Bonsai Plant Kitchen is an innovative and exciting restaurant in East Sussex that showcases South-East Asian foods that are all-vegan and plant-based. Having started as a small pop-up in a pub kitchen, the restaurant has come a long way since they opened in 2020 and now they’re decorated award winners and even sell their own products, of which represent the brand’s values as a vegan-Asian restaurant with their Bonsai Sake, Bonsai Lager, and Korean Ketchup.
Reinventing vegan food, carnivores and meat lovers will not feel dissatisfied with Bonsai Plant Kitchen’s incredibly-rich and hearty meals. The plant-based restaurant infuses a meaty BBQ flavour to some of their foods by cooking on a traditional bincho grill using premium Japanese coal. For this flavour combo, we recommend trying their celeriac skewers with apple and Chinese 5 spice butter. With a deep respect for the gastronomic tradition of South-East Asian cultures, Bonsai Plant Kitchen chefs use traditional methods, as well as locally sourced Sussex ingredients, to make their delicious dishes. From small snacks that showcase the restaurant’s culinary direction (we recommend the housemade kimchi or the edamame, wakame and fennel salad drenched in ponzu dressing) to tempura (mango, mushroom karaage, cauliflower) and rice dishes, there’s something for everyone at Bonsai Plant Kitchen.
Indecisive? Couples or larger groups can opt for chef Dominic Sherriff’s Tasting Menu, which has a fixed price and contains a small plate, two mains from the grill, kimchi fried rice and two desserts.
Decorated with UV artwork, murals and hot pink neon accents, Bonsai Plant Kitchen is lively, vibrant and modern both in its food and its ambiance. There’s a private kitchen where you can watch platers complete your dish, and they have a cute, lonesome corner by the side of the restaurant that’s inspired by Tokyo’s hidden izakaya dens - it’s also heated so one can enjoy a quiet and relaxed dining experience all year long.