Oliveira Vegetarian Restaurant Heads From East Sheen to Shoreditch | Eater London

"An organic, eco-friendly vegetarian kitchen led by Brazilian-Italian chef Emerson Amélio de Oliveira, this homely two-room East Sheen venue is celebrated for having one of the most inventive vegetarian menus in London. Although vegetarian, the chef intentionally uses some cheeses made with animal rennet, including Parmesan, believing they deliver superior flavour; sustainability is central to the restaurant’s ethos. The cooking nods to the owner’s heritage with hand-made pastas and risottos alongside Amazonian fruit and vegetables—breadfruit and jackfruit sourced from Tooting market feature regularly—and speciality ingredients such as dende oil, phytoplankton and vegan faux gras appear on the menu. While a few over-ambitious plates don’t fully land, standout items include an ‘nduja’ sausage made from jackfruit seeds and flesh with cassava and smoked paprika that impresses with subtle spice, and a trio of Amazonian sorbets (açai, cupuaçu and pitaya) that intriguingly “taste like frozen nail polish” in a complimentary sense. A new site is currently under construction in Shoreditch, with the team hoping it will become a destination in the same way as the original all-day space." - James Hansen