There are a vast number of vegetarian restaurants in London, and for those who want to take their non-meat diet one step further, there is SAF, a raw vegan eatery on Curtain road, Shoreditch. Several people had told me about SAF so I was quite curious to see by myself how 100% vegan food would taste. Besides, most dishes at SAF are raw or cooked below 48°C, which adds to the challenge for the Chef.
We ordered two starters to share, mushroom gyozas and maki rolls. We cheated a little bit as the gyozas are one of the few dishes which are cooked at a temperature higher than 48°C. Nevertheless we were happy of our choices and both starters were surprisingly tasty.
Mushroom gyoza (Shiitake and woodear mushrooms,
carrot, tofu and black vinaigrette)
Maki rolls
(Parsnip rice, ume boshi plum,
cucumber,avocado, radish, sunimono,
shiitake mushroom and ponzu)
We were less enthusiastic about our main courses, which were less "cooked". The Pad Thai was original and tasty but the Saf bowl was pretty much the same thing as the maki rolls, without seaweed.
Pad Thai
(Courgette noodles, enoki mushrooms, mung sprouts,
tomatoes, thai ginger, chili, chipotle and almond sauce)
Saf bowl (Parsnip rice, kimchi, radish, sunomono, avocado,
courgette noodles and marinated oyster mushrooms)
Having eaten only vegetables, we did not have second thoughts about ordering desserts. I had a green tea ice cream, and my friend Q.F. had a berry cheese cake. Personally, when it comes to desserts I think that there is no good substitute for full fat cream, and SAF vegan desserts did not make me think otherwise.
Berry cheese cake
(coconut crust, cashew cheese, raspberry coulis)
Overall, we were happily surprised by the experience and it felt great to have such a healthy and light lunch. The Chef is certainly innovative and I am quite impressed with his ability to turn raw vegetables into beautiful dishes. Although I ould be able to become a raw vegan, I see myself going back to SAF for a Sunday detox roast.
Cost: £6-£10 per course
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