Dinings SW3 Announces New Plant-Based Menu for Spring

Dinings SW3 announce the launch of their new plant-based menu in collaboration with celebrated nutritionist Ian Marber, who has worked with Executive Chef Masaki Sugisaki to curate a thoughtful assortment of light and refined dishes this springtime.

One of the options on the Dinings SW3 new plant-based menu.

Available from March 2020, the new options will sit alongside the restaurant’s much-adored main menu of elegant izakaya-style sushi and artfully created Japanese dishes with a European twist.

Masaki is excited to be extending the Dinings SW3 repertoire with this new menu of nutritionally informed, plant-based dishes bursting with colourful and seasonal vegetables. The new offering is the next step in Masaki’s long-held endeavour for sustainability at the restaurant.

Dinings SW3 follow the Japanese mentality to have the utmost respect for ingredients and waste as little produce as possible.

For example, vegetable waste to create stocks and plant-based sauce bases – and any food waste is collected daily from the restaurant and composted and used on local farmland. The team also aims to reduce plastic, and unethical practices in their supply chain, as well as focus on sourcing locally according to the seasons.

Ian Marber has been a huge fan of Dinings SW3 throughout its 15-year history and felt Masaki’s ethos of serving simple, high-quality and expertly cooked food, made using sustainable ingredients, was a perfect fit. Having worked with new restaurants in the past, Dinings SW3’s established brand and menu offered Ian a new challenge.

While the restaurant’s seafood fare offers plenty of Omega-3 and Vitamin D alongside essential fats and fibre, Ian rose to the challenge of complementing Masaki’s menu for a plant-based diet with equally flavourful options. Offering a full spectrum of nutritionally balanced dishes, the menu is divided into options of Cold, Hot and Desserts.

The selection of Cold Shuko includes Chilled Bean Soup with Edamame, Peas, Wasabi, Soy Crema, Shojin Dashi Stock, Pea shoots & Chive Oil (£5.50), alongside a variation of a “Paper Thin Salad” with Heritage Carrots, Daikon, Radish, Japanese Cucumber, Pickled Green Tomato, Tosaka Seaweeds & Jalapeno Vinaigrette (£8.50) and a French Bean Salad with Soy Cheese, Tamari Seeds, Shallots & White Balsamic Miso Vinaigrette (£12) or served with Fresh Truffle & Truffle Oil (£3).

Hot Shuko options include Tofu Steak with Spicy Miso & Asparagus (£9.50), as well as Buckwheat “Soba-gome” Risotto with Shijin Dashi Stock, Truffle & Assorted Mushrooms (£19), or the lighter option of Cold Green Tea Soba Noodles – “Cha-soba” – with Wasabi, Spring Onion, Kizami-nori & Hot Mushroom Dipping Sauce (£11).

Finally, the new plant-based menu at Dinings SW3 is complete with a selection of Japanese-inspired desserts such as “Aisu-monaka” with Yuzu & Strawberry Sorbet and a Crispy Rice Shell “Monaka” (£6), and a plant-based Pavlova with Grapefruit, Fresh Wasabi Sorbet & Fresh Grapefruit.

Ian Marber comments, “I am delighted to be partnering with Masaki and the team at Dinings SW3 on what feels like a truly natural collaboration. Japanese food is inherently healthy, however often thought of as just sushi and sashimi, with some tofu added for good measure. Creating this menu has felt like a great challenge; not only to broaden my horizons, but also to expand the menu at Dinings SW3 and show their guests the depth behind what plant-based food can offer.”

Executive Chef Masaki Sugisaki adds, “I’m delighted to be working with Ian on this collaboration. I strive to keep Dinings SW3 evolving, from the way we cook, to our menus and the relationships we have with suppliers. This fresh, plant-based offering is the perfect way to keep our menu exciting, healthy and innovative, as well as sustainable.”