Tendril

Tendril’s (mostly) vegan cookery accepts no substitutes. Using first-rate ingredients prepared with the right technique is, according to chef Rishim Sachdeva, a better way to cut down on animal products than creating imitations. Leaving Tendril’s now permanent, highly inconspicuous and earthen-interiored Mayfair address, it’s hard to disagree.

There are three menus: set (‘discovery’), a la carte (Monday to Wednesdays) and brunch (weekends). We had the £45 per person discovery dinner. It’s labelled as following a snack, starter, main, dessert format but is best viewed as four (five with the optional course) windows into what’s possible with plants.

Cauliflower parfait was the pick of the opening savoury round, the accompanying farm sourdough the perfect vessel for its subtle heat and velvety smoothness. A further two dishes completed this section: a smoky, slightly bashed aubergine finished with kalamatas and tahini and a deep fried potato cube and sharp fennel remoulade.

Next was a choice: smoked beetroot with a spicy hoisin sauce or a slice of courgette stuffed with a rice pilaf and (this is why the menu isn’t fully vegan) feta. The courgette was cooked enough to hold firm without tasting raw and covered in a harissa sauce. Beetroot’s natural flavour marries well with hoisin, its sesame cracker and spring onion companions adding crunch and freshness. The optional course was a leek fritter dotted with a superb curry leaf aioli.

Tendril’s anti-fake meat stance was best felt in the last savoury course. Chipotle-smoked oyster mushrooms piled on a pair of skewers played the role of lamb; crushed capers provided sharp salinity; white beans pureed to the consistency of double cream and artichoke crisps gave texture. Baby pak choi and corn ‘ribs’ were the sharing accompaniments, the former gently wilted and vibrant, the latter earthy and dusted in wakame.

‘Dessert of the day’ was almond frangipane with an oat milk custard that tasted just as good as anything made with egg. Tendril’s inventive, multi-cuisine and extremely well-executed menu is a welcome reminder that, ingredients permitting, our best route away from meat could well be to just eat more vegetables.

Tendril is a (mostly) vegan restaurant in Soho belonging to award-winning chef Rishim Sachdeva, who presents an innovative menu of largely vegan and plant-based dishes. Having worked at high profile restaurants like Chiltern Firehouse and The Fat Duck, Sachdeva isn’t afraid of a little invention, but this isn’t a place where gimmicks are at the expense of flavour. His is a kitchen that puts top-quality produce at the heart of every plate.

A long-time popup, Tendril has now secured a permanent bricks-and-mortar site right in the north east corner of Mayfair. Warm terracotta tones meet sleek blue tiling and midnight blue banquettes, punctuating a smart, fairly minimal space where Sachdeva's food does the talking.

Tendril offers a range of menus, and whilst you can order a la carte if you wish, most who visit the restaurant plump for the 'Discovery' menu, which features around seven courses including snacks and a dessert. Sachdeva's cooking takes inspiration from far and wide - at the time of writing the menu features dishes such as grilled mushroom parfait with chipotle chilli, pak choi with massaman dressing and coconut, a leek fritter with radish and curry leaf aioli, and an aubergine pitta with potato terrine. Dessert changes regularly, but Tendril's entirely vegan tiramisu already has already amassed a legion of fans.

Deliberately non-conformist, the food at Tendril doesn’t prescribe to one cuisine but instead is a focus on what chef Sachdeva himself loves to eat – a culmination of his time in both London and India and an output that he says he hopes is both imaginative and approachable. Likewise, it is not pigeon-holed by the need to be entirely vegan, though vegans are well-catered for and the team can tweak the menu to be suitable for vegans if necessary. 

The drinks menu features a short but sweet list of cocktails and house aperitifs, as well as kombuchas and a compact wine list.