Last Updated on October 28, 2024
Our Favourite Plant-based Restaurant gets a Facelift.
We love Mildreds. This restaurant group is a fail-safe option if you have veggie or vegan friends, which is so good it could easily inspire a dyed-in-the-wool carnivore to switch sides. The original Soho restaurant which opened in 1988 was just a bit worn around the edges when we last visited, although a bit like a much-loved cardigan, we thought that added to its charm. Now it’s all poshed up, with stunning new paintwork and contemporary wallpaper complementing the three floors of dining rooms, including a new 18-seater private dining area.
Housed in a classic Grade II townhouse in the heart of Soho, it’s always been the kind of welcoming venue that Londoners will return to time and time again.
The new Mildreds officially reopened on Wednesday 16th October and we were lucky enough to be invited along for a press preview to find out a little more and to try the new menu. It’s really not surprising that this is the go-to plant-based restaurant for so many people, including celebrities like Sir Paul McCartney, David Walliams and Anne Hathaway.
The food is simply astonishing. Vibrant and colourful, full of exciting flavours and textures. It’s always been uncompromisingly delicious – and that hasn’t changed at all.
We started our meal with a selection of starters – bread, rainbow pickles and beetroot thel dala with raita. The first two dishes are self-explanatory, while the beetroot was a delicious mixture of curried beetroot in a creamy coconut yoghurt dip. Perfectly complemented by the house-made breads, we thoroughly enjoyed our starter. If you happen to want more there are a selection of small plates with options including kimchi gyoza, and arancini rossi.
I picked the Kiri Hodi as my main course, a Sri Lankan coconut curry with sweet potato and green bean pilau, toasted cashew sev, rainbow pickles and mint coriander chutney. The dish I’d ordered on my last visit to Mildreds, I find it hard to resist because it really does remind me of the curries I enjoyed in Sri Lanka – fragrant and spicy with just the right level of heat.
Next time though, I might just be tempted by the mushroom ale pot pie which my companion enjoyed. It came with with smashed peas, mint oil and a delicious red wine gravy, along with triple cooked potatoes. My companion, who ordered it was very impressed, particularly with the delicious vegan puff pastry and the rich mushroom filling full of umami flavours.
Full to the brim we shared the white chocolate tiramisu between us – the Mildreds version is made with an almond sponge cake layered with white chocolate mousse and is light, fluffy and full of flavour. A little more space and I’d have ordered the tiffin truffles or the butter rum sticky pudding too.
Mildreds really does live up to the intentions of Sarah Wasserman, the Head of Food Development comment:
” Mildreds food philosophy has always been about showcasing the freshest, most vibrant and flavoursome ingredients available in plant-based cooking. Whether you follow a vegan diet or not my team and I have always focussed on creating amazing, innovative food that just happens to be great-tasting vegan food. ”
With a simple but genuine ethos and focus on excellent vegan food, Mildreds is a secret everyone should know about. It really does offer fantastic food and drink for everyone, that just happens to be vegan. You’ll find a lively atmosphere and welcoming staff – and with main courses under £20, it won’t break the bank. And, if you are lucky enough to get a window seat, you’ll have a fabulous view of life in Soho.
Mildreds Soho,
45 Lexington Street
London
W1F 9AN
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