'For several years now we have been named the best Chinese restaurant in Devon'
Plymouth has several Chinese restaurants but there is one that stands out from the rest. The Imperial Garden only accepts cash, closes on a Wednesday, and has won more awards than the movie Anora did at the Oscars.
It’s famous for its vegan menu - and its meat dishes too. And it’s possibly the only one in the city with a giant dragon wall frieze.
The Imperial Garden's giant dragon frieze (Image: William Telford)
Li Zhuang and her husband Cheng Guo have run the Imperial Garden, in Ebrington Street, since 2007 and have transformed it from a small takeaway into a serial award winning restaurant. The haul includes being named Devon’s best Chinese restaurant four times at the South West England Prestige Awards and receiving plaudits from Tripadvisor and ThreeBestRated.
Cheng Gou (left) and Li Zhuang, owners of the Imperial Garden restaurant, Ebrington Street (Image: William Telford)
Animal welfare organisation Peta UK included the Imperial Garden in the top 10 UK Chinese food outlets for vegan meals. It was also a finalist in the Vegetarian and Vegan Awards.
“We have been very lucky,” said Li and Cheng’s daughter Jenny.” For several years now we have been named the best Chinese restaurant in Devon.”
“Yes, we go for quality,” said her mother. “Everything is fresh. We want the customers to come back.”
Their daughter Jenny said: “Vegan food is something my father and I worked on. At that time there were not that many vegan options so we thought it would be a good opportunity to cater for a wider market.
“We launched vegan products and it has gone like a dream, we have had people come here from as far away as Exeter. It shocked us when we found someone had travelled an hour to come here.”
Although the eatery has had success with its vegan products the most popular item on the menu remains roast meat, traditional Chinese duck or belly pork. The restaurant employs two chefs in addition to Cheng, plus another two front-of-house staff in addition to Li.
(Image: William Telford)
Cheng makes all the restaurant's sauces himself, starting at the crack of dawn to perfect them to a special recipe. Jenny said: “You can’t get them anywhere else. We want to make authentic Chinese food, a lot of the recipes are from the village where my parents grew up.”
Li and Cheng come from the same village in China and came to the UK more than 25 years ago. Cheng got a job as a chef in London in 1997 and his wife followed two years later.
The couple ran a takeaway business in Newcastle upon Tyne for a couple of years before moving to Plymouth in 2007. Their children Jenny, Darren and Kevin were born in London but grew up in Plymouth going to grammar school in the city before heading off to university.
Stay cool and energised this summer with these quick and refreshing vegan recipes. Packed with fresh ingredients, hydrating fruits, and vibrant flavours, these light meals are perfect for hot days. Enjoy delicious, healthy dishes that keep you feeling fresh all season long
Enjoy delicious, healthy dishes that keep you feeling fresh all season long
In Short
Watermelon and feta salad keeps you hydrated
Chilled cucumber soup is a no-cook option
Mango avocado salsa pairs with grilled dishes
Summer calls for light, fresh, and hydrating meals that keep you energised without feeling heavy. As the temperatures rise, it's best to opt for easy-to-make dishes that require minimal cooking and are packed with nutrients. Here are some delicious and refreshing summer recipes to keep you cool and satisfied.
1. WATERMELON AND FETA SALAD – A COOL AND HYDRATING DELIGHT
Watermelon is the perfect summer fruit, loaded with water content to keep you hydrated. Paired with feta cheese, mint, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, this salad is both refreshing and flavourful.
Ingredients
2 cups diced watermelon
cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
A pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
In a bowl, mix diced watermelon and crumbled feta.
Add fresh mint leaves and season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle balsamic glaze on top and serve chilled.
2. CHILLED CUCUMBER AND YOGURT SOUP – A NO-COOK SUMMER FAVOURITE
This creamy, cold soup is the perfect way to beat the heat while enjoying a nutritious meal.
Ingredients
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
teaspoon salt
Fresh dill or mint for garnish
Instructions
Blend all ingredients until smooth.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Garnish with fresh herbs and serve cold.
3. MANGO AVOCADO SALSA – A TROPICAL SUMMER TREAT
This vibrant salsa pairs well with grilled meats, tacos, or even as a refreshing side dish.
Ingredients
1 ripe mango, diced
1 ripe avocado, diced
red onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeo, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt to taste
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to blend.
Serve fresh with tortilla chips
4. ZUCCHINI NOODLES WITH PESTO – A LIGHT AND LOW-CARB MEAL
Skip the heavy pasta and opt for zucchini noodles tossed in homemade pesto for a refreshing summer dish.
Ingredients
2 zucchinis, spiralised
cup basil pesto
cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a pan and saut zucchini noodles for 2 minutes.
Add pesto and cherry tomatoes, mixing well.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
A quick and healthy dessert that’s perfect for summer snacking
Summer meals should be light, hydrating, and easy to prepare. These quick and refreshing recipes not only help you stay cool but also provide essential nutrients. Whether it’s a chilled soup, a fresh salad, or a fruity dessert, these dishes are perfect for warm weather and will keep you feeling refreshed all season long.
From upscale eateries to casual cafés, London restaurants offer an array of innovative vegan dishes that cater to all tastes and that’s expanding as the demand for vegan food continues to sore
From upscale eateries to casual cafés, most London restaurants offer an array of vegan menus either separate or incorporated into the main menu. And the vegan offer continues to expand and get more creative as the demand for vegan food continues to sore. Whether you're craving plant-based takes on classic dishes, creative international flavours, or indulgent desserts, the capital’s restaurants offer something for every vegan foodie.
Newly opened Kin offers an exclusively vegan and vegetarian menu that’s both varied and delicious. And even better, no faux meats are used. Highlights include small plates such as sweet potato with vegan parmesan and bigger ones like courgette and pistachio spaghetti. There’s also a fabulous weekend brunch that can be paired with a selection of waste-free cocktails. The restaurant is super charming but petite so be sure to make a reservation.
Almost all the dishes at Marc Summers’ popular Soho bistro are vegan, with a few veggie dishes thrown in. And for purists, there’s a separate all vegan menu. Both the Soho and Spitalfields locations are always busy so it’s no wonder that a third location in Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross will open this year. Every dish is a highlight from the baba ganoush with curry leaf oil and pine nuts to cucumbers with tahini and chilli cucumber chilli to Jerusalem artichokes, ras el hanout and miso. Be sure to save room for the insanely moreish desserts including salted caramel chocolates and the coconut tahini fudge.
Jason Atherton’s Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social has been renamed Mary’s which makes it sound like a homely cafe. It’s anything but as it retains the sophisticated vibe of the previous restaurant with chic interiors and paintings on the walls. In terms of the food, the menu is a bit more casual and it has a great plant-based offering. There’s a separate vegan menu with outstanding choices like shiitake mushroom tartare; miso aubergine, with crispy onion, pickled cucumber, in a satay sauce and globe artichoke, ratatouille, grilled courgette, black olive in a basil dressing.
It’s no surprise that Chef Eran Tibi’s Kapara features a bold and creative vegan sharing menu. Priced at £64 per person, it’s a generous menu which will likely require a doggy bag. Starting with one of the best and fluffiest pita breads in town, accompanied by a spiced tomato dip and creamy hummus, you’ll move on to smoky blackened aubergine with tahini and pomegranate molasses. Other highlights include chickpea panisse with green harissa; wood-fired leeks with sweet potato dumplings; and tender stem broccoli dressed in miso and sesame. Save room for dessert, a sticky treat of medjool dates, black treacle, baharat chantilly and crumble.
Located in a grade II listed Lutyens-designed building, Cord, by Le Cordon Bleu, is the first fine dining restaurant in London by the famed culinary arts institute. Founded in Paris in 1895, Le Cordon Bleu occupies a unique place in the history of culinary arts as one of the oldest and most prestigious cooking schools in the world. The focus remains on innovation so the vegan tasting menu here is both beautifully presented and creative. Highlights include black truffle shiitake, sourdough, and black garlic; globe artichoke with tarragon and mustard seeds; caramelised celeriac and for dessert, 70% Guanaja chocolate delice with caramel sorbet.
Founded by British chef Stevie Parle in 2017, this friendly Italian restaurant aims to serve pasta that's both affordable and very tasty. Every morning, the skilled team makes fresh pasta by hand. For vegans, there is a “green menu” with a delicious range of pasta dishes including Slow Cooked Tomato Sauce, Basil, Casarecce; Aglio e Olio, Crusco Chilli, Parsley, New Season Purple Garlic, Linguine; and Courgette, Mint, Garlic, Chilli, Casarecce. And don’t miss the delicious starter, Aubergine caponata, tomato, olive, pine nut, raisin and mint. The quality of food and extremely reasonable prices is a winning combination indeed.
Gulai Daun Singkong Pete, a vegan dish at Toba, London
Toba
This authentic Indonesian restaurant that takes you on a journey through the diverse culture of foods and flavours that represents multiple islands in Indonesia. Bringing that authentic Indonesian spice, expect most items to have at least a little bit of kick. The vegan offer is decent with highlights like Gulai Daun Singkong Pete (kale braised in traditional thick coconut milk sauce with tofu, tempeh and sator beans) and Crispy Fried Tofu Stuffed in Vegetable, served with Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce.
Plant-based menus at Executive Chef Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon Club are always a joy. From chargrilled achari cauliflower with a Peshawari sauce to Kolkata “meat” style jackfruit curry, vegans are well catered for. There’s also a separate vegan tasting menu for £45 that includes Pani Puri – tangy potato in semolina shell, mint and tamarind water; Spiced aubergine steak, pumpkin chutney, masala peanut or Tandoori cauliflower with carom seed, coriander chutneychutney, Kale, quinoa and sweet potato kofta, tomato lemon sauce, saffron rice or Jumbo morels with spiced tofu, tandoori king oyster, truffled millet khichdi shiitake crisps. Dessert is coconut and tapioca phirni with mango passion fruit jelly.
Bancone has a great selection of vegan options including fried artichoke, romesco; chilli, garlic, parsley, spaghetti ‘alla chitarra’ and Cime di rapa, gnocchetti sardi, broccoli, pickled chilli. But the main reason to visit is for a vegan dessert that has been on the menu for two years by popular demand. The moreish dessert is a twist on a creme caramel is made with coconut milk, coffee and toasted buckwheat.
Launched by Samyukta Nair, with chef Rose Chalalai in June last year, KOYN Thai has become known for its unique take on traditional Thai cooking, inspired by Rose’s childhood in Bangkok, and also her years at her Paris-based restaurant, Rose Kitchen. Koyn Thai is hidden below Nair’s Koyn Japanese, which continues to reside on the ground floor of the Grosvenor Street location. Chef Chalalai’s green vegetable curry and warm grilled aubergine are both excellent vegan choices.
We’re talking all about what to eat and when to supplement!
New to veganism? Welcome to the club! While living a cruelty-free lifestyle comes with plenty to celebrate, we’d be remiss if we didn’t dig into nutrient adequacy on a plant-based diet. As you know, vegan diets are completely free from meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, honey, and other animal by-products. Non-vegans rely on these animal ingredients for nutrients, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t cruelty-free ways to meet your nutritional needs. Let us explain!
According to nutrition experts, appropriately planned vegan diets can be nutritionally adequate and health-promoting. But what does “appropriately planned” even mean? Well, it comes down to intentionally arranging your meals to include a variety of nutrient-dense foods containing important macro- and micronutrients. In addition, appropriately planned vegan diets may involve fortified foods and dietary supplements (such as Nu Pursuit’s plant-based essentials multivitamin) when necessary. Whether you’re a plant-based newbie or just searching for a dietary tune-up, we’ve got you covered.
How to Meet Your Nutrient Needs on a Plant-Based Diet:
1. Build a balanced plate
Ensuring that your diet is rich in nutrients starts by eating from all of the food groups. You likely were encouraged to eat your fruits and vegetables growing up, and we could not agree more. Opting for a good mix of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based proteins at most meals and snacks naturally allows us to consume a mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Consider this back-to-basics approach to be your dietary framework. But the effort doesn’t stop there.
Rather than choosing apples and chickpeas on repeat, branch out for the ultimate nutrient diversity. So this might mean meals containing apples and chickpeas one day, avocado and lentils the next, and berries and bean burgers to follow. We could keep going, but we’re sure you’ve got your own food combination go-tos.
Courtesy of Unsplash/Anna Pelzer
2. Eat the rainbow
Save yourself from a food rut while maximising your plant-based diet by choosing a variety of different foods each day. All foods, even those in the same food group, contain different nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Focusing on different colours can also be a good way to ensure nutrient variety. You’ve probably heard about eating the rainbow and we stand behind that approach.
While all nutrients are important, the specific nutrients of focus when following a plant-based eating pattern include calcium, choline, iodine, iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Luckily, these nutrients can be found in a variety of whole and fortified plant-based foods (identified below) and dietary supplements—you knew that was coming.
Nutrient
Vegan Food Source
Calcium
Fortified non-dairy milk alternatives, dark leafy green vegetables, calcium-set tofu, and calcium-fortified orange juice
Choline
Nuts, legumes, soy foods, cereal, and wheat germ
Iodine
Iodized salt and seaweed
Iron
Legumes, fortified grains, soy foods, dark leafy green vegetables, dried fruits, and cooking in cast iron
Vitamin B12
Fortified yeast products (e.g., nutritional yeast and Vegemite) and vegan meat alternatives
Vitamin D
Fortified non-dairy milk alternatives and mushrooms exposed to sunlight
3. Add fortified foods to the mix
Maybe you adopted a plant-based eating pattern with health at the forefront—and that’s amazing! While whole, plant-based foods are some of the healthiest choices around, there is a time and a place for processed foods, especially fortified processed foods such as iron-rich breakfast cereals, calcium-set tofu, fortified orange juice, and nutritional yeast (aka nooch). Not only are these vegan staples delicious and convenient additions to your diet, but they are also packed with the nutrients you need on a plant-based diet.
4. Supplement to support your diet
And speaking of nutrients, let us not forget about dietary supplements! It’s in the name, but these products can supplement where our diets may leave off. While with very careful attention, vegans can technically meet their nutritional needs from diet alone, certain nutrients including vitamins B12 and D, can pose a challenge—and these nutrient deficiencies aren’t ones to play with.
To prevent deficiencies, you can consider single-nutrient supplements or a multi-nutrient supplement to ensure your individual needs are met. Opting for a supplement is not a failure—in fact, it can be an easy and reliable way to ensure your body is getting what it needs to keep itself healthy. And there are many supplements designed specifically for vegans to consider—no need to sacrifice here.
