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We decided to use this page for additional information as we get asked lots of questions and thought it might be a good place to start.
Some common questions we get asked and general information-
We had fun filming the other day for a programme called 'Gastronuts'. It was a programme to show children different types of food and one of the shows was looking at vegetarian foods. It was good to meet Stefan Gates and we are looking forward to the end of the year when it airs.
Are you part of the same restaurant chain as SAF?
This is a common question but we do not know how the confusion started. SAF is part of a European chain and we are an independant restaurant.
Do the staff recieve the service charge?
Yes. The service charge is distributed between the waiting staff and is added on top of their wages.
We are currently thinking about writing a book but it will have to wait till after Christmas. We have spoken to a publisher and he tells us that it is quite a lengthy process and could take up to a year to complete.
Who designed you website?
This is a common question. When we opened the restaurant in York we had many companies offering their services, all of which we refused. Out of the blue a letter arrived from a young man called James Carmichael who had been to our restaurant and liked what he saw. He had just finished university and had started his own business doing web design. We liked James and thought it would be good to give our business to a start up company. James and his wife Emi set up the site and also did the photography. As a point of interest this was James's first attempt at profesional photography and he practised on a packet of Bakewell cakes the night before the shoot. James and Emi also have a band called ExitProject of which Emi does vocals and we have one of their tracks playing at the restaurant. They are very busy with various web projects at the moment and have just moved offices for the third time in three years so business must be good. Here are their details- www.siteclick.co.uk and they can be contacted on 0845 0948405.
19/9/08
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DnzCxIWboio
11/9/08
We have found a good contact who owns a large potato farm and is giving us advice through the seasons on which potato varieties are the best for us to use for flavour and quality.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JYbvkVVRo2s
1/9/08
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XkfxjsxZM94
26/8/08
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=i9xTPxKGOAY
22/8/08
How often do you change your menu?
Rather than have a complete menu change we introduce new dishes on an ongoing basis. We do this so that regular customers have a varied choice and also because we follow the seasons. We try to keep some dishes the same as they are favourites. We have a chart from the growers at the farm, Secretts which we follow and it shows us the crops that are coming up and their approxiamate harvest date.
21/8/08
Do you do vegan dishes?
We are happy to do vegan dishes if requested although as we are a vegetarian restaurant we concentrate on vegetarian foods. It is a common assumption that because we are a vegetarian restaurant we also do vegan dishes but if people let us know when booking a table we are more than happy to accomodate them.
Why did you choose the name Vanilla Black?
There is nothing interesting about the name I'm afraid. We just wanted two words that were contrasting. Vanilla has a soft sound to it and the word black can sound quite harsh and we felt that the two words worked together.
Why did you move to London?
This is quite a common one. We had a restaurant in York but it was only 28 covers. We needed something larger and could not find anything suitable in York. We looked around the country and found that there was a lot of choice for premises in London. Some staff from Yorkshire have come to London with us.
Do you use free range eggs?
Yes we do and they are English. As well as the ethical reasons we find that they produce a good final product.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=47e9OVCJrYI
Is the restaurant completely vegetarian?
Yes including our cheese, wines and beers. We work with our suppliers to make sure that products are suitable for our purpose and are of good quality. Generally this does not seem to be a problem but it does sometimes limit our choice.
Why did you choose the location?
We wanted to be as central as possible and not too close to the 'chains'. Some people have found us a little hard to find so we have put directions on our website. We also wanted to be close to a tube station and Chancery Lane tube is about a 4 minute walkaway. We are also about a 25 minute walk away from Oxford Street and these are some of the factors which made us choose this site.