01. Expectations vs. Reality
The first one is always the hardest, like the first page of a pristine sketchbook - I usually skip it.
Hello again and welcome back to The Critical Pickle! I hope you’ve had a good week filled with scrumptious food and tasty treats!
Now then, the tricky thing is the pressure of the FIRST article. Do I start with the most memorable experience or the most recent? Perhaps I should begin chronologically? You know what, let’s go with what’s been slowly gnawing away at the back of my mind for a while - plant-based food.
Plant-based Punishment
Vegan food doesn't have to be punishing.
I am not vegan but I do enjoy plant based food. I actually think vegetables are massively underrated. When food is in season and is cooked with love and care, it is magical. Sadly I was only able to fully experience this when I left London a few years ago and moved to the countryside where I have more accessibility to locally grown food. But now that I have insight into what fresh, good quality produce tastes like, I can’t go back.
And as for vegan food that tries to mimic meat, I usually stay well away from it, especially when animal products are replaced by E numbers, additives and ultra-processed lab material nonsense that doesn’t taste remotely similar to what it is pretending to be. Honestly, if it tastes good then maybe I will be swayed, but if, even after all the processing, it tastes like what it does…no thank you! I am not judging anyone who does actually enjoy it, maybe if I was vegan and used to be a massive carnivore it might scratch that itch for me, or maybe some people do actually enjoy the taste of it, hey, no judgement from The Critical Pickle here (only critical, not judgemental), but otherwise I personally do not want rehydrated petri dish protein.
Living up to the hype
With that being said, some of you might have caught wind of a certain plant-based chain in London that seemed to be all the hype in the vegan scene last year, or you might even be one of those spreading the good word. Either way, if you were looking for a decent vegan restaurant in London in the past year or two, Mildreds would have definitely been recommended by someone at some point. I had been looking forward to visiting for a while, especially since I kept hearing raving reviews from non-vegan friends and surprisingly from those who enjoy a good steak over vegetables. I had to give it a try.
According to their website, their doors first opened in 1988 serving vegetarian food but transitioned to become entirely plant-based in 2021.
“We pride ourselves on pioneering new flavours and bold ideas into every dish to treat our guests to the most exciting, cutting edge vegan food in the world.” - Mildreds (https://www.mildreds.com/our-story/)
They also seem to have a strong focus on sustainability with their “root to tip” philosophy as well as giving back to local communities. Say no more.
So off I went.
It was a lovely Summer afternoon. The sun was blazing and the streets were buzzing with people. Reservation made. On time. No stress.
Except I went to the wrong branch.
After battling through the crowds on my way from Covent Garden to Soho, I approached the lovely light blue building, standing out from its gloomy neighbours, before I was greeted by the warm staff and directed to a small table through to the back.
It was lunch service and it was bustling with people. After placing my order I took a moment to catch my breath and admire the decor; it was nothing too fancy, but tasteful and the general feel was friendly and welcoming almost more like a cafe than a restaurant, in a good way.
The food arrived within about 20 minutes and looked quite appetising. I had a tofu kimchi bibimbap style bowl and my feasting buddy, now dubbed Pickled Onion, ordered a meat-imitation burger with sweet potato fries.
I really wish I could say it lived up to its hype, I really do…
As I took several mouthfuls, I could feel the moisture being sapped from my mouth. The tofu knocked about like one of those balls in a tumble dryer and the rice was exfoliating my gums. The burger was no different according to Pickled Onion. The actual taste of the food was non-existent. There was nothing to taste. I could not taste any of the vegetables. I could not taste any seasoning. There was no fermented goodness from the kimchi. Nothing.
That’s the thing with hypes though isn’t it? It’s about managing expectations. I thought, maybe if I didn’t have such high expectations with it, it wouldn’t have been as bad. But with every bite I took, the more confident I felt that the food was objectively bland and really not that good. I was gutted.
Although I will admit that I am inclined to visit again (this time for dinner perhaps and see if there is a difference between the food) purely because I really want the idea of a good vegan restaurant with good ethos doing well in London. I want to give it another chance. I’ll bring sauce and seasoning this time.
No pickles for Mildreds I’m afraid.
There is hope
As the seasons changed, I returned to London yet again for my city break.
I say “city break” but every time I visit London, I am just coming home. When I lived in London, I never had a moment to step away from the crazy momentum. If I wasn’t hurrying along with every other person on my morning commute, trying my best not to be buried under suits and backpacks, I’d be nodding off on the tube on my evening commute. If my head wasn’t buried in lecture notes in a last minute attempt to somehow absorb a few semester’s worth of material, I was whizzed away on a far away placement in a random hospital. But if time wasn’t a good enough excuse for my lack of enjoyment and exploration in the London food scene, then simply put, I just couldn’t afford it. Going out in London was not a luxury I had growing up. Maybe this is why I’m so passionate about my experiences of being able to go to places and try out new things because I still see it as such a treat! Admittedly, every time I return to London it’s never on a whim, but costed for and planned meticulously and only reserved for big occasions like for my good friend’s lovely wedding reception just recently, but it never takes away the nostalgia and sense of home when I’m here no matter how short the duration.
Anyways, on my list this time round was a place that seemed relatively new to the food scene at the time but I thought looked quite promising. Tendril (a mostly-vegan restaurant) is a pop-up turned restaurant by chef and founder Rishim Sachdeva whose food is described as “un-fussy but precise” from their website . Love that.
“We’re on a mission to showcase what’s possible in plant-first food. This means no fake meat or processed ‘plant based’ ingredients. We’re not judging, it’s just not what we believe in. What we do value are incredible plants, grown by real people, and sourced as close to the restaurant as possible. Once in the kitchen, we give them the platform they deserve, using the right level of technique to elevate even the most humble of ingredients.” - Tendril (https://www.tendrilkitchen.co.uk/about-us)
Again, ticking all my boxes.
So off I went.
Pickled Onion and I were greeted at the entrance and shown our way to our designated seats. Straight up I noticed their newly refurbished retro-chic decor and lovely ambience as I walked towards our table. Very nice.
I had made a reservation for dinner a week earlier and had a little study look at the menu prior to my visit and a cheeky tiramisu caught my eye ;) I cannot deny that I wouldn’t have been devastated if it wasn’t available, after all their menu changes seasonally and is dependent on what their suppliers have.
As I soaked in the ambience, I noticed the general friendliness and attentiveness of the waiting staff. There was no rush and unlike many restaurants in London, we didn’t feel like they were waiting to kick us out.
We ordered several dishes from their à la carte menu. I could smell the tantalising aromas of the dishes as the lovely waitress approached the table with our food. Each plate looked incredible.
One of my favourites was the sweet, sticky purple potatoes, served still piping hot and fresh from the kitchen. It’s sweetness was well balanced with savouriness of the soy glaze, and the relish added a refreshing crunch to the dish.
I could taste the good quality ingredients with fresh produce. The food really does embody “un-fussy but precise”.
To my delight, the tiramisu was indeed still on the menu! I mean look at that beauty. I’m drooling as I write this. It was perfect. Lovely and light, moist but not wet, with the perfect ratio of coffee unctuousness. And guess what? It was not too sweet ;) Dare I say it easily outshines a lot of non-vegan tiramisus out there? GIVE ME A TUB.
From the moment I entered to the moment I left, it was truly lovely, aided by the impeccable service. I wish I remembered the name of the waitress to give her the credit of adding to our memorable experience at Tendril. If I was being critical, which I shall give myself permission to do here at The Critical Pickle, I would say that something to improve on would be the portion size given the price, but otherwise The Critical Pickle highly recommends.
2 Pickles for Tendril.
So there we are.
I can see myself navigating the vegan food scene with less hesitancy with restaurants like Tendril setting an example of how plant-based food can be done so *beautifully*, and that’s a really exciting prospect. It’s also nice to see how restaurants are generally showing more interest in seasonality and local produce. As a consumer, I appreciate the transparency about where my food comes from and I hope more places can reflect this on their menus.
At the end of my newsletters, I like to include a little snippet from my week, so here’s what I got up to this week:.
The Forgotten Half of a Watermelon
I love melons. Now imagine the horror of finding a 4 days old half of a watermelon chilling in the fridge looking back at me with all its anaemic glory, gasping “Do you still love me?”. I did.
Pickle dip: ++ Glucose. Negative for protein. 1+ for crunch. 1 bonus apology pickle for my neglect. Impression: A good watermelon.
The Critical Pickle
What an entertaining, insightful journey. It’s equally interesting to read about your experiences with restaurants and also your changing expectations for food. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!