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Vanilla Black in Bonga

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Vanilla Black in Bonga
4.3
50
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17-18 Took's Ct, Holborn, London EC4A 1LB, Bonga

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Description

Modern restaurant serving gourmet vegetarian dishes in an Art Deco-inspired dining room.

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Vanilla Black
DA
Denis Avdonin
05.16.2020
4

Upscale vegetarian restaurant. Nice food, friendly service. Not noisy, so good for a conversation over dinner.

Vanilla Black
DP
Don Pyke
03.15.2020
5

Truely delectable. Some great choices on the menu . Portion sizes small. Id been prepared. Pre dinner chips and an Ale at Mooshie.Not all vegan dishes but they do ask prior to ordering. A little quiet but probably just the times.

Vanilla Black
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Irena Savchenko
03.05.2020
3

Such great effort went into creating this amazing plant-based menu of pure sophistication… shame about the atmosphere and service. Our waitress was a little over-attentive with topping up our drinks and clearing the dishes, which made our dining experience here less relaxing than expected. The staff could benefit from being friendlier and smiling more.

Vanilla Black
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Alan Lau
03.02.2020
5

Top notch vegetarian restaurant with an interesting a la carte and tasting menu. I had the edamame ice cream starter and celeriac profiteroles main - things youd think more associated to desserts than savoury dishes. Id definitely go back again.

Vanilla Black
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Amber Good
02.11.2020
5

One of my favourite places in London. I don’t even know where to start. It’s a gem of a place tucked away. One gets the sense of quality from the exterior. Quality and old world charm. Years ago I used to feel as if I was stepping into someone’s house, a dear friend’s place as the ambience is just so tranquil and lovely. The service is great every time I have been. The menu changes every so often and the dishes are always so creative with intriguing combinations that surprise and delight. You really must try it. It’s the go to place for vegetarian and vegan food.

Vanilla Black
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Lex H
01.19.2020
3

The cauliflower dish was nice, but was extremely over priced and was a main course! I was disappointed with the portion size compared to the prices. The starter was 3 green beans!I also don’t feel as if the mixture of sweet and savoury works. The flavours are all just a bit odd. Don’t get me wrong I like to try different things but it just didn’t work in my opinion.I also felt as if I was sitting in my grandmas living room, it needs a decor update asap.I’ll give some stars for effort but the execution.. not so much.

Vanilla Black
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Luke Hallard
01.04.2020
5

Nice ambiance, great food, only minor comment is that it was a little chilly at the tables in the dining room by the entrance

Vanilla Black
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Andi Orlowski
12.23.2019
5

Simply the best vegetarian meal I have had in London! Wonderful selection a la carte as well as 2 tasting menus (one vegetarian and one vegan). Great staff and good value (although the white wine started at ~£60 a bottle).

Vanilla Black
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Edward Massey
11.17.2019
3

I would like to have enjoyed the excellent food I ate, an an apprehensive non-vegetarian I was pleasantly surprised by the dishes. Unfortunately the evening was let down by poor service, despite booking for 8:15 we were only seated at 8:35; without an apology. The service did not improve, when asked for our second bottle of wine, the server brought the wrong one and spent so long trying to find the wine we had ordered that by the time she found it we had finished our dishes. I wish I had had an enjoyable evening, as it was a special occasion, however the farcical service left such a sour taste I couldnt really enjoy the food.

Vanilla Black
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hannah l
11.06.2019
3

There is a good range of choice for vegetarians and vegans. But the dishes are not very complicated and are overpriced.Sorry to say that the spaghetti dessert had to be the worst dessert I had ever tried. The textures and tastes were awful and when the waitress scooped up our still full plates didnt even ask how it went. It would have been nice to be able to say this there and then. I wouldnt actually recommend this restaurant for its food.

Vanilla Black
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Fiona Kane
11.04.2019
5

OMG. I have just eaten here for the first time. Every mouthful was incredible. Each item was prepared with attention to the food, the presentation, waiting staff were friendly and fun to chat too.

Vanilla Black
Chloe
09.15.2019
2

Beautiful looking food but odd flavour mixes. I think one of my dishes was lemon silken tofu, toffee nuts with tomato sauce and shredded lettuce. It was not a pleasant combination.I left feeling sick and bloated from eating so many cold raw vegetables.For vegetarian fine dining I recommend Cafe Paridiso in Cork.

Vanilla Black
SJ
Santosh Joshi
08.28.2019
1

Ok not a Michelin restaurant in my opinion. Cant decide where to start, staff very nice but no knowledge of food or how its prepared. My guest asked what was a special on the menu, to which the answer was.. everything. Really! Then she ended up reading the entire menu for us, I have been to exclusive places (not michelinand often the chef or head staff have come around to explain special dishes and how they are cooked. Please invest in staff training. I was told one of the dishes is like pizza... mmm. Again really! Long story short, not going back. Very very very small portions..even the mains. Cant justify charging that sort of money for barely 2 inches of courgette with a drizzle of source and 2 crackers. Been to better vegetarian restaurants.

Vanilla Black
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Jannika Graham
08.23.2019
5

Our first michellin star restaurant experience, food was amazing and staff very attentive and friendly. The jalapeño jelly was the most amazing taste experience.

Vanilla Black
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Noa Resare
05.04.2019
4

Had the 5 course vegan tasting menu and nice Rioja. The food was well made, some of it felt more on the experimental side and some of it was really tasty. I especially liked the cauliflower course. I was expecting more from the service, where the logistics getting everything on and off the table was surprisingly disruptive compared with other fine dining experiences in the price range. There was also a bit of a language barrier asking about the ingredients in some of the courses.

Vanilla Black
JR
Joel Resare
05.04.2019
3

I did the vegan tasting menu. The food was interesting and made good use of their produce. The food was definitely the strongest part of the experience. The staff was friendly but felt more like friendly pub staff than the fine dining tear the resturant aims for but not quite get to. Instead of explaining the food for the table they repeated the name from the menu for each person at the table. The table wear felt partly dated as well as the decor. But everyone was friendly and if someone is new to fine dining and want a stepping stone from a budget vegan restaurant experience this might be an excellent choice. Good wine selection with their vegan options clearly marked.

Vanilla Black
hiDunno123
03.30.2019
5

Great experience as a meat eater very friendly staff and all knew what they are doing great ! Would recommend.

Vanilla Black
KS
Ketan Shah
03.28.2019
5

Loved the vegan options. Fantastic food.

Vanilla Black
Av
Anton von Borries
03.03.2019
5

We went recently for the vegetarian tasting menu with wine pairing. The food was excellent with so many interesting flavours and the paired wines lovely. Even though the restaurant was busy it had a nice atmosphere with a gentle buzz. Well definitely be back!

Vanilla Black
CJ
Chris Jones
03.02.2019
3

We went here for my wifes birthday treat. had the 5-course vegetarian tasting menu with wine pairing. The food was generally excellent, a couple of items perhaps over-salted.The front of house lady was very friendly and attentive. Most disappointing were the waiting staff. When I have done tasting menus/wine pairing in other restaurants you usually get a nice introduction to the food and wine. This was often lacking. One member of staff basically just slammed the dishes in front of us and that was it! For some courses the wine didnt arrive with dishes, we had to ask!! The wine description was just a "red rioja...from Spain"...Thanks!

Vanilla Black
KK
Kayshini Khan
03.01.2019
5

Had a wonderful Valentine’s Day meal here. Very interesting ingredients and flavours used.

Vanilla Black
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Jannat Shah
02.03.2019
4

Very much enjoyed our meal here. As a born Asian vegetarian I found some of the dishes a bit bland hence not 5* but the menu did provide great selection overall. The liquorice panna cotta was the star dish, simply excellent! I would come here again to try other dishes on the menu or perhaps do more of a taster session.

Vanilla Black
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Rono Stinnett
01.29.2019
4

A vegetarian/vegan restaurant done very well. Yes the portions are on the small side but, you don’t come to this restaurant for gorging on huge quantities of food. The quality of the food, the service and the prices are indicative of a Michlin recommended restaurant. The prices for their prefix menus are actually not bad. Would definitely go again.

Vanilla Black
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Rachel Wilkie
01.28.2019
5

One of the best fine-dining meals Ive ever eaten - and all vegetarian. Great value on the set lunch menu. Book ahead and get the vegan banana/toffee dessert!

Vanilla Black
DM
Devante Malone
12.23.2018
5

The food is absolutely amazing, the plating skills are top tier. The staff is attentive and definitely add to the whole dining experience. The drinks are put together well and my mocktail was one of the best. We had a really good evening and definitely return. Goodluck next year with gaining your star!

Vanilla Black
IT
Inderveer Tatla
12.17.2018
5

Superb vegan food! Visually appealing and incredibly moreish. The turmeric cake was exquisite 👌🏽 we enjoyed a glass of English sparkling and 3-course meal from the lunch menu - around £40 each. Highly recommend!

Vanilla Black
EB
Eithne Bryan Yoga
11.06.2018
5

Always have a wonderful time at vanilla black. The staff are incredible and the food is delightful. Not your ordinary fried vegan food, there is so much effort and detail put onto every plate!

Vanilla Black
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dwayne ramsey
10.04.2018
5

Went there for my Birthday during the set lunch menu, £21 for a two course and £28 for a three course, small portions but the quality of the food is amazing, the service was impeccable no complaints at all. The dish make you think, one of the starters was cucumber pickle (there was more but I cant remember the full descriptionand something that resemble and fish finger texture and taste was similar but wasnt fish, the main course was mushroom main, tasted very similar to eggs and bacon but obviously is wasnt. The dessert was a Toffe apple effectively broken down into individual parts. I liked it a lot, they also put happy birthday as a surprise. I definitely would recommend again for vegetarians and vegans.

Vanilla Black
Pete
09.04.2018
3

We had the 5 course vegan meal, some very imaginative flavour pairings but overall it didnt quite work and was below par for what I was expecting, quite expensive too.Enjoyable and good service but probably wouldnt go again.

Vanilla Black
KL
Karlson Lau
09.02.2018
3

Had the vegan set menu 5 courses for £55 which is good value for fine dining.Staff were very nice and professional explaining the menu and the dish. The concept for each dish was really good, presentation also amazing. But the taste unfortunately did not deliver. The first course was my favourite - sticky rice, cucumber and ginger puree. The rest of the dishes though intersting the taste was nothing special.The dessert - coconut sorbet and coffee cake was really good.Although the portions were really small and was still a bit hungry afterwards!

Vanilla Black
Koke
08.11.2018
3

Its hard reviewing a fine dining vegetarian restaurant as a person who loves meat. We thought we would try the scene as its different to just having Indian or Lebanese vegetarian food.I have to say we were pleasantly surprised with the experimental dishes but not everything worked. The Jerusalem Artichoke starter is fantastic, nuts considering I really dont like artichokes. The beetroot starter was not very good as it was mainly beetroot, no savoury at all and very sweet.Mains were ok, nothing to write home about. We had the slow cooked egg which was OK, but tiny. The barley starter was good and substantial but again a little weird in texture. The shitake mushroom main was good but lacking a sauce to tie it all together.The desserts are to die for!! We had the brownie and the coconut desserts. Absolutely lovely! Rich, esp the brownie. The coconut dessert was so good, but small. Would be better with two scoops.Cocktails are also very good, we had the apple and elderflower with gin, one of the best cocktails Ive tasted.Service was really good and in the most; friendly. Lovely staff and welcoming and understanding.Overall, great experience but not sure wed rush back for the mains, definitely for the starters and desserts!

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AV
Audrey Vincent
08.03.2018
5

Had the 5 courses Vegan menu. Cant fault it. The food was divine, the service was excellent and all executed in a timely manner.

Vanilla Black
CM
Chris McGlynn
07.30.2018
3

So I think its worth starting out with saying that this is 3 stars against my expectations of what the food would be like. Great to go to a nicer vegetarian restaurant, but honestly? I was disappointed! The smaller portions werent balanced out by bigger flavours. It was all fine I guess and some nice approaches and textures, but it just didnt jump out as much as Id hoped. There are better vegetarian restaurants in London by some distance.

Vanilla Black
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Carly Staples
07.24.2018
5

Wonderful restaurant. I had such a fantastic meal here. My non veggie friend was delighted with the food too. We had a tasting menu, which was filling. But I was still able to move after! All five dishes were delicious and beautifully presented. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere and was very clean and well presented.Definitely will be returning here.

Vanilla Black
SB
Shannon Bushell
07.21.2018
5

Beautiful vegetarian/vegan restaurant, high class service, incredible food

Vanilla Black
NA
Nazia Ahmad
07.08.2018
5

delicious vegetarian (vegan optionsfood, lovely staff & free Bread :)Star dishes probably was the beetroot start. Well worth a try

Vanilla Black
CC
Cláudio Cardoso
06.17.2018
4

I like the fact that there’s restaurants working on full vegetarian menus, consistent sourced and looking after the different diets. My own opinion is that it’s not cheap, considering what’s served. Never the less, was a happy surprise!

Vanilla Black
BG
Beatriz Garrido
06.01.2018
4

I was quiet worried as a no vegetarian to leave this restaurant still hungry... I couldn’t be more mistaken. Fully vegetarian with gluten free and vegan options in their menu, the imagination of this chef is surprisingly delicious and fulfilling.I can only find a problem... ain’t cheap! But is GOOD!Apparently they were rumours about getting or having a Michelin star... I can picture that easily.We had 5 courses tasting menu and discovered amazing gems like the mushroom truffle.The staff is young and energetic maybe a bit too much sometimes but the service always polite and friendly. They know what they are talking about.

Vanilla Black
MB
Miki Bartley
05.05.2018
5

Light and pretty dishes. The menu is limited, but flexible. One of us was very picky and didnt fancy anything from the menu, andthe chef made special salad for her. Very appreciated. The waiting staff was very helpful to liaise with the kitchen. Highly recommended. Great value lunch set menu. Enjoyed mushroom dish.

Vanilla Black
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David Holmes
04.23.2018
4

Upmarket vegetarian/vegan restaurant. Nice atmosphere and staff were friendly. Small but very tasty dishes, nicely presented. £21ish for the 2 course lunch wasnt bad. Great range of vegan options

Vanilla Black
neverendingchocolate
03.28.2018
5

Highly recommended. Possibly the best vegetarian food I’ve ever tasted, absolutely beautiful (and that’s coming from a non-vegetarian!). Desserts are adventurous and unique. I hear people complain about portion sizes but I thought they are fine, I came out feeling very full after a main and dessert and some wine. Lovely staff and outstanding service, stunning decor, very romantic. It’s not cheap but definitely worth the trip!A very special place to visit.

Vanilla Black
CM
Christy Morgan
03.22.2018
4

We quite enjoyed our experience. Great service and cozy vibe. The food was really good and with the free bread I wasn’t left starving after like some people have remarked. They lose a star because the price really isn’t appropriate for the size of portions. I’m a chef so I know what it takes to make such creative and elegant food and it’s still overpriced. Probably is a place I would go once a year for a special occasion.

Vanilla Black
ZD
Zachary Decent
03.14.2018
4

Rumoured to be Michellin star worthy, the service here is certain to be attentive and quick. The wait staff move quickly and effortlessly, whilst still being friendly and sharing a little humour as they go - even with our big group with complex orders. They are especially good at the personal touch, remembering your preferences and preempting your requests.Its vegetarian food only (theres a vegan and gluten free menu tooso the creativity of the food is really stretched, but delivered every time on our visit. The portion sizes are small and artistic, but bursting with flavour and fairly priced too. The menu changes regularly, but Im told delivers quality consistently.What cost it a fifth star for me is the lack of atmosphere (a little quiet and dull), the iffy wine selection, and the inconsistency of some of the staff members. The location also isnt ideal, quite tucked away between buildings.Overall Id recommend it to a vegetarian looking for a nice restaurant in the city. It was interesting and delivers on its premise (vegetarian high diningbut I wouldnt be in a rush to return.

Vanilla Black
CL
C L
12.21.2017
2

We tried two different taste menu. It’s vegan/vegetarian but strangely very salty with heavy sauce, can’t feel the natural taste of veg itself, all covered by heavy seasoning. The staff’s attitude also a bit funny. Quite disappointed.

Vanilla Black
DS
Dripto Sarkar
10.23.2017
5

Superb dining experience - food is excellent, quite a visual treat as well. They have vegetarian/vegan/wheat-free options and quite a nice selection of wines and cocktails on the menu. Will be back for sure. They were very kind to present a beautifully decorated "Happy Birthday" plate for the good wife. Small gestures go a long way in customer satisfaction.

Vanilla Black
Stefan
08.26.2017
5

A lovely vegetarian restaurant with interesting menu, exciting flavours and agreeable prices. Warmly recommend giving it a go, even is you love your meat

Vanilla Black
Cais
08.02.2017
1

The worse service Ive had in London. They insisted that our gluten intolerant friend had to have the standard menu with us otherwise none of us could have it, despite there being a gluten free menu too. The only option they presented was that he move to another table.

Vanilla Black
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Ohad Alon
07.19.2017
5

Delicious gourmet vegetarian and Vegan dishes. Michelin Star presentation and quality.

Vanilla Black
MR
Mark Rich
07.17.2017
5

Absolutely lovely. The food was delicious - some wonderful taste pairings (the carrot soup was lush and the poached pear desert was amazing!and the staff couldnt have been friendlier. Not huge portions (in answer to some of the criticismsbut I certainly didnt leave feeling Id been short changed. Will definitely be back, and would strongly recommend you visit!

Vanilla Black
TL
Tom Loake
05.13.2017
3

Innovative and delicious vegetarian/vegan food. Really pushes the boundaries of this sort of cuisine. That said, the portions need to be larger. We left after three courses craving something filling. Sort that out and the place is on to a winner

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4.3
50
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Vanilla Black in Bonga

17-18 Took's Ct, Holborn, London EC4A 1LB, Bonga

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