Vanilla Black – described as possibly “the best veggie in the North of England” in Harden’s 2008 guide – has closed its York operation, in preparation for a central London opening later this month.

The new site near the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) will include a bar as well as a restaurant, and is intended by owners to be the first of a number of outlets in the capital.

We hope the newcomer works out, but it’s a brave move. The area round the RCJ is pretty dead at night. And – perhaps because most London vegetarians feel they can do well enough in ‘ordinary’ restaurants – there are fewer specialist no-meat restaurants in London than one might expect.