REVIEW: Aldo Zilli's vegetarian restaurant: Zilli Green

I blogged a couple of months ago about celebrity chef Aldo Zilli opening a vegetarian restaurant.

Well, it's open and I just read the Guardian review. Oh dear, things don't look good.

Guardian reviewer Matthew Norman wrote: "In so many regards is Zilli Green a total shocker that it's hard to know where to begin. "

However, after a bit of searching I found another review which describes the food at Zilli Green as delicious, superb and generous in quantity.

Sounds like you've just got to try it yourself.

Aldo Zilli relaunches Soho restaurant Signor Zilli as purely vegetarian after Celebrity Fit Club experience

CHEF Aldo Zilli is apparently relaunching his Soho restaurant as a vegetarian venture.

The award-winning Italian chef will open Zilli Green in Soho on February 14 after being inspired by his time on Celebrity Fit Club to have a new lifestyle.

He said: "Before going on Celebrity Fit Club a few years ago I decided that I wanted a new lifestyle and a new way of looking at food.

"The programme inspired me to alter the focus of my cooking with new ingredients and different patterns of eating.

"This year marks my 30th anniversary as one of Soho's original restaurateurs. At the time, I brought a fresh new approach to eating Italian food to London and I want to mark this anniversary with an equally exciting new approach to a fresh and healthy way of life for everyone to enjoy."



Although I think it's brilliant such a high-profile chef is bringing vegetarian food into the spotlight, it sometimes annoys me people assume a vegetarian lifestyle is "the healthy option."

I remember being on an American flight as a child - when everyone got a ready salted bag of crisps as a snack, I was handed a stick of celery.

I do, however, like how Zilli focuses on how tasty vegetarian food can be. He said: "...vegetarian food doesn't have to be dull or tasteless - but exciting and delicious with quirky flavours and combinations."

Starter dishes (from £3.50) include Beetroot Lasagna with Dandelion & Rocket Salad; Jerusalem Artichoke Tart with Goats Cheese, Fig & Grape Chutney; and Red Lentil & Barley Soup.

Pasta dishes (£6.00) include Pumpkin ravioli with Butter, Sage and Nutmeg Sauce; Artichoke and Smoked Mozzarella Risotto with Toasted Sunflower Seeds; and Black truffle lasagne.

Other mains include, Lentil Cake with Steamed Baby Vegetables, Fried Fennel and Beetroot Oil; Marinated Seared Tofu with Asian Salad and Miso Soup; Thai Curry with Quinoa & Blood Orange Chutney; and Purple Sprouting Broccoli & Oyster Mushroom Tempura as well as a Daily Roast.

I particularly fancy the Jerusalem Artichoke Tart with Goats Cheese and...well...all the mains. Check out the whole menu for yourself.

Vegetarianism isn't a moral choice for me. I love going to veggie restaurants because I can completely relax about what I'm eating, I know my food hasn't been cut with the wrong knife in the kitchen or touched something non-veggie.

However, vegetarian restaurants should not be held up as somehow better or healthier or more moral than other eateries. They are simply another choice, as is being a vegetarian.