Plant-based pleasantries at Flat Three

If you’re looking for some tasty vegan food in a swanky location, look no further than Flat Three in Holland Park, London. The restaurant – which is a Nordic and Japenese fusion – has just created a plant-based menu that promises all the flavour without any of the animal products. 

I got to try out a selection of dishes from the new menu. As a vegetarian, I relished the expereince of being able to eat everything on offer. The well thought-out combinations of ingredients in this food even made me consider joining the ‘veganuary‘ crowd…

Here’s a breakdown of what was enjoyed, along with details of the yummy homemade juices and vegan wines chosen for each course. 

Cipollini clear onion soup and celeriac

This was a light and flavoursome dish, with the crunch of the onions and the smooth celeriac puree. The soup was paired with this wine:

• Breuer Village, Riesling Rudesheim Estate, 2013, Rheingau, DEU. 

Salt baked beets, preserved yuzu and shichimi

The salt baked beetroot was delicious – such a good combination of flavours. I had never tried yuzu or shichimi before and I was pleasantly surpised with the taste. This dish was paired with juice:

•  Flat Three’s Crab Apple + Juniper

Jerusalem artichoke, crosnes, barley and dew plant

Although it did not photograph too well, this plate was hearty and full of texture. The crosnes were a ‘first try’ for me too and were lovely and crunchy – a surprisingly filling dish. It was paired with this wine:

• Vidonia, Suertes del Marques, Palomino, 2014, Tenerife ESP

Pumpkin, carrot jus and Cornish seaweed

I love seaweed. It has such a strange and crunchy texture, almost evaporating on your tongue. Coupled with the pumpkin and carrot jus, this dish was a big hit. It was paired with this juice:

• Flat Three’s Sweetened Kabocha

King cabbage, gochujang and flax seed noodles

For those who are struggling without meat, this dish is ideal. It looks meaty, as well as having a meaty taste to it. The noodles were thick, the gochujang sauce gave a lovely hit of chilli and the fake parmesan (seen on top) tasted much nicer than it looked! Paired with this dish was:

• Palmiet Pinot Noir, J Meyer, 2015, Elgin SA

Carrot sorbet, rhubarb, olive oil and bergamot

Possibly my favourite food of the night was this carrot sorbet. I had no idea you could make something this tasty from zero sugar and from ingredients you wouldn’t usually associate with a dessert (bar the rhubarb). Devine!

Chocolate, almond, chia and cherry bark maple

A very pleasing dish that felt light and almost ‘healthy’ with the addition of the chia seeds. Perfect for a chocolate hit without all the sin that goes with it. The dessert was paired with:

• Flat Three’s Rosehip + Hawthorne

To find out more about Flat Three, or to try their plant-based menu, visit flatthree.london