There’s never been a better time to vegan. Whilst it perhaps used to be a struggle when eating out, now you’ll be spoilt for choice, and to add to that choice there’s a brand new vegan restaurant set to open in Oadby. Not just any vegan restaurant either, this one is run by a Michelin trained chef.

Sanctua is set to open at 29 London Road, Oadby, and seats 40 people. The 100% plant based menu is the brainchild of Bindu Patel, who spent spells in the kitchens of Michelin-starred Gymkhana and Trishna restaurants and staged at Le Gavroche in London.

The menu will change regularly, using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients, as well as ‘wonky’ fruit and vegetables, helping to reduce food waste. 

The signature dishes set to star on the menu sound wonderful, from smoked seaweed crispy chilli cassava with a miso and lime vegan mayo,  to wild mushroom, lentil, spinach, mushroom and Guinness pie. Diners can also look forward to a platter of the week, featuring a selection of Eastern, Indian, Mexican or Italian dishes, as well as vegan wines and beers. 

From the lunch menu – Indian spiced chickpeas in a cooling “yoghurt” and dill mayo dressing, sesame sambaro slaw, quick pickled cucumbers, roasted charred red peppers, roasted red chilli pepper and sweet tomato ketchup, peppery fresh dressed cress, Avocado and chive butter all served in a toasted bagel.

Although the cooking is inspired by the best of several global cuisines, it embraces Ayurvedic principles from the earliest Brahman traditions of Hinduism. Ayurvedic cooking, where food is viewed as medicine, isn’t just about balancing tastes and textures, but is also about knowing which food combinations can cause issues such as indigestion and bloating. It also adopts the belief that overcooking through deep-frying or burning is believed to not only kill the food’s ‘spirit’, but also the taste.

So, is it only for vegans? Bindu is always sure to share her dishes with her meat eating friends before adding them to the menu. She commented, “I want people to eat my food because they really enjoy it. We’re not here to preach about lifestyles and animal welfare. Whether customers are fully vegan, ‘demi veg’, flexitarian, pescatarian or cutting back on meat consumption for sentimental, environmental, or health reasons, isn’t the issue – I want people to eat here because the really love the cooking.”

Sanctua is set to open in Oadby in February 2019.

 

 

By Food & Drink, Featured