C2S Goes Vegan...with a tasting menu!

I am happy to admit (without guilt) that I am a meat lover. I love my meat! The contemplation of forgoing tender sweet white meats and earthy, rustic, juicy red meats for the rest of my life is unfeasible to my palate. That is not to say that I don't like my vegetables, I love them, but ask me to choose between them, aaah...I cannot!

So it was quite a surprise to me when I was doing some dinner research and checking out a particular restaurant's menu where I find myself being more intrigued and excited over its Vegan Tasting Menu. This is not even vegetarian, it is Vegan! I found myself going "boring" when browsing the a la carte options and its standard tasting menu. Who would have thought!

So it was to be my first vegan tasting menu experience and it was in Cape Town.

We started with a platter of breads and dips.

Salad of raw, pickled and roasted winter vegetables, toasted pine nuts and rosemary agave vinaigrette

It was like a vibrant colourful painting and who would have thought of using broccoli flowers as a decoration. I really like the trio method of vegetables being served as each produces a different flavour and texture. The pine nuts just added that extra elevation and I was thoroughly enjoying this.

Sesame roasted shiitake mushrooms, rooibos and orange glazed butternut, sesame seed butter and bokchoy

I was less enamoured by the second course as the bok choy just doesn't seem to harmonise with the shiitake mushrooms and butternut. Each component were too individualistic.

Sweet potato lasagna, espresso balsamic reduction

The sweet potato lasagna was truly an eye opener. I was expecting thick doughy pasta sheets but what I got were see-through thin slices of pasta sheets that was just so light and delicate which went really well with the sweet-rich depth of the sweet potatoes. The addition of the espresso balsamic reduction was just sublime.

Winter melon and lime sorbet

What I discover with a Vegan Tasting Menu is that my tummy did not feel heavy and while a palate cleanser in the form of winter melon and lime sorbet was warmly accepted, you don't really need it as much.

Lemon-scented spiced quinoa pilau, roasted macadamia nuts, green apple and ginger

See the green apples perched like a fan on the side, they were absolutely delicious. Crunchy, tart, acidic and sweet all at the same time. I have never had green apples like that before. Such a shame that there were only two slices, I could and would have eaten an entire bowl of it. They were the clear stand-outs in this lemon-scented spiced quinoa pilau.

Salted caramel tartlet with caramelized banana and pecan nut brittle

I go crazy with salted caramel things and the salted caramel tartlet was a nice finish to conclude the tasting menu. It was what tipped me over and filled me up.

I was wonderfully surprised with the creativity of the vegan tasting menu and it still filled me up and left me feeling satisfied even without the presence of meat. I really did enjoy this and at R350, a worthy consideration.

Signal Restaurant, Cape Grace Hotel, Cape Town Waterfront, South Africa

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Hiltl, Zurich

Hiltl, the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Europe. This is an interesting bit of history and definitely worth coming to see and eat if you're in Zurich. I half expected a traditional timber house where I can let my imagination sink back in time to how it was like years ago but what I got was a spruced up interior and modern vibe.

After some confusion, we realised that this restaurant is split into two types of service. You can come in for a formal dining experience where you order from the menu and it is cooked in this nice and neat kitchen shown in the photo above (bottom left). Or you can let your eyes guide you to the array of food available on their buffet section. Take your plate, fill it up, bring it to the counter area to be weigh and paid. Then saunter to any available table to indulge. We sat on the second floor.

It sort of feels like a more upmarket food court type area intertwined with those having their a la carte choices!

The choices are numerous. You can come anytime for even just a snack, healthy break or all day breakfast veggie style!

This is my plate and it was a mix of fresh vegetables, tofu in sweet and sour sauce and others. Rice, quinoa and pasta. It's fun to be able to have a bit of everything and it was certainly delicious as you can tell by my foodie companion who already digged in which left me not able to take a picture of it.

It's worth coming and eat at least once. Whether it is for its historical value or it is genuinely yummy vegetarian meal even though it is a little expensive but that is Switzerland for you!

Hiltl

Sihlstrasse 28

http://hiltl.ch/

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