Table of Contents
1 A symphony of vegetables that never misses a beet.
Today, we made our way from Bond Street to Princess Street off Oxford Street & Hanover Square. Tendril, has been on my radar to visit for a long time.
Tendril’s rather clever strap line is A (Mostly) Vegan Kitchen & Bar, which gives you a clue on what not to expect on the menu. A few dairy products are included, which explains the (mostly ) on the strapline.
Also, if you are looking for plant-based sausages & burgers, you will be disappointed; however, if you are looking for sublime tasting, beautifully presented food where the star of the show is the vegetables, you will love this restaurant. All were elevated skillfully by Chef & owner Rishim Sachdeva.
Interestingly, Rishim is from India but never trained in Indian cuisine, but he developed his skills first in French cuisine. His CV includes working at the Fat Duck, Robin Gills The Diary, and finally, working under Nuno Mendes at the Chiltern Firehouse.
Tendril started as a Pop-up restaurant in 2019 in Bethnal Green, then onto the Sun & 13 Cantons in Soho, and finally at Princess Street. A successful crowdfunding project enabled Princess Street to become the permanent home for Rishim & Tendril.
Just as I’m interested in these sorts of things, I consulted the dictionary for the meaning of Tendril. Tendril is a stem-like part of a climbing plant that clings to walls or other plants for support; I’m none the wiser why Rashim named his restaurant after a climbing plant apart from the vegetable connotations, I will be sure to ask on my next visit.
My research of Rashim & Tendril has built expectations, especially reading the heavyweight rave reviews, and by the time we reached the elegant townhouse frontage of Tendril, we were more than ready for lunch.
The restaurant has two dining areas: the front, where we sat, which had an informal feel, and the back, which had a nice, cosy feel.
2 Menu
We plumped for the discovery lunch, which our helpful waitress said would give us an excellent introduction to the food at Tendril; she was right.
We ordered a drink, Leigh went for the sparkling from Italy (not prosecco ), and I kicked things off with a Braybrooke Pilsner.
Where possible, the drinks menu focuses on natural & organic produced drinks & wines, which can add to the prices, but as smaller producers, their overheads are understandably higher.
3 Starters
Grilled mushrooms parfait, a dip of white bean, tahini, topped with chilli & chipotle. Served with hunks of Farm sourdough bread.
A lovely opening course & one to manage my hunger and my high expectations.
The soft mushrooms also had a slight charing, which added another texture to the dish. The White bean dip with a splash of bright red chilli placed on the sourdough bread, was exquisite.
4 Second Course
The menu offered two choices for the second course.
Pak Choi, massaman dressing & coconut.
Baked brie truffle toast with pistachios (non-vegan).
Officially, Leigh ordered the Pak Choi & I had the brie; unofficially, we shared.
The Pak Choi was lovely. It is so good to see Pak Choi used as a central feature and not as a watery accompaniment hidden under a Chinese chicken dish. It worked so well with the Massaman sauce. Note to any Chefs reading: Pak Choi works well with spice.
The brie was so creamy & serving it baked on the truffle toast was inspired. Both these dishes showed imaginative cooking at its best.
5 Third Course
Leek Fritter, with a curry leaf Aloli.
This was an optional dish on the menu & of course, we would take advantage of it. We chose to share one portion (two fritters).
Visually it looked reminiscent of an onion bhaji, but on eating, the texture was slightly denser, almost doughnut-like, the leeks gave a flavour burst of onion, and the aioli was the perfect accompaniment. The curry leaf flavour was very evident (I think I might borrow this on a future recipe).
6 Main Course
Aubergine “sabich”, pitta bread, potato terrine with an apple & fennel salad.
Sabich is a Middle Eastern sandwich of Aubergine & pitta bread.
Aubergine is such a versatile vegetable & cooked down with the liquid removed it does not make the Pitta base too soggy,
The star of the dish for me was the potato terrine. it tasted & had the texture of a big chip. The “chip” was fried & crisped on all sides and well seasoned. it was sublime. I could eat two or three on their own with one of Tendrils imaginative dips, over to you Rishim.
A quick mention about the salad: apple & fennel worked very well together & added a touch of acidity to the plate.
Overall, it’s another well-balanced dish. On reflection, I can say about all the previous courses.
7 Desserts
Pud time & after a request for an extended break
Dessert of the day; Sesame and chocolate brownie with sesame cream.
In addition, a portion of Tiramisu found its way on our table. I’m not pointing fingers, but it is Leigh’s favourite dessert.
The waiter later mentioned that it was the first thing he ate working at Tendril & he was hooked from that moment. It was a clever ploy by the team, as it was delicious & our waiter was very good.
So full but happy we left Tendril. The discovery menu is a lot of lunch for the price and, as previously mentioned, a good way to experience Tendril mayfair menu.
However, if you leave it for a few weeks, expect some changes to the line on the menu.
When we visited, Rashim was eulogising over a delivery of celeriac that arrived that day; it was clear he had big plans for said vegetable. The menu is seasonal & will change frequently and vary depending on what is available from their carefully sourced supply chain.
Finally, reading the day’s menu, you, like me, might need help defining a cuisine with some flavours from the Middle -East and Asia. The quality of sauces points back to Rashim’s times working in classic French restaurants.
Actually, I’m not going to bother as I’m sure Tendril’s food will continue to evolve & surprise as time goes on, something that makes me very happy.
Finally, if my above thoughts have tempted you to visit Tendril (I hope you do), I challenge you to find the antique Radiogram below.
Review date 22nd September 2023.
Tendril, 5 Princess Street, London, W1B 2LQ
If you have enjoyed this review, check out more Mayfair Foodie reviews
