Appropriately, a new vegan restaurant has just opened near the Lama Temple, and it’s actually very good. The food is Western, rather than Chinese, but trust us when we say this is probably the most virtuous restaurant you will ever eat in.
Not only are no animal products used anywhere on the menu, but every aspect of this enterprise is completely green and sustainable. From the water filters on the taps to the fact that vendors delivering their produce in unsustainable packaging have been banned – owner Laura Lawless has thought of everything.
When we asked for ketchup we were told they didn’t stock mass produced Heinz goods, but instead made everything from scratch. We were promptly treated to their homemade mayonnaise instead.
Dishes we sampled included a surprisingly tasty beetroot salad with dates and walnut; a burger made of enoki mushrooms; an Indian-style dahl bat; some homemade hummus; and to finish, a chocolate cake that deserves awards for its deliciousness considering it’s made without any dairy products whatsoever. Hey we know we had a lot but we’re blaming that on our dining companion – Time Out’s Food & Drink Editor Lillian Chou.
And the ambience? The bright and comfortable interior is a tad more hippy than it is chic, but that seems to be the idea. Put simply, eat here and you’ll have good karma for at least the next year. The monks across the street would certainly approve.
The Veggie Table: 19 Wudaoying Hutong, Doncheng district (+86 10 6446 2073)