Gauthier Soho goes vegan following celebrity demand

Gauthier Soho will become London's first fine dining venue to offer a permanent vegan tasting menu following growing demand from celebrity clientele.

The likes of Ella Woodward, Tom Cruise, Al Gore and Stella McCartney have all requested the vegan menu which will consist of eight plant based courses for £50. The menu ‘Les Plantes’ will also be accompanied by a dedicated selection of vegan wines by sommelier Romain Perroches and will be available from June 1, 2016.

Chef patron, Alexis Gauthier felt it was a natural step to take for the restaurant with the rise in more ‘diet-fluid’ customers.

He said: “It seems the most natural step to take. In 2016 we are dealing with a more ‘diet-fluid’ customer than ever. People have groups of friends, 50% will be vegetarian. 25% may be vegan. 10% will have other dietary preferences. We offer a certain level of comfort, atmosphere etc. which normally you don’t associate with vegan dining. We like to be the place you go for a really special occasion, and we want our vegan customers to feel the same level of welcome as everyone else.”

Although the French restaurant will still serve meat based courses, Alexis chose to remove foie gras from the menu back in 2015 and hopes that one day all produce will be organic.

He said: “After I removed foie gras from my menu in 2015, we noticed zero negative impact on customer satisfaction. The impact the meat industry has on the planet is now recognised even by my primary school aged daughter. I would like to see the day where no animals are intensively farmed or treated with unnecessary antibiotics, and all produce is organic. Just like it was less than 100 years ago.”

He added that going vegan gives you more creativity as a chef referring to it as ‘liberating’.

Alexis said: “Going vegan is not stifling, in fact if anything it is the opposite. It means you can be more creative. You go right back to the heart of the plant, and work outwards. You look at a tomato from the inside, and really try to imagine what it is about its DNA that gives the flavour, without the safety net of dairy or egg for richness or fatty satisfaction. You are forced to think. It’s liberating.”

The eight course vegan menu will be available from Gauthier Solo from 1 June, 2016.

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