Twelve chefs will cook vegan at MOSHIMO, and diners vote for the winner

Twelve chefs from Brighton and Sussex will cook plant-based dishes at MOSHIMO^1,2 this winter, the Argus³ reported, and the people eating them choose who goes through. The Great MOSHIMO Vegan Challenge has two heats at the Japanese restaurant in Bartholomew Square, on Thursday 19 November and Thursday 10 December.

Tickets are £48, with 120 seats per heat. That gets you a taste of every competing chef’s dish plus extra plant-based plates from MOSHIMO. Drinks are extra. Each diner scores every dish out of ten for taste, presentation and originality, and the three highest-scoring chefs from each heat go through to a Grand Final in spring 2027.

The challenge has run since 2010 and won a PETA award. Last year it sold out within 24 hours. You don’t need to be vegan: the restaurant says many guests, and some of the chefs, aren’t.

“This isn’t about vegan chefs cooking vegan food – it’s about challenging every chef in Brighton to show what they can do with plants,” Nicholas Rohl, co-owner of MOSHIMO, told the Argus. “Some of this year’s contestants have never cooked a fully vegan menu before.”

Doors open at 6.30pm, the event starts at 7pm and the winners are announced at 10pm. The evening isn’t suitable for anyone with a food allergy, as dishes may contain nuts, sesame, soy and gluten and can’t be changed on the night.