‘Vegan Is The Future’, Says UK Sushi Restaurant As It Launches Weekly Plant-Based Days

A Japanese restaurant in Brighton has launched a weekly vegan event offering discounts on special plant-based options.

MOSHIMO says its Vegan VVednesdays (which take place every Wednesday) are ‘a celebration of all things vegan’.

Customers will receive a discount of 25 percent (50 percent for MOSHIMO Members) on all plant-based food from a special menu that changes weekly.

‘Classic and authentic’

MOSHIMO Co-owner, Nicholas Röhl, told Plant Based News: “Our menu has been inspired by the tradition of ‘Shojin Ryori’, the predominantly vegan cuisine found in Japanese Buddhist monasteries.

“In addition, we have also made use of plant-based meats in some of our dishes to recreate a more classic and authentic taste for the modern palate.”

According to MOSHIMO, it hired a number of vegan chefs to help create the plant-based menu.

The food

The menu includes classic Japanese vegetable-centric dishes such as Hijiki Seaweed & Carrot Salad and Pak Choy with Tofu. VBites pork features in the popular Vegan ‘Pork’ Teriyaki kozara.

The chefs have focused much of their attention on the sushi. “We’re using Vegan VVednesdays to help us develop new vegan sushi, encouraging our chefs to become really creative with the menu,” said Röhl.

Popular options so far include teriyaki marinated cucumber nigiri, rainbow pepper hosomaki, vegan ‘eel’ and cucumber temaki, and vegan ‘salmon’ nigiri. Röhl says the vegan crab stick is so authentic that non-vegans have said they can’t taste the difference.

Sustainability drive

MOSHIMO, which is known for its Fishlove? photographic campaign to end overfishing, began promoting vegan dishes in 2010 as part of its drive for more sustainable eating.

Since 2011, the restaurant has been running the annual ‘Great MOSHIMO Vegan Challenge’, an event which sees 10 of Brighton’s top chefs come together to compete to create the best Japanese-inspired vegan food.

So popular that it sells out within 48 hours, it has become a highlight in the city’s event calendar, and has won MOSHIMO the prestigious PETA ‘Proggy’ Award for the promotion of vegan eating.

“Vegan food is the future,” said Röhl. “There’s such an enormous interest in it that we’re considering putting on more Vegan Challenge events throughout the year.”