Oliveira Kitchen - Vegetarian Vegan Restaurant Shoreditch London

"The first thing to be said about this Shoreditch venue is that, although it is vegetarian, it uses some cheeses with animal rennet, including Parmesan — chef-proprietor Emerson Amélio de Oliveira strongly believes these have a superior flavour. That said, the eco-friendly venue, with sustainability at its heart, has by far the most inventive vegetarian menu in London. Oliveira comes from a Brazilian-Italian background; and this is reflected in dishes such as hand-made pastas and risottos, alongside the use of Amazonian fruit and veg. There are plenty of dishes with breadfruit and jackfruit sourced from Tooting market; and speciality items such as dende oil, phytoplankton, and vegan faux gras. Some of the over-ambitious dishes don’t quite come off, but “‘nduja sausage” made from jackfruit seeds and flesh, cassava, and smoked paprika impresses with its subtle spiciness, and a trio of Amazonian fruit sorbets made from açai, cupuaçu and pitaya taste like frozen nail polish — in the nicest possible way." - Sejal Sukhadwala