Fare MSG-free vegetarian dishes low in oil, salt and sugar from across China.
Ambience This comfortable teahouse is tucked behind a waterfall in the serene garden attached to the Chi Lin Nunnery. Although recently built, the garden is styled on Tang dynasty designs and a stroll through the park, with its carefully tended trees and serene ponds, evokes the feeling of being in an earlier age.
Cost About HK$100.
Who to bring Green-fingered friends and foreign visitors.
Turn-ons We enjoyed all the dishes we tried, especially the laver mushroom and beancurd casserole the waiter recommended. The steamed vegetable-filled bun (left) was soft and full of fragrant green veggies, while the cucumber with garlic was refreshing with its hint of chilli and sweet vinegar. The pan-fried turnip cake was moist and not heavy.
Turn-offs The braised eggplant with yan nim (a small, sour fruit) was very much like a popular non-vegetarian dish, eggplant with salted fish and minced pork, but the vegetarian version lacked flavour.