If travelling abroad and looking for something unique, do give these vegetarian dishes a try:

PURPLE POLENTA AT QUAY RESTAURANT SYDNEY
Back in September 2012, celebrity chef Peter Gilmore had the chance to visit the Mistura Food Festival in Lima, Peru. While there, he discovered a lot of exceptional ingredients that he had not seen before, counting purple corn, referred to locally as Kculli Corn. It is an Inca heirloom and in Peru, it is juiced and then consumed as a drink called Chicha Morada.

A few years down the line he was clever to track down some seeds and began to cultivate this corn in his garden for a couple of seasons. Once he accomplished to accumulate enough seeds, he organised for these to be developed on a bigger scale in Byron Bay. Over the past couple of years, he has used this corn as a purple polenta at Quay.HONEY AT ODETTE, SINGAPORE
An experience is what we look for when eating out, one that marks a memory, which in turn fuses an emotion. Winner: the foremost word that comes to mind as you saunter through the impressive doors with gentle tones and fresh art of The French DNA. It’s not so often that a restaurant has such an influence.

Over years of honest affiliations and truthful bonds with some of the best boutique producers worldwide, Chef Julien Royer entrusts to serve the greatest ingredients in their cleanest form. One such example is his signature dessert ‘Honey’, here the Honey is sourced from Singapore’s only local bee conservatory and served with Jivara & Valrhona Guanaja chocolate, toasted buckwheat cream, and pecan nuts.

KOUIGAMANN AT DANDELION CHOCOLATE FACTORY, SAN FRANCISCO
The facility at the small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate maker in San Francisco is open to visitors with fifteen weekly tours, chocolate classes, a to-go cafe and retail space and an elegant tasting salon called Bloom, for all-day chocolate indulgences.

Bloom is the perfect spot to comfortably sit and savour the seasonal menu of their kitchen team’s creative desserts, as well as chocolate-centric breakfast and afternoon tea. Go for the Kouigamann a sweet savoury pastry which is like delicious art! Whatever comes of the bakery, the chocolate here is surely the main focus. And for those who have lost themselves in a Dandelion hot chocolate, they know that’s certainly a good thing.

CELERIAC SHAWARMA AT NOMA, COPENHAGEN
It looks precisely like the actual stuff. Like a terrific, rotatory, giant leg moulded lamb shawarma. Piles of thin, substantial sheets bound collected in gorgeous greasy gee by the scorched juices. But it’s not past midnight and you’re not in the regretful act of late-night kebab binging.

You’re at Noma, one of the world’s most significant fine-dining restaurants, biting into a sliver of misleadingly shawarma-like celeriac. The celeriac shawarma pays tribute to the plant kingdom like no other. Noma has a vegetarian season every year and offers exciting varied additions each time.

VEG WELLINGTON AT ATLANTIS THE PALM, DUBAI
Joining the mission to inspire diners to eat healthily and consciously, Bread Street Kitchen & Bar offers a British-inspired range of dishes.

From the likes of Padron peppers, and truffle flatbreads to superfood salad, but the star is a vegan take on one of Gordon Ramsay’s favourite dishes: the celebrated vegan wellington served with a beetroot jus. Both contemporary and wistful, a multitude of earthy savours whirl together with their creamy pastry shell and give an experience one can never forget.

(Rupali Dean is a food & travel writer based out of Delhi)