Renowned vegan chef Rishim Sachdeva has opened the much anticipated permanent restaurant home for his plant-first Tendril brand in Mayfair.
I was kindly invited to take a look and experience this gastronomical adventure first hand, and as a non vegan myself I can assure you that this is everything you would want from vegan cuisine, if not more.
About Rishim Sachdeva
Rishim Sachdeva is renowned for his creative, flavoursome plant-first dishes, with the menu at Tendril focussing on fresh, seasonal produce, and taking inspiration from Rishim’s enviable restaurant kitchen experience in both London and India, as well as the food he likes to eat at home.
Rishim is clear he doesn’t want to appear preachy or forceful about plant-based food, but he is very much committed to bringing his creative vegan dishes to a wider audience with Tendril. In his own words, “At the end of the day, it’s just really tasty and wholesome food. It just happens to be made using only plant-based ingredients. I’ve worked hard as a chef for the last 18 years, learning from everyone around me, and found what I liked and now I would love to grow the Tendril brand ethos around that here in London”
At first glance
At first glance, the setting of Tendril is simply breathtaking. Opting for a minimalist aesthetic with green furnishings, the atmosphere is serene and inviting – a haven in London’s most populated and bustling neighbourhood. We were swiftly invited in by welcoming and attentive staff, who really went above and beyond to ensure that we were comfortable and making the most of this lavish experience.
The (mostly) vegan offerings
Tendril’s ethos is to showcase what’s possible in plant-first food, meaning no fake meat or processed ‘plant based’ ingredients – just incredible plants, grown by real people, and sourced as close to the restaurant as possible.
Their menu is extensive and offers a broad range of plant-first dishes perfectly curated by chef Rishim himself, aiming to elevate (mostly) vegan cuisine into the fine dining sphere. Highlights from their a la carte menu include crispy leek, with smoked potato salad & curry leaf aioli, Grilled cabbage with heritage carrots, homemade XO sauce & winter ferments, Beetroot ‘nduja parfait, with steamed rice cakes & nigella seed crumbs and summer squash, white polenta, basil puree & crispy samphire.
Though as impressive as the A la carte menu was, my partner and I opted for the ‘Discovery’ set brunch menu, a great example of the good value Rishim has become known for. Starting with a sharing platter of grilled mushroom parfait, seasoned with chipotle and positively to die for (a high praise coming from a non mushroom lover), and a delectable white bean spread with chilli garlic tahini – both were accompanied by a generous portion of fresh farmhouse sourdough and were a promising start to our experience!
We moved onto the “Chinatown” purple potatoes garnished with sticky soy – an explosion of colour and flavours – and baked brie with truffle toast that truly melted in our mouths. At this point, though already verging on full, we were offered a perfectly crisp spiced radish leek fritter served with curry leaf aioli – which was my partner’s favourite dish of the day – and then our main (!) course of Aubergine “sabich” including aioli, pitta, potato terrine Apple and fennel salad which was my personal highlight of the entire culinary experience.
To finish, though at this point this was definitely not needed, was the highly celebrated dessert of the day – their infamous Tendril Tiramisu.
Wine and Drinks Pairings
The all-vegan wine list is sourced from European producers with a focus on low-intervention bottles, with wine on tap and a rotating selection of sustainable wines; working with suppliers such as Basket Press, Graft and Sustainable Wines. My partner and I opted for a glass of perfectly chilled Cotes de Gascogne Rosé before moving on to their concise yet confident cocktail list developed using some of the ingredients used in the Tendril kitchen. I chose “Today’s kitchen cocktail” which was a house signature ‘Smoky Tendril Margarita’, made with house jalapeño syrup & smoked salt, whereas my partner went for the ‘Head in the Clouds’ – a gin based ever-leaf forest and grapefruit drink served with hibiscus tonic.
The drinks list includes full strength, low and no alcohol cocktails utilising produce and techniques from the kitchen, alongside kombucha and drinking vinegars.
To discover more, visit: tendrilkitchen.co.uk
View this post on Instagram
All imagery courtesy of Tendril Kitchen.