Mallow London: Seasonal, Sustainable & Seriously Delicious
[ma.llow] n. A native British miracle plant, which is entirely edible – roots, stems, leaves, and flowers.
COURTNEY MASON
Finding a restaurant that genuinely caters to everyone is never easy — and with a vegetarian in our midst, it’s always surprisingly hard to find a restaurant that has a good variety of options for everyone. I’d been recommended Mallow, a fully plant-based restaurant tucked behind Borough Market. Many of you may remember my flaky attempt at being a vegetarian (and often remind me how uncommitted I was to the cause), so I was excited to see how this lived up to expectations.
The concept is simple but impressive: each dish showcases flavours from a different part of the world, with the chef team championing seasonal, sustainable cooking, packed with colour and flavour.
We started with a classic pita (I can never say no to bread!), served with tahini chickpeas, crispy shallots, red shatta, an absolutely delicious dip that I could happily eat forever. Accompanied by some pardon peppers, coated in smoked salt and za’atar, this was a delicious start to the meal.
While the mains were delicious, the absolute highlight for me was the Mojo Rojo croquettes, served with a delicious saffron aioli. The saffron beautifully complemented the garlicky flavours of the Mojo Rojo sauce, making it a perfect pre-dinner bite.
Determined to try as much of the menu as possible, we opted to share main courses. All were packed with flavour and did not disappoint.
- Navratan korma, almond cashew sauce, cauliflower, tofu, okra, butter-cooked apricot & currant.
- Wild mushroom ravioli, porcini cream, artichoke kale crisp, truffle oil.
- Oyster mushroom & hispi skewer, celeriac purée, salsa verde, fried capers, onion jam, port gravy.
As the final touch, on departure, the lovely team give you a business card. Continuing with their sustainable mission, this is plantable paper, and should turn into a flower (if I remember to keep it alive, which is unlikely).
With January just around the corner and many trialling a temporary vegetarian diet, I would really recommend Mallow. With amazing service, delicious food and gorgeous ambience, I will definitely return to Mallow again in the future!