Restaurant Review, Mangosteen: The rise of the plant-based diet
The popularity of veganism in the UK has significantly increased in recent years, alongside the rise of meat-free restaurants and plant-based alternatives.
According to Statista, UK consumers spent approximately £600 million on meat-free food items in 2020 — almost double the amount spent in 2016. In addition, it claims 4% of people in the UK are now vegans.
As someone who eats meat, I was intrigued to visit the popular Portsmouth vegan/vegetarian-based restaurant, Mangosteen, to see what this growing lifestyle has to offer.
Mangosteen promotes the use of local, sustainable and organic produce to create nutritious and delightful meat-free dishes.
The small restaurant has an intimate and relaxed atmosphere, which contrasts well with the strong spices and herbs within the food.
The experience started with a ginger, turmeric and orange shot. The waitress kindly explained that it contained a hint of pepper, giving it a powerful kick at the end and cleansed the palette.
I selected the butternut squash wellington, which was roasted butternut squash in a pastry lattice, alongside maple glazed parsnip and mustard pomme puree.
Whilst butternut squash was an interesting alternative to beef, the squash complemented the extremely light and fluffy pastry.
This is something I never would have chosen unless I was in a vegan restaurant, but the unique perspective of this familiar dish left me pleasantly surprised.
My friend decided on the Mangosteen Vegan Burger, a plant-based burger loaded with cheese, beef tomato, avocado, lettuce and homemade beetroot ketchup and fries.
The presentation of this meal was excellent, especially due to the bright green bun. The vegan meat tasted like normal beef, befitting for meat-lovers who can’t bear to replace their food with plant-based alternatives.
Mangosteen even had a selection of vegan alcohol, including a refreshing gluten-free vegan beer with light clover spices.
According to The Vegan Society, one in five Brits claimed they would go vegan under the right circumstances. With this lifestyle becoming more accessible each day, we can assume many more will begin making the change and give it a go.
