Vegetarian food is, for some reason, hard to get right. In previous years I would have classified Peploes as one of those restaurants that fell under the category of 'lacking' for vegetarian options. Their only vegetarian offering being a tomato based, seasonal vegetable pasta.. not the most inventive. However I was seriously impressed during my last visit to the Stephens Green eatery. Myself and my sister were delighted to find a dedicated vegetarian menu comprised of three starters, and three mains. These were no average dishes either. We decided to choose a different dish each to make the most of the experience.
To start we had fried brie with a pesto and beetroot puree, and a crisp haloumi, aubergine, roasted squash and garlic yogurt lentil dressing salad pictured below.
For our mains we decided sharing was off limits. The starters took us by surprise completely and we were eager to see what was next! I chose the cepes risotto with black truffle and parmesan (yes truffle.. it was amazing!), she had the quinoa and squash burger with hummus, haloumi and sweet potato fries.
As if these weren't filling enough we ordered sides of creamy mashed potato (so buttery, so good) and orange, tomato, cucumber and avocado salad with almonds and yogurt - wow. I've never been so full of rich food in my life. As a vegetarian and a self professed foodie I was extremely satisfied.
After all of that good food no one was hungry for desert... but I couldn't leave a stone unturned. We ordered a cheese board and a white chocolate mousse with honeycomb ice-cream and a peach compote.
I would jump at the chance to dine at Peploes again, and I would urge you to choose it for your next special occasion. I felt that real thought and love went into choosing the vegetarian menu. It aimed not only to please, but to wow the Irish herbivore, and Peploes certainly succeeded.
