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Chain restaurant Wagamama has teamed up with Avant Garde Vegan – aka – Gaz Oakley – to launch a new vegan dish – which will roll out nationwide next month.
The Avant-Gard’n originally launched in just two restaurants last year – London‘s ‘Noodle Lab’ outlet as well as the Cardiff branch (Oakley’s hometown).
The bowl features BBQ glazed seitan, caramelized king oyster mushrooms and asparagus, sticky rice, edamame, spring onion, and carrot. It is topped with Oakley’s vegan egg made with miso-infused coconut and Sriracha Mayo.
Vegan cooking
“I’ve been a fan of Wagamama since I was around eight-years-old when my dad brought home a Wagamama cookbook, which also included a recipe video DVD featuring the Executive Chef Steve Mangleshot,” Oakley told Plant Based News.
“I really became obsessed with Wagamama from then on!
“Years later, to have seen them grow to such a well established high street restaurant is incredible, and to be able to do this collaboration and work with Steve is probably the pinnacle of my cooking career so far.”
Mind-blowing vegan food
“The dish we have created is mind-blowing and encapsulates my style and ethos,” he added.
“I really believe this dish will spark non-vegan interest in vegan food, having the meaty element in the seitan and of course including my vegan egg – but most importantly it tastes phenomenal.
“Over the past few years Wagamama has taken huge strides to enhance the vegan options and now has an extensive vegan menu. For it to go the extra mile and put the Avant-Gard’n on the menu is incredible for the scene.”
‘Unique and delicious offering’
“We truly believe in championing plant-based eating,” Wagamama Executive Chef Steve Mangleshot added. “Meat-free should not mean taste free.
“Rather than simply modifying existing dishes to make them vegan, we want to continually innovate in this area. We have a responsibility to keep introducing vegan items to the menu with sustainable eating become increasingly important.
“We loved the fact that the egg added a new dimension of flavour to the overall dish and was not a ‘gimmick’. With the expertise of Gaz I think we’ve created a truly unique and delicious offering.”
