After many months and many attempts, back in May I finally managed to dine at the wonderful Plates, plant based 1 Michelin star restaurant by chef Kirk Haworth.
He became known widely after winning a course – a plant based one! – on the Great British Menu, a show I love watching and through which I have discovered many cool chefs and restaurants throughout the UK.
Kirk opened in London about a year ago and immediately bookings went through the roof, and finding a table is as tricky as a Glasto ticket (so I am told). But seeing photos on social from those lucky enough to have bagged a table, I couldn’t wait to finally try Kirk’s food for myself.

I had found a Friday lunchtime table to share with my friend Nancy, also a fan of Kirk and the show in general. We were so lucky with the weather that the terrace – a lovely quiet courtyard just off Shoreditch High Street – was open and we decided to sit outdoor which was perfect. I properly fan girl’ed there while I was waiting for Nancy to arrive and said hello to Kirk himself, who was very friendly by the way.

Tasting menu at Plates

The menu is only on a tasting basis (7 or 8 courses) and is respectively £90 or £108 at lunch (current as of May 2025), and in my view, is worth every penny considering the level of sophistication in each dish and the taste of each bite.

The first course to arrive was a Wild garlic soup, potato dumpling, sour apple and buckwheat truffle, and I must admit, left us a little dubious – I think we just needed to adjust and prepare our palate for the incredible journey that was to come!

The next course was a brilliant mix of hot and cold, sour and sweet, smokey and dairy (yes you read it, dairy in a non dairy way): Amela tomato, house ricotta, sour gooseberry and frozen tarragon, accompanied by a Barbeque tomato broth. We had our initial ‘wow’ moment.

The sourdough bread and ‘butter’ came next, a mooreish and perfectly laminated croissant bread, with a whipped spirulina butter. It disappeared in no time, the crunchy layers of sourdough wonderfully buttery (buttery, yes).

The Jersey Royal potatoes, watercress, pickled onions, loquats,miso and yeast sauce, and wakame was perhaps the most complicated dish, so many textures and flavours and yet possibly my favourite,

With the next, we actually both had to confirm to each other we were eating plant based: the Caramelised lions mane with cauliflower cream, smoked shio koji, rhubard and fermented peppercorn sauce was mind blowing. The lions mane had been slow cooked in sourdough molasses and had the texture of pulled, or stewed, beef, it was meaty with a burst of umami paired expertly with the creaminess of the cauliflower to support that. Oh my!

Sweet finish at Plates

First we had a palate cleanser of mango and olive oil, small and packed full of delicious freshness.

I loved the first dessert course: Mint ice cream, chewy beets, sweet pea and kombu, although Nancy wasn’t too convinced: I loved the constrast of colours and textures, and the creaminess of the ice cream.

Finally, the dish that won Kirk the banquet place on the show, which unfortunately has now been decommissioned (but I am so glad we could try it!): Raw cacao gateau, sour cherry, coconut blossom ice cream, African pepper, toasted macadamia and raw caramel sauce. Rich, intense, proper chocolate flavours and not too sweet, so aromatically beautiful, it was a perfect end to our meal (sadly, the decaff coffee was not on a par with the rest but then it has nothing to do with the abilities of the chef).

Top marks also for the very cute crockery, the mini spoon on the pudding was my fave.

Overall, Kirk is a genius. What he achieves with solely plant based ingredients is out of this world. It’s not gimmicky, or processed – it’s pure magic and skills, whereby ingredients are challenged and pushed to their limits, or their best, rather.

I have used words like ‘dairy’ , ‘creamy’, buttery, ‘meaty’ because you do have to remind yourself you are eating plant based food, and the textures have nothing to envy to dishes made using animal derived produce; I am not vegan, but I have surely reduced my meat consumption, I don’t eat fish and I am so happy that I do not have to scan a menu to check for ingredients and ethical aspects of what I am eating, so thank you Kirk for creating such an incredible culinary experience.

It’s a journey of wonder and discovery and one I cannot recommend enough. If you can manage a table, of course.