Vegan Fine-Dining Around the World

I have enjoyed all kinds of vegan food from around the world, from street food in Thailand to food trucks in Florida to cafes in Poland. I’ve enjoyed curries from India, Thailand and Malaysia, eaten loaded baked potatoes in Istanbul, chips in Dublin, poutine in Canada and Christmas fries in New Mexico. I love the bagels in New York, the big soft pretzels in Berlin, dosa in Kuala Lumpur, naan in Kathmandu, Indian fry bread in Taos, corn tortillas in the Yucatán, pitas in Bethlehem and baguettes in Brugge.

I’ve enjoyed ayvar of Croatia and pickled everything in Spreewald. I tried spinach coxinhas in Rio de Janeiro and spinach burek in Ljubljana. I’ve had koshari in Cairo, falafel in Tel Aviv, tacos in Merida, gazpacho in Spain, pad Thai in Bangkok and lumpia in Manila. I found vegan haggis samosas in Edinburgh (what a rare find), dumplings in Beijing, pierogies in Warsaw, momos in Lhasa and pupusas in Guatemala.

It was only recently, however, that I started to be interested in vegan fine-dining. I have become interested to see what top-notch chefs can do with the vast array of plant-based ingredients around the world.

My parents introduced me at a very young age to fine art. My favorites usually involved vivid colors, such as the Impressionist masters of Renoir and Monet. And as long as I can remember, I’ve also been fascinated by language and how it pertains to culture. I came to learn that each language presents a unique perspective of world. I believe it was perhaps these areas of interest that eventually lured me into fine-dining, an international-inspired gastronomical experience, an art form in its own right.

Kopps – Berlin, Germany

Situated in Berlin’s Mitte neighborhood, Kopps offers vegan prix-fixe menus that change with each season and focus on organic locally grown ingredients. Dining at Kopps was my very first experience with a prix-fixe menu and little did I know then that this event would launch an entirely new interest for me – vegan fine-dining.

I opted for the 4-course meal (so without the soup course). The meal began with a very colorful hors-d’oeuvre reminding me that the art of fine-dining includes a very important visual component.

Course One: Vorspeise (Appetizer)

The first course consisted of grilled watermelon with a wild herb salad, lupine cream and English mustard. This was the first time I tried grilled watermelon and I liked it very much. I thought the freshness of the greens atop this dish provided not only a beautiful aesthetic, but also a nice balance to the softness of the watermelon. The smoothness of the lupine cream mixed well with the sharpness of the English mustard.

Course Two: Zwischengang (Intermediate Course)

Next, came eggplant risotto with preserved bell pepper, eggplant caviar and rosemary. This dish was quite filling and hearty. It’s hard to dress up risotto, but Kopps managed to do so quite well with the bold colors of the red and orange bell peppers and the bright fuchsia of the eggplant caviar.

Course Three: Hauptgang (Main Course)

The most “Impressionist” dish in terms of vivid colors was the main course consisting of a steak of celery with creamy polenta, carrots, passion fruit, sugar snaps and sesame chips. This plate was my favorite of the evening. The crispiness of fresh vegetables balanced the creaminess of the polenta to perfection. I never would have thought to add passion fruit to this dish, but it was a very wise choice indeed.

Course Four: Dessert

I was very much looking forward to the dessert: three kinds of elderflower in chilled soup with panna cotta and sorbet. A huge fan of elderflowers, I always jump at the chance to try a new way to enjoy these aromatic plants. This dessert was not overly sweet and the chef did a great job in highlighting the elderflowers without overpowering the dish with unnecessary sweetness. What a great way to complete my first fine-dining experience!

Ka Papa – Sarasota, Florida, USA

My second experience with vegan fine-dining took me to Sarasota, Florida, USA. Coupled with an opera performance at the Sarasota Opera, dinner at Ka Papa set the perfect upscale tone for date night. My girlfriend Chrissy and I took a peek at the menu ahead of time to make our decision effortless. I must say that choosing among incredibly- sounding options was not an easy feat and, for at least, required some extra time.

Between the two of us, we were able to sample quite a few menu items. For appetizers, I settled on the baked feta with watermelon and fresh rosemary. Chrissy ordered the “shitake escargots” in white wine with warm lime-garlic-NOOCH* ‘Butter’. For those who might not know, Nooch is a slang term (that is known by vegans everywhere) for nutritional yeast, which has a nutty cheezy flavor and it’s a great source of B12.

What a great way to start our meal! We were blown away by each flavorful dish. The baked feta with was rich, yet light, and the crispness of the watermelon complimented it very well. The escargot was incredible with its rich earthy flavors. Both dishes easily melted in our mouths.

I simply had to try the spicy orange butternut soup. Chrissy was curious about the grilled ‘Caesar’ salad with crispy croutons, ‘Caesar’ dressing, ‘parmesan’ and grape tomatoes. Again, both dishes did not disappoint. The presentation alone, was something to behold. I loved the smoothness and combination of flavors of the soup and Chrissy really liked the textures and freshness of the salad.

By this point in the dinner, we had high expectations for the main course. I was excited to try the summer squash noodles with lemon-Alfredo sauce (made with cashews), lemon arugula and fresh green peas. Chrissy ordered the pan roasted mushrooms with fine broccoli mash and tomato salsa. The mushrooms used in this dish were organic Petrichor mushrooms, which are grown in Florida.

Our dishes absolutely met our newly-high standards. I loved the texture of my dish and the freshness of all its ingredients. Each flavor hit my palette at a different time, making each bite a wonderful experience. Chrissy felt the same about her dish, enjoying the bold flavors of the mushrooms, the creaminess of the broccoli mash and the tanginess of the salsa. She was sure to combine all three with every bite giving it the perfect blend of intended flavors.

Did we have room for dessert? Because each dish wasn’t overly filling, we did have some room. Not much, but some. Besides, we couldn’t go away without trying one of Ka Papa’s desserts. We decided to share their cake of the night which happened to be a chocolate cake. What a decedent way to end the evening! I was also intrigued by the cast iron cookie with extra creamy homemade vanilla custard. I think I will try that the next time I’m in Sarasota.

Ka Papa was everything I had hoped it would be. Chrissy and I enjoyed our meal in the breezeway in very comfortable chairs – the kind you can sink down into. The decor was simple and elegant and I really liked that there was a mirror at our table. I don’t believe I had ever seen this before and I liked it. We left Ka Papa feeling pleasantly satiated and drove to Sarasota’s elegant opera house, knowing that we would return.

Gauthier – London, England

While traveling in England for the first time, I could not resist the opportunity to enjoy vegan fine-dining at Gauthier. This upscale French restaurant, in the heart of London’s Soho district, is housed inside a townhouse. It is this familiarity perhaps, coupled with friendliness and attentiveness of the staff, that caused me to feel at home. The surroundings of Gauthier seemed understated and elegant. The white walls and white tablecloths made me feel like I was part of a canvas that was about to experience art. The unassuming ambience gave me the impression of “let the food speak for itself”.

Gauthier offers two prix fixe menus that change with each season. At 5pm the petit dîner in on offer and at 7:30pm the grand dîner experience begins. I had reserved a spot for the full menu, which included ten courses. While reviewing the table d’hôte online ahead of time, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw “vegan for the animals” at the very bottom of the menu.

Course One

The first item to reach my table was a shot of chilled watercress broth designed to refresh the palette, no doubt preparing it for the array of dishes to come. The rich green liquid arrived in a cloud of dry ice. What a way to start the evening!

The second half of the first entree was a potato vol au vent canapé topped with kelp caviar. This dish consisted of mille-feuille pastry (which translates to 1000 layers) with potato beaujolais and potato cream. The kelp caviar was made from agar agar and charcoal. I found this adorable single bite rich and creamy and it quite literally melted in my mouth.

Course Two

The second course also consisted of two parts: wild garlic and rocket focaccia aigo boulido (boiled garlic). I found the focaccia, which was served on a bed of polished stones, soaked with flavor. The softness of this dish balanced nicely with the crispiness of the reindeer moss, which my waiter David informed me came from the English countryside. I overheard him reassure patrons at neighboring tables that it was indeed edible, perhaps anticipating some concern. These two dishes complimented each other nicely.

Course Three

Before the third course was served, the waitstaff brought cutlery for the first time. The waiter brought the confit Jerusalem artichoke and artichoke crisps to the table before pouring the artichoke and black truffle velouté over the dish. He then proceeded to shave black truffle onto the plate. I was told that all parts of the artichoke was used, giving it the “fizzy” sensation. This dish was topped with slivered almonds.

This course was sensational! The layers of flavor of this dish systematically unfolded against my palette. The crisp almonds pared perfectly with the rich creaminess and earthy flavor. If I could have, I would have licked the bowl.

Course Four

The fourth course consisted of early season British green asparagus with miso hollandaise and sesame seeds. In contrast to the previous dish, I found this course quite colorful with the yellow of the sauce adorning the bright green asparagus. Again, this dish exhibited a great mix of flavors. My mouth first experienced the sweetness and the slight crunch of the perfectly cooked asparagus followed by a slightly sour lemon flavor of the hollandaise, made with tahini and miso. No taste overpowered; instead the sweet ushered in the sour. My taste buds personally thanked me for this one!

Course Five

The fifth course was the most colorful of the night with its tender pearl barley, buttered peas, broad and runner beans, preserved lemon and flaked almond. The barley, which was perfectly al dente, was cooked in risotto style. Again, the flavors seemed to roll out systematically, and I opine that it was the preserved lemon that really made this dish work so well. I also enjoyed the mix of cooked and raw ingredients, as well as the smokiness of the flaked almonds. Definitely a dish to write home about.

Course Six

Course six included young alexanders stem with pistachio and light aniseed royale and jus de legumes. The most interesting ingredient in this dish was without a doubt the alexanders stem, which was once highly valued in northern Europe as an early vegetable due to its readiness at early as February or March. I was told that this wild-growing plant in course six was local and having been only recently harvested from the English countryside. While the waiter compared its flavor to Japanese fennel, some claim it to be an intermediate in flavor between celery and parsley.

I loved the uniqueness of this dish, certainly the most experimental on the menu. The creamy pistachio and light aniseed royale was nothing short of mouth-watering. The initial taste was sweet that led to the rich pistachio flavor, making the dish quite dimensional. I would be quite happy to experience this dish again.

Course Seven

Course seven consisted of white asparagus and calcot onion and stewed morels (considered a foraging mushroom) and creamed sauce topped with a long palmito (heart of palm). The base of this dish was a gelled duxelles, the sauce included cream of mushroom with smoked tofu and it was topped with a branch of puff pastry. The waiter told me that the combination of white asparagus and morel mushrooms is quite common in French cuisine as they both are harvested at the same time of year – spring.

Not surprisingly, this course was very hearty with earthy flavors, but was my least favorite on the menu. Despite what I am certain to be a lot of effort that went into this dish, I found the puff pastry didn’t add anything to this dish, as it was flavorless, other than texture. Although this dish grew on me during consumption, I found the asparagus what challenging to cut and I was left with an unpleasant aftertaste, which might have originated from the gelled duxelles.

Course Eight

The eighth course was perhaps the most interesting-looking. This dish was a vegan version of petit pois a la Française. Gauthier’s take on this common French dish included vegan parmesan, pickled onion, charred cos lettuce and smoked granite, which was added at the table. What an interesting mix of flavors! I very much enjoying the chilled peas as well as the texture of the cos lettuce.

I quite enjoyed this dish, but I couldn’t help but feel that patrons who were familiar with the meat version of the dish might get even more enjoyment out of it. For me the smoky flavor dominated, but most likely because it was unfamiliar, whereas others might be more adapted to enjoy the combination of flavors.

Course Nine

The pre-dessert course was a rhubarb float with pomegranate spritz and was designed to refresh the palette. The red spritz was added at the table. I loved this dish and found it very refreshing indeed! I first tasted sweet, then the slight sourness of the rhubarb – just what was needed at this point in the meal.

Course Ten

The final course was the most surprising of the evening. This dish was a dark chocolate tart with a chocolate genoise filled with black olives and kalamata olive oil. The dish included tonka beans and crystallized shards of vegan chocolate, which was made with oat milk.

Never in a million years would I have expected black olives to work in this hearty dessert (or with chocolate in general) and yet it very much did! What a great way to end the evening, with a truly successful invention.

What an amazing gastronomical experience! Not only was each dish well composed, but also the entire evening was very well-orchestrated. And what a performance! My three hour gastronomical experience was a highlight of my trip to England. If you find yourself in London, do not miss the opportunity to dine at Gauthier Soho. And be sure to book early! This culinary treat is understandable quite popular!

Elizabeth’s Gone Raw – Washington, DC, USA

The next opportunity I had to experience vegan fine-dining was at Elizabeth’s Gone Raw in the capital city of my home country. I had just enjoyed exploring the Planet Word Museum and was very excited to try out this upscale vegan restaurant housed in only minutes away in a beautiful two-story townhouse.

The atmosphere was chic, friendly and elegant. The wait staff was professional and I was impressed that the owner, Elizabeth herself, was sure to make it to all the tables to introduce herself and to inquire if everything was to our satisfaction. This personal touch made me feel very welcome.

First course: Amuse

Elizabeth’s fine-dining experience began with an amuse-bouche: a seaweed tuna tartare & cutlet and watercress carrot top tartlet. The seaweed tuna tartare was made of wasabi and avocado mousseline, ginger-nama shoyu and micro-cilantro. The “tuna” consisted of konjac (a root vegetable found in east and southeast Asia), algae oil and algae stock. The waitress told me quite an interesting fact about this dish: flamingos actually get their pink coloring because they eat the shrimp who dine on the type of algae featured in this tartare. The shell that cupped all the ingredients was made of tapioca and rice.

The second appetizer, the watercress carrot top tartlet consisted of smoked creme fraiche, yuzu pearls, dill and hydroponic watercress. The shell was made using wakame (a type of kelp) and carrot tops. Both of these tartlets did indeed amuse the mouth, as a variety of flavors woke up my taste buds.

Second Course: Soup

I very much enjoy chilled soups in general, so I was excited to try Elizabeth’s second course: chilled purple cabbage soup, consisting of a kohlrabi dumpling, dijon parmesan quenelle, and einkorn crisp. The outside of the dumpling is made by cold-pressing kohlrabi that was marinated in pine needle oil. The filling includes anise, yellow chartreuse and baby spinach that was marinated in tarragon oil and anise seed. The waitress poured the beautiful purple cabbage broth at the table, creating quite a colorful, not to mention flavorful, second course.

Course Three: Appetizer

I again delighted in the colors of the third course: deconstructed yellow beets. This dish involves a roasted nut trio (pistacho, cashew and hazelnuts), ginger crisp and verbena marinated apples, horseradish foam and sunflower seeds. The beets were infused with sea buckthorn, ginger and lemongrass. Due to the quickly dissipating flavors and aromas of this course, I was encouraged not to hesitate before digging in.

Course Four: Intermezzo

To cleanse the palette, I was brought a very refreshing red currant sorbet. The red currants were cooked with agave and lemon juice and the foam, upon which the sorbert rested, was made with lentil milk, celery and golden and red delicious apples. Again, my taste buds felt alive!

Course Five: Main

The main course was so much fun! Grilled European sunchokes were presented as a “garden party” with mini vegetables actually planted in the dirt (crispy black quinoa). This dish also included garlic fried enoki mushrooms, black truffle and black beldi olive paper. The sauce was a vicchyssoise, made with lentil cream, leeks, garlic, onion and fermented purple potatoes. The most creative course of the evening, this dish naturally embraced earthiness, visually and in flavor. I loved it!

Course Six: Dessert

The dessert course was nothing short of amazing! Imagine beginning with unripe dates, peeling them and removing the seeds, then slowly softening them in the oven and blending them with pink peppercorn, water and coconut oil. This concoction is made into a totally sugar-free ice-cream. The pumpkin custard part of the dessert is made with fava milk, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and agave. The blue cheese in the blue cheese espuma was aged for 5 plus months before getting blended with lentil cream. The lace is made with oat milk and coconut sugar and the whole thing is topped off with roasted pecans. I mean, wow!

I ordered the cheese platter to go and happily enjoyed it with my friend Coopie the following day at lunch. The almond brie ages for 2-5 weeks, the macadamia ricotta, which is topped with paprika and chives, is made daily and the cashew brie ages for whopping 5 months. The blue color comes from spirulina, a blue-green algae that grows in both salt and freshwater.

The cheese platter also came with fresh black mission figs, peach preserves, yucca crisps, cassava crackers, a purple cracker made from almond flour, red wine and fennel seed. With every bite, I could taste the amount of work that went into Elizabeth’s cheese platter.

The next time I find myself in the DC area, I will absolutely dine at Elizabeth’s again. With an ever evolving pre-fixe menu, each dining adventure is sure to be truly unique.

Hangawi – Manhattan, New York, USA

Hangawi not only offers phenomenal vegan Korean specialties, but it also provides an authentic Korean experience. This is obvious from the moment you arrive and take off your shoes. My friend Karin and I were politely ushered to a submerged wooden table where we sat on comfortable cushions and perused the menu.

Our Hangawi culinary experience vegan with the Korean pancakes platter. This included kimchi mushroom, leek and kabocha pumpkin with mung beans. Three sauces accompanied this dish: sesame, pineapple and onion. All three pancake types were fantastic and I very much enjoyed trying out the various sauces in combination with the flavors of each pancake.

The first page of Hangawi’s menu includes the following educational blurb about codonopsis lanceolata:

Codonopsis Lanceolata – todok in Korean – is a root found in the deep mountains of Korea. Since ancient times, took like ginseng in Korea has been sought after for its energy giving properties. In a vegetarian diet, todok is an important root nutrient which provides energy and stamina to the body. Todok is rich in calcium, saponin and fiber. It is an excellent winter food as it insulates the body from the cold, aids digestion and also protects the lungs. It has a unique woody fragrance and is chewy and fibrous. For this fall winter menu, we have specially flown in fresh todok from Korea.

We were convinced! So, we ordered todok salad which included the fresh todok they had flown in from Korea, cabbage and carrots in a bean paste lemon dressing. The result was a colorful salad with great textures and flavors.

I could not pass up the rare opportunity to try dandelions in a dish, so I ordered the organic dandelion and avocado salad with ginger mustard dressing. It was very easy to polish off this flavorful dish!

A huge fan of kimchi, I ordered Hangawi’s spicy kimchi stone bowl rice which included vegetables and mushrooms. The waiter brought the stone bowl to the side of our table, kneeled down and finished cooking the dish right there, adding two spoonfuls of spicy red sauce. I watched him mix the sauce into the rice and heard the sizzle of the food against the hot stone. Two types of kimchi were brought for the table, one mild and one spicy. Both were delicious!

As I stated above, I never miss an opportunity to dine at Hangawi. Any time I’m in New York City, I always make sure to reserve a meal at my favorite vegan restaurant in the Big Apple. I’ve been visiting Hangawi for over a decade and I always leave satiated, happy and vowing to visit Korea.

Dirt Candy – Manhattan, New York, USA

The restaurant was easy to find and immediately upon entering, I enjoyed the warm, yet sophisticated, atmosphere.

I was struck by the creativity of the cocktail menu, from the leaf peeper (bourbon, beet, maple and orange) to the teeny tiny turniptini (gin or vodka, picked turnip brine, dry vermouth). I ordered a 14 carrot gold cocktail with tequila, carrot, turmeric, lemon and black pepper. I enjoyed every sip! 

Course One: Artichokes and Sunchokes

Dirt Candy’s culinary experience began with a sunchoke flan topped with seaweed caviar and crispy baby artichokes. I very much appreciated the contrasting textures of this dish; the flan was creamy and the artichoke was fragile and crunchy. Diners were also given a red onion tartare with orange aguachile, pickled pearl onion and avocado. This tiny appetizer was packed with big flavors! I must say that these two dishes were pleasant to look at and set the bar quite high for the subsequent dishes.

Course Two: Mushroom

The second course included a mushroom mousse crepe cake with bing cherry jam and grilled portobellos. A mushroom tea accompanied this beautifully layered dish, which frankly was such a lovely piece of art it was a challenge to bring myself to damage it with a utensil. The rich earthy flavors of the mousse crepe cake was a real treat for mushroom-enthusiasts like me.

Surprise Course: Carrot

The waiter brought patrons a carrot slider simply as a thank you for dining with them. This course consisted of carrot confit, yuba crisp and soy cucumber pickles on a carrot-sesame seed bun. A root vegetable-based dish seemed like a logical midway between earthy fungi of the second course and the leafy kale of the third.

Course Three: Kale

I told the waiter that I wasn’t the biggest fan of kale, so they had their work cut out for them. He left the table confident I would like the next dish, however, and he was not wrong to be so assured. The third course was nothing short of amazing! It consisted of kale spaghetti topped with spicy kale sausage, lollipop kale and macadamia nut-based cheese. Once again, Dirt Candy delivered a beautiful and savory dish with a wonderful mix of textures. I very much enjoyed this dish.

Course Four: Bell Pepper

The fourth course was perhaps the most interesting dish of the evening and we could taste the amount of effort that went into it. We were brought a stuffed yellow bell pepper with sticky rice, orange pepper-coconut sauce, lime and Thai chilis. The waiter explained that the bell peppers are first pickled for a few days before being grilled and stuffed. The result of this process was a highly unique combination of flavors and more than I could have ever expected from a stuffed bell pepper.

The wait staff exhibited the perfect mix of friendly, playful and professional. I was happy to read that Dirt Candy is a no-tipping establishment and pays its’ staff a living wage that even includes benefits. Staff members are also openly credited on the menu for their own creations. It sounds like Dirt Candy is not only a great place to dine, but also to work. The staff at Dirt Candy have certainly not seen the last of me! I will make an effort to dine there any time I’m in Manhattan. If you plan to visit this establishment, make sure to book well in advance as reservations (understandably) fill up quickly.

Huset – Longyearbyen, Norway

Visiting Svalbard in early January meant that I was to partake in Huset’s dark season tasting menu. Huset, which opened in 1977, seems to be quite famous throughout Norway for its focus on local Norwegian cuisine. Under the guidance of Chef Alberto Lozano, it seemed that the emphasis of the vegan pre-fixe menu was to create dishes that were alike in presentation to those on the non-vegan tasting menu.

Like most fine-dining establishments, Huset offered wine-pairing, however, unlike other fine-dining restaurants I’ve visited, Huset also offered a juice-pairing. I thought I’d give it a try.

Course One

The first course consisted of red wine preserved pickled carrot and root crisps. It was quite beautiful with the added green of fresh basil leaves and the splash of white of the local flowers. Bejeweled with bright red berries, this dish could almost be a classy broach on a woman’s lapel.

Course Two

Svalbard is known for housing the most northern brewery in the world. Not a fan of beer, I didn’t visit the brewery, but it seems the brewery was brought to me instead. The Svalbard brewery beer sourdough bread arrived to our table in a cast iron skillet accompanied by a stone with two dollops of mustard vegan butter. My friends and I talked about this bread (as well as the next course) for days after our dining experience. It had been baked to perfection and was absolutely delicious.

Course Three

My favorite of all the courses was the Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle seaweed and lovage oil. I simply do not possess the proper vocabulary that could possibly describe how much flavor was packed into this tiny wooden bowl. I have always been a huge fan of Jerusalem artichokes, but, moving forward, every meal containing this root vegetable will always be compared to this soup.

Course Four

The next course included bok choy rolls (Chinese cabbage) topped with saffron emulsion parsley foam. I thought it was creative to bring this dish in a flower pot. The juice pairing began with this course, so I was brought a glass of farm-pressed apple and aronia berries (sometimes called chokeberries) by Ringi, a Norwegian brand that has been around since 1661.

Course Five

The next course was quite beautiful, consisting of a coconut waffle, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, basil pesto and smoked and cured aubergine. This dish was served on a bed of stones. I very much enjoyed the flavor combinations of this course and as it turned out, the accompanying juice was also my favorite of the night: organic farm-pressed apple and carrot juice with ginger and chili.

Course Six

The sixth course was quite elegant: a seaweed vegan waffle with pickled blueberries, asparagus root celery in textures, mushroom sauce & boletus bouillon. Not surprisingly, this dish was a nice mix of earthy tones of the mushrooms and the playful airy flavors of the pickled berries.

This course was followed by a raspberry sorbet, to cleanse our palates.

Course Seven

With fresh taste buds, we were served zucchini and cauliflower foam potato, topped with a dill crystal on a bed of grilled kale and seaweed with onion sauce. To drink I received a glass of cold-pressed cloudy apple juice made by Dyre Gard, from Moss, Norway.

Course Eight

The next course included mountain sorrel and cloudberries. I learned that mountain sorrel is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family. The juice pairing for this course was an ecological cloudy apple juice, again made by Dyre Gard.

Course Nine

The ninth course consisted of aged beetroots, roasted pickled onion, yellow beetroots, onion puree, preserved blackberries, and broccolini with a vegan red wine sauce. I asked how they went about aging beetroot and they said they hung it up and dried it, a process lasting a few days. I was also served cloudy apple and ginger juice. I found that I really enjoyed the combination of apple and ginger.

Course Ten

The next course was served on a round slab of wood: a raspberry and strawberry pâte de fruit, lemon and pistachio crumble. While I thought this course was an interesting idea, as well as quite beautiful, the strong sour flavor of the lemon highly overpowered this dish, so much so that it caused my lips to pucker.

Course Eleven

The Huset experience was completed with chocolate truffles and elderflower on a bed of very aromatic cardamom. This course was accompanied by a glass of elderflower juice by Ringi, which was delicious.

Funktionærmessen – Longyearbyen, Norway

To celebrate my 50th birthday, I made reservations for the vegan pre-fixe tasting menu at Funktionærmessen with my Norwegian friend and my fiancé Chrissy. As per tradition in Svalbard, I had removed my shoes and placed them in a cubby and wore slippers throughout the Funken Lodge including in the restaurant. Something tells me that Svalbard is perhaps the only place in the world where you can enjoy vegan fine-dining while wearing slippers.

Course One

Our celebratory evening began with an appetizer of pickled beetroot with radish and beetroot jelly, drizzled with chive oil. I enjoyed the balanced mix of textures in this dish.

Course Two

The second course was a hearty portobello mushroom risotto topped with microgreens. I very much enoyed the earthy rich flavors of this dish and liked that the risotto had been prepared al dente.

Course Three

The third course featured the parsnip, a root vegetable that I have always been fond of. A lovely presentation consisted of parsnip puree, glazed parsnip, dried parsnip with truffle “snow” on top and some truffle oil. I found the truffles tied it nicely to the earthiness of the previous course as well as highlighted the natural flavor of the parsnip. I also enjoyed the wide array of what can be done with the parsnip, all in one dish, complimenting each other nicely, in both flavor and texture.

Course Four

The fourth course moved the meal to above ground featuring Brussel sprouts with pistachio crust on top and cherries in a cherry sauce. I must admit that I was skeptical of this dish as I just couldn’t imagine Brussel sprouts and cherries going well together, but I am happy to report that these two ingredients complimented each other splendidly. The pistachios added a nice crunchy texture.

Course Five

We were brought cloudberry sorbet to cleanse our pallets before the next savory course. My tastebuds did indeed feel refreshed after enjoying this cool dish. Besides, I never get tired of cloudberries, something I never get to have back home.

Course Six

The sixth course was vol-au-vent with mushrooms and savoy cabbage leaves on top in a sea of mushroom foam and chive oil. I very much enjoyed the bold flavors in this dish.

Course Seven

The last savory course of the evening was my favorite: almond-based vegan cheese, tomato jam, fresh rosemary and crispy flatbread. While I was skeptical of the tomato jam at first, I was delightfully surprised at how well it complemented the almond cheese. The flavor combinations in this dish were clearly well thought out.

Course Eight

The final course at Funktionærmessen was dessert: an almond cinnamon scone with red-wine poached pears and cinnamon foam. The staff was kind enough to bring mine with a lit birthday candle and sang happy birthday to me.

Final Thoughts

Now a huge fan of slow food, I will continue to seek out vegan fine-dining options wherever I travel. I love seeing what highly skilled chefs can do with the amazing plethora of vegetables available on earth. Not only do I enjoy the taste and the visual beauty, but I have also learned to appreciate the performance of it all. A well-orchestrated fine-dining experience involves many moving parts coming together perfectly in sync, not something that is easily pulled off. Another feature of pre-fixe menus is that they change with the seasons, providing a completely new experience every time you dine. I would return to any of the restaurants I have featured in this post and also look forward to trying new vegan fine-dining establishments.