YOU don’t have to confine yourself to the traditional homespun Veggie Ghetto to enjoy some gorgeous meat-free food. It’s amazing what you can order across some of Manchester’s finest restaurants. Here are 10 suggestions…
1 Chaat Bombs at Mowgli A crisp little puri puff bread swallowed whole that bursts in your mouth. What could be a jollier appetiser? Indian Tiffin Room’s chaat bomb is a blast, but Mowgli’s are better. The yoghurt version is the more satisfying – an explosion of milkiness laced with sour tamarind, crunchy chickpeas and a herbal whoosh of mint and coriander. The pure tamarind bomb is drier and potentially less messy. They cost £3.95 a set of five from a menu that leans heavily towards vegan and vegetarian – as does the whole of Indian cuisine.
Mowgli, 37 Corn Exchange, Manchester M4 3TR. 0161 832 0566.
2 Super Green Pho at Pho Mowgli’s Corn Exchange neighbour pays homage to the Vietnamese national dish Pho (pronounced "fuh" to rhyme with “duh”), a nutritious, packed soup based upon a 12-hour simmered bone broth. It’s lovely but so too is the Super Green Pho (£8.25), made from a veggie broth with extra garlic. LIke its meaty sibling it comes with a bowl of coriander, mint and lime to add, as you wish, offering the kind of herby overload I love.
Pho Manchester, Unit 15, The Corn Exchange, 37 Hanging Ditch, Manchester, M4 3TR. 0161 464 9779.
3 Padron peppers at El Gato Negro You have to search hard for veggie options at this essential Spanish-influenced newcomer, so we’d suggest, with your Manzanilla or Cava, you overload on their Padrón peppers with Halen Môn sea salt (£5). Or spend £4.50 on a big bag from Lunya’s deli on Deansgate and fry them up in olive oil at home, sprinkling them with salt for that moreish taste.
El Gato Negro Tapas, 52 King Street, Manchester M2 4LY. 0161 694 8585.
4 Pessarattu at Indian Tiffin Room This moong dal crepe is a cousin of the ubiquitous dosa – a big green, crisp envelope, when cut into revealing a scattering of pomegranate seeds, nuts and browned onions. Like the dosa, it is served with sambar lentil sauce and coconut chutney. Costing just £4.50, it is a revelation even on a menu full of veggie delights.
Indian Tiffin Room, Isabella Banks Road, First St, Manchester M15 4RL. 0161 228 1000. Also in Cheadle Village.
5 Palak Paneer at Asha’s Manchester is rich in Indian restaurants at the moment. Asha’s may be more glam than street food but it has a strong vegetarian section with remarkable home made chutneys and dips and the best Palak Paneer in town. – cubes of fresh Indian cheese blanketed in spinach puree that is pure chlorophyll on a plate for just £5.95. Pair it with mint raita (£3.75) studded with jewels of pomegranate.
Asha’s, 47 Peter Street, Manchester, M2 3NG. 0161 832 5309.
6 Gorgonzola gnocchi at Cicchetti A different but equally delicious cheese dish. Seasonality is all at this Italian regional small dish specialist.TOM particularly enjoyed their winter veggie special – a gooey pumpkin risotto with ruffle, served in the gouged out squash. If that’s not around, aim for another dish in a cute vessel, gorgonzola gnocchi in a crisp parmesan basket (£12).
San Carlo Cicchetti, House of Fraser, 98-116 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2GQ. 0161 839 2233. Open all day.
7 Fattoush Salad at Comptoir Libanais You can fill up satisfyingly on dips – hummus, baba ghanuj (smoked aubergine, tahini and lemon juice) or fool moudama, a crushed fava bean breakfast staple, but for a real Levantine veggie hit order the fattoush salad (£5.25), a terrific combo of mint, pomegranate seeds and sumac with crisp baby gem and toasted pita pieces.
Comptoir Libanais, 18-19 The Avenue, Spinningfields, M3 3HF. 0161 672 3999.
8 Flammkuchen at Albert’s Schloss This sensationally successful, self-styled Bohemian Pleasure Palace is huge on meat Schweinshaxe, Sauerbraten and the like, but there are veggie alternatives to accompany your Pilsener Urquell tank beer. Ask for the Flammkuchen (£7.50) that doesn’t contain Speck (fatty bacon). This piquant Alsace-style pizza is topped with cremini mushrooms, Cambozola cheese, rosemary, artichokes, crème fraîche, and capers.
Albert’s Schloss, 27 Peter Street, Manchester M2 5RQ. 0161 833 4040.
9 Celeriac Baked in Hay at The French Simon Rogan’s lauded restaurant in the Midland Hotel often includes veggie dishes in his tasting menus but they are side by side with the likes of beef in coal oil. Better go for the new a la carte menu at lunchtimes Wed-Sat, where you’ll find this fragrant option where the celery-tinged root vegetable is the centrepiece of a dish also featuring fermented cabbage, grains, mustard cream and abalone mushroom – nothing to do with the shellfish of that name, the fungus just resembles it!
Simon Rogan at The French, The Midland Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester, M60 2DS. 0161 236 3333.
10 Veggie tasting menus at Quill and Manchester House Splash out at either of these two high profile fine dining places, both of which offer vegetarian-specific, marathon tasting menus (the price rises steeply if you also go for the array of wine matches). Quill’s costs £85 for nine courses, while the larger of two veggie tasting menus at Manchester House will set you back £95 a head for 15 courses.
Quill, 20-22 King Street, Manchester M2 6AG. 0161 832 7355. Manchester House, Tower 12, 18-22 Bridge Street, Manchester, M3 3BZ. 0161 8352557.