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Good Food hat15/20Critics' Pick

Vex

Updated ,first published

Vex’s light, bright dining room.
1 / 8Vex’s light, bright dining room.Supplied
Fig leaf mousse.
2 / 8Fig leaf mousse.Christopher Hopkins.
Lightly soured musque de provence pumpkin, chestnuts, kohlrab and Geraldton wax.
3 / 8Lightly soured musque de provence pumpkin, chestnuts, kohlrab and Geraldton wax.Supplied
Stockbrot (twist bread) with creme fraiche.
4 / 8Stockbrot (twist bread) with creme fraiche.Christopher Hopkins
Afternoon sunlight dances across the room.
5 / 8Afternoon sunlight dances across the room. Supplied
Hanger steak.
6 / 8Hanger steak.Christopher Hopkins
Panisse with spring garlic, creme fraiche and salmon roe.
7 / 8Panisse with spring garlic, creme fraiche and salmon roe.Christopher Hopkins
Vex Dining fills a former Westgarth cafe.
8 / 8Vex Dining fills a former Westgarth cafe. Supplied
Good Food hat15/20Critics' Pick

Vex Dining

Contemporary$$

High Street haunt doing the most with minimal meat.

There’s absolutely nothing to be vexed about here, unless perhaps you’re an obligate carnivore. Vex’s not-quite-but-almost-entirely plant-based offering is as artistically inventive as the post-punk classics on the record player, and just as invigorating. Parsley root skewers with horseradish might sound ludicrously spartan, but in fact they’re a revelation: flame-kissed and spikily addictive.

Delicate slivers of glazed celeriac are sandwiched with a paste of capers and served over buttery puy lentils and caramelised radicchio. Your switched-on waiter will shepherd you through the deeply cool wine list packed with interesting varieties.

A velvety and aromatic roussanne feels destined for a memorable plate of quick-pickled pumpkin backed by chestnut emulsion and crisp kohlrabi ribbons. Don’t skip the stockbrot, a German campfire bread cooked on a stick over coals, paired with intensely smoky sunflower seed butter. It’s so good, you may order seconds.

Best for: Appreciating plant-based eating through a chic new lens.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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