My whipped jacket potato with crispy shallots, tomato syrup and Wensleydale cheese was essentially a bowl of rich fondue sauce to be eaten with a spoon. A main course of fried mushroom mousse with Pernod pancakes, whipped cider, fennel and butternut squash was a collection of chic, unctuous, inhalable items. However, by this point I was in dire need of some food that required chewing. There are no side dishes at Vanilla Black, which is a shame as when faced with a plate of salted and ash-baked celeriac and foraged garlic leaf with whey-poached celeriac, curd and elderflower cream, a large bowl of wild rice or simple mash would really break up the cacophony of warring veggie cleverness.
