’ menu leaves it in the hands of Transformer’s trusty staff – easy! Fab cocktails, too. 97-99 Rose St, Fitzroy, transformerfitzroy.com
Caprice, Hong Kong
Although Chef Fabrice’s succulent seafood morsels and Gallic-inflected meat dishes are temptation enough to throw any dietary requirements to the wind, this glammy, chandeliered salon does one of the best vegetarian degustations in town. A special six-course menu wows with the likes of eggplant caviar and girolle mushroom fricassee, followed by artisanal cheeses and vino to pair. No beef, no worry. 6/F, Four Seasons, 8 Finance St, Central, fourseasons.com
Lucky Leek, Berlin
Not only is this teeny veggie vault completely meat-free, it’s also 100% vegan, serving a rotating menu of regional and seasonal plates for gourmands of the garden variety. Mich-spangled Josita Hartanto preps mod international recipes featuring pumpkin seed potato noodles, Balinese spiced tofu, and of course the restaurant’s namesake bulb, as well as plenty of colourful gluten-free and raw options which more than make up for the rather drab fitout. Kollwitzstr. 54, lucky-leek.com
The Clove Club, London
Drawing on oft-overlooked Brit ingredients, this bubbly, boundary-pushing Shoreditch supper spotlights the best in-season spoils sure to make any dedicated herbivore squeal with glee, including a five-course and extended veg-centric spread repping aesthetically presented monk’s bears, Perigord truffle, morel mushrooms and more. Blimey! Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old St, EC1, thecloveclub.com
Daniel, New York
Sitting pretty in Gotham’s Upper East Side, this red n’ gold Renaissance-style parlour is home to chef Daniel Boulud’s eponymous eatery; where a long-standing culinary largesse has spurred an impressive following for fine dining sans steak. Sweet pepper Bavarois says bonjour, Flageolet Ragout says de rien, and the restaurant’s signature hazelnut gâteau topped with meringue and praliné buttercream says au revoir, waistline. 60 E 65th St, Upper East Side, danielnyc.com
Fu He Hui, Shanghai
While disguising meat-free products to resemble their fleshier counterparts has been a longstanding tendency of many veg-based vendors, pan-handlers Tony Lu and Fang Yuan are championing greens in all their glory at this tri-level, oriental stunner kitted with glossy granite floors, sleek wooden furny, and art pieces from the Qing and Ming dynasties. Think indigenous Asian ingreds like taro, lotus seeds, longan fruit and Hokkaido red beans delivered via eight creatively plated courses. Dee-lish! 1047 Yuyuan Lu, Changning.
Published 17 October 2016.
