(Picture: Tiny Leaf)It might be the most ‘eco friendly’ restaurant in the city.
Especially as most of their dishes can be made vegan on request.
Tiny Leaf turns surplus food donated by local food suppliers into gourmet dishes.
It is London’s first organic, vegetarian and zero-waste restaurant and it opened at the end of January.
Offering a guilt-free gastronomic experience, the menu changes daily.
Options depend on would-be-waste deliveries from Planet Organic and
Langridge, the UK’s largest wholesalers of local and seasonal organic
produce.
(Picture: Tiny Leaf)
Metro tries it out
Approaching Tiny Leaf it feels like you’re slightly in the middle of
nowhere, though it’s only a 10-minute bus ride form Notting Hill.
It looks tiny indeed from the outside.
The atmosphere is cool and cosy, diners are stylish and the interior
is wonderful with vines covering the back wall. Chairs and tables are
small and simple, made of wood, and lighting comes from candles only.
I come on a busy night and service is attentive though quite slow.
The £2 bread spread is gorgeous and contains one with figs – though
they can’t guarantee dishes will be there for longer than that evening.
My beetroot platter starter is very pretty and laid out fancifully, if a little light.
Braised Beets & Carrot (Picture: Tiny Leaf)
The main takes a while to come but I’m rewarded when it does.
My friend and I split our dishes. She gets chickpeas in smoked
paprika sauce and I opt for a market plate of seasonal veg. The mix of
the two is divine.
Our side of charred lettuce (sounds ridiculous, it was incredible. I
kid you not) adds an intense smoky element and fresh crunch.
For dessert we get vegan carrot cake with pomegranates and creamy rice-based sauce.
I’d come back but skip the starters, loading up on mains and desserts.
A charming concept with heart, worth investing in. Top tip: Repeat your dietary requirements.
Tiny Leaf’s temporary residence in Westbourne Park spans four floors,
including a ground-floor bistro and juice bar, zero waste fine-dining
restaurant, cinema and events space and botanical cocktail bar.
And they do keep some long hours:
Charred Tomato & Cucumber Salad (Picture: Tiny Leaf)
Food and drinks – such as kombucha, nut mylks and cold-press juices – are served daily until midnight.
Breakfast dishes include quinoa and spelt porridge with apple and
cinnamon; wild rice with mango and toasted coconut; buckwheat blueberry
pancakes and more.
For lunch and dinner, options may include red and golden beetroot
salad with crisp sage and parsnip; courgetti with hemp pesto, toasted
almond and rye wafer accompanied by a butter bean ragu, tomatoes and
homemade paneer.
Other wonders include beetroot with pumpkin, crisp sage and wild
flowers; char-grilled celeriac and broccoli steaks with baba ghanoush.
Pudding offerings are rhubarb, ginger and carrot crumble and orange, polenta and chia seed syrup cake.
Market Plate (Picture: Tiny Leaf)
The minds behind Tiny Leaf include chef, writer and food activist
Justin Horne, ex-Chiltern Firehouse Jonathan Krauss and marketing
whizz Alice Gilsenan.
Justin believes one way to tackle the 18 million tonnes of food
ending up in landfills each year is to change people’s perception of
what waste is, then we can change out how much waste we create.
He says: ‘There’s no reason why you can’t make something amazing out of vegetables alone.
‘We want to educate, inspire and also have some fun in exploring this new approach to food.’
Tiny Leaf will match fund each £1 voluntary donation added to each
bill, raising money for Refugee Community Kitchen Calais and the Soil
Association.
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