Plates London: A Celestial Pioneer in Plant-Based Fine Dining

A Revolutionary Supernova in London's Vegan Cosmos

In my ambitious expedition to explore 50,000 restaurants across Earth's diverse culinary landscape, certain establishments transcend mere gastronomic achievement to become true landmarks of culinary evolution. Plates London, nestled in the creative nexus of Shoreditch, represents perhaps the most significant celestial breakthrough in London's plant-based universe—the first vegan restaurant in the UK to achieve the cosmic recognition of a Michelin star, fundamentally altering the gravitational dynamics of fine dining itself.

I navigated through East London's bustling thoroughfares on a crisp early spring evening, approaching the understated façade that reveals little about the culinary revolution occurring within. Having secured this increasingly sought-after reservation through strategic planning (bookings now disappear within moments of release), I arrived with stratospheric expectations that would be met and exceeded by the experience that followed.

The dining space, designed by Emma Shone-Sanders of Design & That, immediately establishes a unique atmosphere that moves beyond the conventional aesthetics of fine dining. Natural materials and earth tones create an environment that feels simultaneously sophisticated and grounded—reclaimed stone tables, recycled linen curtains by local artisans Hackney Upholstery Studio, and natural plaster walls incorporating buckwheat and hemp establish a profound connection to the plant kingdom that serves as both inspiration and ingredient source for the kitchen.

Most striking is the hand-crafted bar surrounding the open kitchen, made from repurposed felled London trees by Bristol-based furniture makers Mythology. This counter seating arrangement creates an intimate observatory from which diners can witness Chef Kirk Haworth's culinary artistry in real-time, establishing a connection between creator and consumer that feels genuinely meaningful rather than merely theatrical.

The Celestial Navigators: Kirk and Keeley Haworth

What gives Plates its distinctive place in London's culinary constellation is the extraordinary vision of siblings Kirk and Keeley Haworth. Their cosmic alignment of talents—Kirk's classical culinary training and Keeley's background in creative brand development and sustainability—creates a restaurant experience that transcends typical categorization to become something genuinely original.

Kirk Haworth's culinary journey represents a remarkable celestial trajectory. After winning North West Young Chef of the Year at only 17, he honed his craft in some of the world's most celebrated kitchens—The French Laundry, Restaurant Sat Bains, The Square, The Quay, and Northcote—acquiring the technical foundation that would later allow him to revolutionize plant-based cuisine. His personal transformation came in 2016 when a diagnosis of Lyme disease led him to embrace a plant-based diet in pursuit of health, forever altering his approach to cooking.

"I never really understood food the way I do now," Haworth has stated about this pivotal cosmic realignment. "The way I think about food now is completely different." This perspective shift manifests in a cooking style that doesn't merely substitute plant ingredients into conventional frameworks but rather rebuilds the culinary cosmos from first principles, with plants at the gravitational center rather than the periphery.

Keeley Haworth brings complementary cosmic energy as Managing Director, combining her background in nutrition, sustainability, and creative brand development to establish Plates as more than merely a restaurant but a holistic expression of a plant-based philosophy. Together, the siblings established Plates initially through pop-up experiences around London beginning in 2017 before opening their permanent Shoreditch location in July 2024—a launch that coincided with Kirk's triumph as "Champion of Champions" on BBC's The Great British Menu.

The Interstellar Voyage of Taste

My cosmic exploration began with the choice of a seven-course tasting menu priced at £75, a journey that would demonstrate the extraordinary range of flavors, textures, and techniques possible when plants become the primary medium of culinary expression rather than mere accompaniments.

The meal commenced with a gently warming kabocha squash and ginger soup with delicate potato dumpling and herb pesto—a dish that immediately established the kitchen's commitment to pure, clarified flavors without the need for animal products to provide richness or depth. The natural sweetness of the squash found cosmic harmony with the warming ginger, while the dumpling provided textural contrast that demonstrated the kitchen's technical prowess.

Next came slow-cooked leeks served with chestnut cream and a jalapeño-gooseberry dressing—a study in temperature and texture contrasts that transformed a humble allium into a dish of remarkable complexity. The leeks, cooked to that perfect point where they maintained structural integrity while yielding completely to the bite, served as a canvas for the nutty richness of the chestnut cream and bright acidity of the gooseberry dressing, creating flavor orbits that expanded and contracted with each bite.

A particular highlight was the house-laminated sourdough bread paired with cashew-based whipped butter enhanced with spirulina, fermented redcurrants, and winter spices. Far from an afterthought, this bread course represented a technical tour de force—the sourdough possessed a gorgeous crisp exterior yielding to a tender, slightly sweet interior with a texture reminiscent of a perfectly executed croissant. The "butter," though entirely plant-based, achieved a creamy richness that rivaled its dairy counterpart, while the fermented redcurrants provided crucial acidity to balance the richness.

The Deep Space of Main Courses

The primary courses continued this astronomical standard of excellence. A barbecued maitake mushroom with black bean mole, kimchi, aioli, and puffed rice demonstrated the kitchen's mastery of umami—that elusive "fifth taste" that provides depth and satisfaction often associated with animal proteins. The mushroom had been cooked with exquisite precision, its natural meatiness enhanced rather than masked by the complex mole sauce, while the kimchi provided bright acidity and the puffed rice added crucial textural dimension.

What distinguished these dishes was not merely their technical accomplishment but their conceptual originality—Haworth isn't recreating meat-based dishes with plant substitutes but rather developing an entirely new lexicon of gastronomy with plants as the primary language. Each plate represented a distinct statement about what's possible when vegetables, fruits, fungi, and grains are treated with the same respect and technical sophistication traditionally reserved for luxury animal proteins.

Throughout the meal, the kitchen demonstrated masterful understanding of textural contrasts, flavor development, and visual composition. Dishes arrived looking like abstract natural landscapes—colors vibrant but never artificial, garnishes purposeful rather than merely decorative, each element positioned with intent rather than affectation.

Sweet Cosmic Alignment: Desserts of Distinction

The meal's celestial progression culminated in a trio of desserts that dispelled any notion that plant-based pastry represents a compromise. Most memorable was Haworth's award-winning "A Taste of Unity"—the dish that earned him victory on The Great British Menu—a raw cacao gateaux served with sour cherry, coconut blossom ice cream, African pepper, toasted macadamia nuts, and raw caramel sauce.

Typically presented under a glass dome (though this theatrical element wasn't part of my experience), the dessert represented a masterclass in plant-based pastry technique. The gateaux achieved a texture both dense and somehow light, its intense chocolate flavor uncompromised by the absence of eggs and dairy, while the coconut blossom ice cream provided creamy richness without resorting to the sorbet default common in vegan desserts. The African pepper added an unexpected aromatic dimension that elevated the dish beyond mere indulgence to something genuinely thought-provoking.

What made these desserts particularly remarkable was their rejection of the fruit-sorbet compromise that characterizes so many plant-based dining experiences. Instead, Haworth has developed techniques that achieve the full range of textures and flavors associated with conventional pastry while remaining entirely plant-based—a cosmic breakthrough for vegan fine dining.

The Service Constellation

Throughout this interstellar journey, service operated with a calibrated balance between professionalism and warmth that perfectly complemented the restaurant's overall ethos. Staff demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of each dish's components and preparation techniques without veering into lecture territory, while wine pairings featured thoughtfully chosen organic and biodynamic selections that enhanced rather than competed with the food.

What distinguished Plates' service model was its genuine articulation of the philosophy underpinning each dish—explanations focused not merely on ingredients but on the thought processes and techniques involved in their transformation. This created an educational dimension to the dining experience that felt enriching rather than didactic, allowing diners to appreciate the considerable skill and innovation behind each seemingly simple presentation.

The Financial Dimension of Plant-Based Fine Dining

At £75 for the seven-course tasting menu (with beverage pairings adding approximately £45), Plates represents exceptional value within London's fine dining cosmos. The restaurant delivers an experience that justifies this pricing through the exceptional quality of ingredients, technical brilliance, and conceptual originality that collectively create a dining event of rare significance.

What makes Plates particularly compelling is its demonstration that plant-based cuisine can command the same respect and pricing as conventional fine dining without apology or compromise. In proving that vegetables can be the stars rather than supporting players in a gastronomic experience worthy of Michelin recognition, Haworth has shifted the economic paradigm for plant-based dining in a way that may have profound implications for the wider restaurant industry.

The Cosmic Verdict

Plates achieves a perfect 5/5 on my personal Cosmic Flavor Scale. What earns this stellar rating isn't merely technical brilliance or conceptual originality—though both are abundant—but rather the restaurant's transformative impact on perceptions of what plant-based cuisine can be. In a dining universe often segregated between "mainstream" and "vegetarian/vegan" categories, Plates transcends such divisions to establish plant-based cooking as simply excellent cuisine that happens not to use animal products.

Haworth himself captures this philosophy perfectly in his stated ambition to "get rid of the word 'vegan'" and focus instead on "flavor, excitement, and innovation." This isn't plant-based cooking as political statement or dietary restriction but rather as pure culinary exploration—an approach that attracts omnivores as readily as those who follow plant-based diets exclusively.

For the cosmic gastronaut navigating London's culinary constellation in my quest to explore 50,000 restaurants worldwide, Plates offers a singularity of excellence—a dining experience that fundamentally recalibrates expectations of what plant-based cuisine can achieve. It stands as compelling evidence that the most exciting innovations in contemporary gastronomy may well come from chefs who embrace creative constraints rather than relying on conventional luxury ingredients.

Location

Cosmic Flavor Scale Rating: 5/5

Address

3721 Single Street, Quincy, MA 02169

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