D 58008 INTERNATIONAL TRADE JOURNAL EDITION 5/2011 www.food-service-europe.com FOR THE RESTAURANT www.cafe-future.net AND CATERING INDUSTRY Special Features: Foodservice Markets France, Italy and Russia – City Guide Salzburg V EGETARIAN R ESTAURANTS Otarian Vanilla Black Vanilla Black UK When the first Vegetarian Britain guide was produced in 1998 it featured 270 premises across 250 pages; the last edi- Food That tion, the fourth, which was produced last year, included around 450, across its 800 or so pages. As the increase in both premises and pages suggests the number of vegetarian eateries has risen fast over the last 13 years and there are now ap- Loves Life proximately 5 m Britons who are wholly or partly vegetarian Add to this the Despite the trend towards healthy living and all the various meat movement towards healthier lifestyle scandals, vegetarian cuisine has so far not had a great impact on the and so called ‘meat-reducers’, those con- suming less flesh, and the market for European restaurant scene – and this although the number of vege- vegetarian cuisine has never been so UK tarians is growing steadily in many countries. It would seem that veg- buoyant. Restaurants can no longer afford not to etarians do not go exclusively to vegetarian restaurants but can also have a vegetarian option on their menus find what they are looking for on the menus of ‘normal’ restaurants. or even just the one. The relatively cheaper cost of vegetarian food together The big advantage is that, there, they can dine together not only with concerns over animal welfare and with meat lovers but also with the growing group of ‘flexitarians’ who damage to the environment has also led to more consumers choosing healthier simply go without animal protein whenever possible. Nevertheless, options and vegetarian dishes. there is a niche market with numerous specialists who uncompromis- This move has led to a marked increased in the number of high-end vegetarian ingly and successfully demonstrate that meat is not a prerequisite restaurants operating across the coun- for outstanding cuisine. Part 2 of our European overview. try. According to Alex Bourke, who com- 8 FOODSERVICE EUROPE& MIDDLE EAST 5/11 piles Vegetarian Guides to meat- free eating in Britain, there were III UK: Websites I 30 top-range vegetarian restaur- www.amicobio.co.uk ants operating in the UK at the www.vanillablack.co.uk start of 2010 up by 50% on 2007. www.safrestaurant.co.uk In London, venues such as Amico www.otarian.com Bio, Vanilla Black and the two- www.terreaterre.co.uk strong Saf business, have all www.veggieheaven.com proven that the perception of vege- www.ottolenghi.co.uk tarian cuisine has come a long www.nopi-restaurant.com way and is no longer confined to www.eatatbobbys.com lentils and soup. The first vegeta- www.hansasrestaurant.com rian, organic Italian restaurant in www.woodlandsrestaurant.co.uk London, Amico Bio was estab- www.vitalingredient.co.uk lished by head chef Pasquale www.abokado.com Amico and his two cousins under www.chopd.co.uk the banner ‘Green Thinking – www.podfood.co.uk Better Living’, while the Andrew Dargue and Donna Conroy-oper- ated Vanilla Black restaurant in the closest example the sector of a the capital is one of only two long-established chain of ‘proper’ Michelin-recommended vegetar- vegetarian eateries. ian establishments in Britain. The Otarian, the quickservice vegetar- other Michelin-starred vegetarian ian restaurant concept, entered eatery is Brighton’s long-estab- the UK market to great fanfare at lished Terre à Terre, which first the end of 2009 with plans to op- opened its doors in 1993. erate a chain of sites across Lon- Launched by ‘raw chef’ Chad don and major cities. The brain- Sarno, Saf, which is an acronym child of the Oswal Group, a multi- for Simply Authentic Food, and billion dollar company with a di- also means ‘Pure’ in Turkish, was versified portfolio of assets in established over a decade ago and construction, logistics, petro- now operates eponymous restaur- chemicals, property, resources ants in Shoreditch and Kensing- and transport in India and Aus- ton. The company also offers a ‘Saf tralia, the group opened four To Go’ products range is available restaurants, two in London and at both of its restaurants as well as two in New York around the same a growing number of retail outlets time. including the Whole Foods mar- The group, which is owned and ket chain. controlled by husband and wife While the high-end category of team Pankaj and Radhika Oswal, the vegetarian restaurant sector acquired two Central London goes from strength to strength – sites: the former Nanobites pub top-end vegetarian eateries have on Wardour Street and an inde- also opened in recent years in pendent Italian restaurant on the places such as Bath, Nottingham, corner of Shaftesbury Avenue. Manchester, and in towns in Suf- The concept is based on a McDon- folk West Yorkshire – Saf remains ald’s style operation with coun- ters and rapid service, and is fo- cused on raising awareness about healthy eating and sustainability. Despite a wealth of publicity, the UK side of the business has re- cently run into difficulties. It an- nounced at the start of August that was to pull out of the UK and closed both its sites in the country and its restaurant in the Green- wich Village district of New York, leaving it with one restaurant in the US city. FOODSERVICE EUROPE& MIDDLE EAST 5/11 Saf POD UK In a message posted on its website, Eat & Two Veg, which operated two sites Indian cuisine continues to play a signifi- Otarian said: “We are currently work- in London, also faced difficulties and cant part in shaping the UK vegetarian ing to expand our eco-friendly range closed its remaining vegetarian restaur- restaurant scene. Regional restaurants and to improve our offerings to you. ant on Marylebone High Street at the such as Bobby’s in Leicester and Hansa’s During this time of development, we start of last year. in Leeds have been established for over shall not be functioning in UK. We real- While a full-scale vegetarian restaurant 20 years and continue to educate con- ize this will come as a disappointment chain continues to prove elusive, cafés sumers on Gujrati vegetarian cuisine. Af- to all the Otarian London fans, but rest and delis in the category have proven to filiated with the famous Woodlands assured that we shall soon be bringing have more longevity. Founded in 2002, Restaurants in India, which has been es- back a tastier, yummier Otarian experi- Ottolenghi, the upmarket vegetarian tablished since 1938 with over 40 ence that will make you forget that we deli shop-meets-café concept, has since branches, the UK arm of the group cur- were ever gone.” It is thought that a grown to operate four sites across Lon- rently operates a three-strong chain of third proposed Otarian site in lower Re- don. Founder Yotam Ottolenghi, who upscale eateries in central London. The gent street, which was acquired last was born in Israel, trained as a chef at UK operation currently has restaurants in year but never opened, has already several London restaurants, including Piccadilly, Marylebone and Hampstead been disposed of. A further mini chain, Capital and Kensington Place. His deli- and is thought to be looking at further op- restaurant operations are a joint venture portunities to expand in the capital. Spe- with business partner Sami Tamimi, who cialising in authentic vegetarian dishes he met while working at the Baker & from south India, the chain also offers or- Spice patisserie chain. ganic, vegan and vegetarian wines. It currently has four London locations – The issue of health continues to play a Belgravia, Notting Hill, Kensington and big part in the move by consumers to- Islington. The sites trade as food shops ward vegetarian choices and is driving with some communal seating. The the growing popularity in and rise of biggest is Islington, which can seat about salad and soup focused chains across 50 diners and serves also meat and fish. London. Although not purely vegetarian, Plans to open further sites under the these businesses are taking an increas- concept have been put on hold as the ing share of the vegetarian market and group concentrates on its new brasserie are proving to be an entry point for many in London’s Soho, called Nopi, which it ‘meat eaters’ into the world of vegetarian opened earlier this year. cuisine. 10 FOODSERVICE EUROPE& MIDDLE EAST 5/11 V EGETARIAN R ESTAURANTS Earlier this year, American-Estonian real Jerusalem-born chef and restaurateur Yotam estate entrepreneur Paul Oberschneider Ottolenghi, who used to write a column called took a stake in Vital Ingredient, the ‘The New Vegetarian’ for the Guardian: “Our tossed salad-to-go concept. Oberschnei- food is familiar and straight forward, yet highly der, who is the founder and chief execu- innovative. It is a way of life, somewhere be- tive of Hauser-Oberschneider, one of tween a healthy obsession and a bad habit Europe’s biggest property developers we can’t kick.” and investors, has taken a 50% stake in the chain, which opened its first site in presence in London, with up to five new but that it was concentrating on the ex- Soho in 2001. sites targeted for opening in the capital pansion its standalone sites at the mo- The business, which was founded by by the end of March 2010. The company, ment. To help it with its expansion plans managing director Alex Heynes, now which is backed by private equity invest- the company, which offers sushi, salads, plans to grow to up to 15 sites in London ment firm Kings Park Capital, recently soups and wraps, has also appointed its over the next two years.