Eating out as a vegetarian

With around 3% of the population fully vegetarian, and a further 2% abstaining from some elements of the carnivorous spectrum (either just eating fish, or avoiding red meat), vegetarians represent a significant proportion of a modern restaurant’s trade. Whereas eating out as a vegetarian 20 years ago generally meant having a meal “without the meat” and exposing yourself to the relentless “Oh dear, I can’t see any tofu on the menu!” jokes, nowadays it is de rigueur for any self respecting restaurateur to have a decent vegetarian section on their menu, and at least a couple of veggie options on the specials board.

Restaurant owners also report a rise in the proportion of vegetarian meals they are dishing up due – in part – to the fact that many non-veggies are now passing up meat dishes where they can’t be assured of where their meat has come from or (in the interests of global warming) how many food-miles it has covered.

So, with this in mind, you would expect that the quality of vegetarian food in our restaurants would have been on-the-up for the last few years… And in most instances this is the case, but to maximise your chances of having a good vegetarian experience, maybe have a think about:

• What type of restaurant are you heading out to? Although a Steak House may have vegetarian options: they probably won’t put as much love into these dishes as they do their signature menu. Equally, some vegetarian “pub fayre” can be a bit of a token gesture. Beware the vegetarian lasagne scrawled as an afterthought on the specials board!
• If you’re 100% meat free and are strict about ensuring that your Portobello mushrooms haven’t been anywhere remotely near the pork loins, then ask the waiter to mention to the chef that you’re strictly vegetarian. Cross-contamination on a “certified vegetarian dish” could be the end for a restaurant.
• Check for freshness. Like it or not, many meat dishes are plucked from the freezer when the time comes – and often taste great and you’re none the wiser. We can all taste the difference with a frozen bit of broccoli though… Check that the restaurant uses fresh veg, and – even better – check to see if it’s sourced locally.
• Go 100% veggie. Shaking off their basket-weaving and lentils image, many vegetarian restaurants are now recognised as being amongst the best. In fact, for the top-tier such as Brighton’s Terre a Terre or The Gate in London’s W6 you’ll need to book a table well in advance…
• Research. Find restaurants with favourable reviews from other customers. As with any “specialist” diner, vegetarians tend to have strong opinions on how their tastes are catered for, read restaurant reviews and take their advice.

Even if you’re not vegetarian, but are watching your cholesterol or cutting down on meat, then why not take on some proper vegetarian food? This week is National Vegetarian Week, so it’s a great time to broaden your culinary horizons and see that meat free doesn’t have to be taste free.

You may also like:

• Unusual restaurants in London (part 2)
• Some more great vegetarian restaurants
• Celebrating National Vegetarian Week at veggie restaurants
• The Restaurant Inspector (Series 1)