Vanilla Black

4.4 (1333)

£41 and over

Vegetarian / Vegan

17- 18 Tooks Court, London, EC4A 1LB

About this restaurant

Vegetarian-friendly
Innovative
Vegan-friendly

We decided to open our own vegetarian restaurant back in 2004. We set some standards for the food: no dish would rely on pasta, meat substitutes or heavy spicing.
We would create menus of unusual combinations and flavours which challenged the norms.

At the restaurant we serve a twist on traditional English and French classical dishes, reinvented as vegetarian food.
The fact that it is vegetarian is not the point; in fact it's neither here nor there. The dishes we create here are forward thinking, our food is challenging. It's different. Smashing stereotypes.
You don't even have to be vegetarian.

'Apologies in advance, no pasta bake or vegetable curry.'
We didn't think we would have to put that warning on our website, but we did.

Thank you for visiting Vanilla Black and we hope you enjoy dining with us.

Andrew, Donna and the team

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
Vegetarian / Vegan
Hours of operation
Mon–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Mon–Sat 6:00 pm–10:00 pm
Website
http://vanillablack.co.uk/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Andrew Dargue

Location
17- 18 Tooks Court, London, EC4A 1LB
Neighborhood
Chancery Lane
Parking details
There are meters in nearby streets but please check as availability is limited.
Public transit
Nearest tube station is Chancery Lane. Take exit 3 heading east, go past McDonalds and take the first turn on your right. Walk to the end of Furnival Street and turn right. Next right is Tooks Court.
Additional
Beer, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Chilled Carrot Soup, Passionfruit and Dill Oil
Goat's Curd and Pumpernickel
Sweet Potato and Puy Lentil 'Dhal'*
Crispy Lentils and Curry Oil
Iced and Charred Avocado with Olive Crumb
Olive Juice, Yogurt and Sumac
Smokey Aubergine, Flatbread and Green Harissa*
Labneh, Aged Garlic and Spiced Pistachio
Homemade Lemon Ricotta and Salted Mandarin
Leeks and Buckwheat
Cucumber, Sticky Rice and Ginger Purée*
Pickled Cucumber Ketchup and Seaweed

Mains

Fried Porridge, Wild Garlic and Broad Beans*
Raw Garlic Almond Milk, Chicory and Aged Garlic
Fried Shiitake, Pine Nut Purée and Crispy Cous Cous*
Marsala, Lemongrass Pickled Enoki and Pine Salt
Cauliflower Dumplings, Parsley and Walnut Crumb
Pickled Raisins and Roasted Cauliflower
Baked High Cross and Charred Spring Onions
Roasted Onion Purée, Sherry Vinegar and Button Onions
Tomato Shortbread, Sheep's Milk and Broccoli
Gem Lettuce and Egg Yolk
Smoked Egg, Black Sesame and Fried Gram Flour*
Peppercorn Crisp and Radish

Reviews

OpenTable reviews from verified diners

Reviews from people who have dined at Vanilla Black.

4.4

(1333)

4.4Food
4.5Service
4.2Ambience
3.9Value

Noise • Moderate

1,333 Reviews

PC
PhilipC
Yorkshire2 reviews
4.0
Dined on March 14, 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Lovely evening, great food, down to earth staff, great atmosphere.
Is this helpful?
F
Florence
Oxford1 review
5.0
Dined on March 13, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
*Such* delicious food and a really wonderful atmosphere - considering we had 5 'tasting' courses, all of which were also very decently sized, the value is great as well. Will definitely be back, thank you so so much !
Is this helpful?
DJ
DavidJ
London1 review
5.0
Dined on March 12, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fabulous. A must-visit for anyone who appreciates superb food.
Is this helpful?
B
Bigwally
London4 reviews
1.0
Dined on March 7, 2020
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
A hugely disappointing meal - much of it bordering, literally, on inedibel. Mad combinations of seemingly disperate and utterly mismatched elements. I got the feeling they were trying to go for a 'Heston Blumenthal' style inventiveness, but this resulted in unhinged dishes of tasteless strangeness! The wine flight was very average too.
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Angus1 review
4.0
Dined on March 7, 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
A nice restaurant. The staff are very friendly and the food was nice.
Is this helpful?
t
tanyac
London2 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 7, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent food from start to finish. It was a birthday celebration and was worth it
Is this helpful?
S
Sadiemac
N. Ireland2 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 7, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great vegetarian food done differently, really impressed
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
London29 reviews
4.0
Dined on March 7, 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Birthday meal out. Food ok, very dry, not a great choice on the menu. Not much on the plate, left disappointed.
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H
Harry
London73 reviews
4.0
Dined on March 5, 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
Great food, good service, was a bit quiet over the lunchtime. But not complaints really.
Is this helpful?
j
jg61
London3 reviews
3.0
Dined on February 29, 2020
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Some of the food was delicious tomato and basil mayo and a baby fennel dish. All on the ‘adventurous’ side and some downright weird eg cep mushroom fudge and a claggy egg yolk. Staff were friendly but hard to hear what they were saying because of the noise level.
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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
Vegetarian / Vegan
Hours of operation
Mon–Sat 12:00 pm–2:30 pm Mon–Sat 6:00 pm–10:00 pm
Website
http://vanillablack.co.uk/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Andrew Dargue

Location
17- 18 Tooks Court, London, EC4A 1LB
Neighborhood
Chancery Lane
Parking details
There are meters in nearby streets but please check as availability is limited.
Public transit
Nearest tube station is Chancery Lane. Take exit 3 heading east, go past McDonalds and take the first turn on your right. Walk to the end of Furnival Street and turn right. Next right is Tooks Court.
Additional
Beer, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

Vanilla Black

About this restaurant

Not available on OpenTable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Menu

Starters

Chilled Carrot Soup, Passionfruit and Dill Oil

Sweet Potato and Puy Lentil 'Dhal'*

Iced and Charred Avocado with Olive Crumb

Smokey Aubergine, Flatbread and Green Harissa*

Homemade Lemon Ricotta and Salted Mandarin

Cucumber, Sticky Rice and Ginger Purée*

Mains

Fried Porridge, Wild Garlic and Broad Beans*

Fried Shiitake, Pine Nut Purée and Crispy Cous Cous*

Cauliflower Dumplings, Parsley and Walnut Crumb

Baked High Cross and Charred Spring Onions

Tomato Shortbread, Sheep's Milk and Broccoli

Smoked Egg, Black Sesame and Fried Gram Flour*

Reviews

Additional information

Not available on OpenTable