(Eating) Like A Vegan

Pity the fools that still crack jokes about vegans. Plant-based food is everywhere, from white tablecloth fine diners to multinational fast-food chains. Thomas Gorringe, chef of The Gantry at Sydney’s Pier One, talks about why vegan and vegetarian tasting menus are a permanent part of his offering.

In a time when food and dining play a role beyond feeding and fuelling, more menus are shifting and shining lights on the produce that come from the ground. While the rise of vegan and vegetarian dining has been driven by social, ethical and political forces, the movement has more going for it than simply goodwill.

“It’s just more interesting as a diner,” says Thomas Gorringe, chef of The Gantry at waterfront Sydney hotel, Pier One.

For Gorringe, introducing a permanent vegan tasting menu when he took over the kitchen in 2018 was a no-brainer. Diners had become more informed and inquisitive and were eating with more of a conscious (both for their own well-being and that of the planet). Over the years, Gorringe had built strong relationships with suppliers and producers and wanted to showcase their produce.

A commitment to produce and producers is deeply rooted in Gorringe’s cooking approach. When he’s not in the kitchen fine-tuning a wintery truffle and hazelnut dessert or pine mushroom pierogis, he might be in the dining room, telling stories of the brothers behind Grima Bros who provide the restaurant with heirloom fruit and vegetables that underpin his menu.

“I love to be able to educate people,” says Gorringe. “When you know where something is from and understand its story, it gives food a sense of purpose.”

The Gantry’s isn’t the only restaurant thinking green. On a global level, former World’s 50 Best Restaurants best restaurant in the world Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan has shifted entirely to plant-based dining, while L’Arpege in Paris is another strong advocate for diners eating their veg. In Australia, restaurants offering diners thoughtful plant-based offerings is fast becoming the rule rather than the exception. Hospitality and looking after the guest aside, there’s also a practical element to this shift with travellers seeking out healthier, more balanced lifestyle choices on the road. Diners are also asking more of the places they dine as allergies become increasingly common (for Gorringe, the dairy-free components he employs in his kitchen can also be used to cater for intolerances) and eaters become aware of the fragility of food systems.

“The world is changing,” says Gorringe. “People are more informed and aware of the impacts on our climate of meat and dairy production so they’re looking for those more ethical and sustainable options.”

Preparing a vegan menu requires as much technique, thought and patience as any menu, something he learned from chef Brent Savage during his time in the Bentley kitchen.

“It’s nice to be able to show people that vegan food is far from boring,” says Gorringe who approaches fermentation and pickling with the same vigour he’d use for making a beef stock. “It’s fulfilling and it’s luxurious.”

For Gorringe, cooking within the vegan constraints has created challenges as well as opportunities. It’s shifted his perspective as a chef and made him think in new ways.

“Being out of your comfort zone gets you thinking about alternative methods instead of relying on the classics, or sticking to basic formulas,” says Gorringe who has changed his approach to seasoning food. “It makes you think out of the box, and new exciting techniques have come out of that, things I can apply to non-vegan cooking, too.”

Regardless of whether a dish is vegan or vegetarian, plant-based food has a starring role in today’s Australian restaurant landscape. It’s an important and delicious part of the conversation: a conversation that’s just getting started.

“The new younger generation of chefs are really embracing it as they’re coming through kitchens and pushing in new directions, and it’s really exciting to be a part of that,” says Gorringe. “People want to see more, the standards are higher, and I think that’s a really great thing.”