Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant @ Little India

I finally went to Gokul after MUCH persuasion by my sister sunnietart and gwennie who assured me they serve really good non-indian cuisine as well! And here finally a post on an Indian restaurant!So one of the nights I finally went with sunnietart and my cousin. Gokul is one of the few vegetarian places that do not contain Eggs, Onion and Garlic in their cooking, so everything on the menu can be ordered! However, I believe they do have milk in some dishes or drinks like the mango lassi which I totally adore.

Restaurant Front

*Picture taken from Crystal's Blog*

Has 2 shop spaces located on the ground floor of a shophouse.

Mee Rebus

This was highly recommended by gwennie as she loved the mee rebus here. Perhaps I had really high expectations when it comes to mee rebus as I have not found any alternative to the one at Ubi. I find this mee rebus so-so only. Wasn't fantastic, but it was still okay. The only ingredient here was the multiple pieces of beancurd and lots of noodles. I find it rather expensive.

Indian Rojak

I missed the indian rojak a lot from Nan Pu Tuo (Geylang) and there isnt much veg indian rojak places in Singapore. Hence I wanted to try out this. Wasn't too bad, the sauce was okay in comparison. Portion however is big and we almost couldn't finish it! It comprises of Fried Beancurd, Veg Yam Roll and Flour Balls. Not exactly a healthy dish since its all deep fried.

Tahu Goreng

It is not recommended if you order both indian rojak and Tahu Goreng together as you may suffer from Beancurd Intoxication like I did! I was getting tired of Beancurd after my 5th or 6th piece of beancurd, regardless of the different sauce. It was a nice presentation though. The sauce was really thick and the chef was really generous with peanuts. A good dish on it own.

Kambing (Mutton) Soup

Sunnietart's favourite soup! Im never a fan of kambing soup due to its strong flavour of tamarind powder and spices. Anyway she loves it and I guess she is missing it dearly now.

Chicken Rice

I was rather surprise that they even have "Chicken Rice" in the menu! Cousin ordered this as we read from the forums that this was good! I quite like the rice as it was quite fragrant, the best was the chili, really spicy! Chicken was the usual veg mock meat that we can get frm most veg suppliers.

Murtabak (Mutton)

I've always been wanting to try murtabak as the one sold at zi zai was a total disappointment. This was so good that cousin finished 6 out of the 9 pieces! Its basically flour wrapped with mutton curry within. Crispy on the outside, chewy meat on the inside. The curry was acceptable in my opinion. In addition, there are many other fillings available like sardine, chicken etc for you to choose!

I will surely come back to try the rest of the dishes.

Location: 19 Upper Dickson Road, Singapore 207478.

Tel: 6396 7769
Opening Hours: 10.30am - 10.30pm (daily)

Lao Yu Kee Vegetarian Health Food Stall @ Bugis (老友记)

Sometimes my colls & I will travel to bugis for lunch and we would eat at the newly renovated Hawker Centre which is located right beside the Fu Lu Shou Complex.

There are 2 vegetarian stalls in this hawker centre itself and I would usally eat at this stall. Both are equally crowded if you go on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month as many people usually eat there after prayers at the temple nearby.

Noodles & Dishes $2.50

One of the days I packed this back to the office to eat. The dishes are pretty okay, but cold.

The stall also sells popiah! In addition, they do have various tze char dishes like fried mee sua, hor fun if you want something hot and not the usual mixed vegetables rice.

Popiah $1

Not the best i've had, but I'll still go for it as its cheap!

Location: Queen Street, Blk 270 Albert Hawker Centre, Stall# 01-75, in the middle lane

Opening Hours: Till 8pm, daily, closed on day after the 1st and 15th of lunar month

Bangkok - Ethos Vegetarian Vegan Restaurant

I was shopping and eating and massaging in Bangkok in March right before the riot started. It is a pity as many tourists are avoiding this island of smiles for a period of time now. Anyway, the previous times I went to Bangkok I did not really travel out of Busy Pratunum area and Platinum Mall as I was busy shopping the whole time! Luckilt this trip was planned in a more relaxed manner where we could try out more food places that were displayed in the happy cow web.

Ethos is quite a cool vegan & vegetarian restaurant with free Wi-fi, an internet cafe, travel agency, massage services and quiet ambience. It is located in an area called Khao San Road that is really popular with backpackers as many of the budget accomodation are located here. I was pretty surprised that there are quite a lot of vegetarian places in this small area alone. On the road that Ethos is located, there is another vegetarian outlet - May Kai Dee.

Anyway Ethos serves a quite a range of food ranging of Thai food to western cuisines.

Entrance of the Restaurant

Not a very big place but definitely cozy. Should be able to sit at least 40 pax. I guess there was also a second level which I did not manage to go up and take a look.

Simple Menu

A simple menu which doesn't have any pictures. Hence it was up to our own interpretation and imagination of how the dishes would turn out. There was also a section in the menu teaching people simple thai language tips on vegetarianism. We ordered a total of 4 dishes, a soup and dessert for 4 pax.

Tofu three flavours 80 BHT

Nicely presented, this tofu is basically Deep Fried Tofu served with Spicy and Sour sauce. I didn't quite like the texture of tofu in Thailand in comparison to the tofu we have in Singapore, as the tofu tastes harder. This tasted just okay in my opinion, as the spicy and sour sauce was too special for me to remember as well. In addition, it was mentioned as 3 flavours, which I think refers to Sweet, Sour and Spicy. Anyway, for the price, it is considerably cheap. The conversion rate is 1SGD: 22BHT.

Tom Yum Vegetable Soup 85 BHT

The only time I drank a really traditional Tom Yum soup was from Yuan Yuan Thai veg which is in Singapore. Hence i was looking forward to this as I finally get to drink Tom Yum Soup in Bangkok! Sadly, this didnt taste as nice as it looks. I was expecting it to be "VERY spicy" as what it was written in the menu, but this was far from being spicy, as it was almost tasteless to me. I reckon it was due to the fact that this place is patronised mainly by foreigners instead of asians, hence the spicyness was not there. Nonetheless, the amount of ingredients used was appealing.

Spaghetti with Meatball

The meat balls were made from chickpea flour mixed with grated vegetables and spices and deep fried to serve with spaghetti in rich tomato sauce. Gwennie said the meatballs wasnt too bad but I thought the spices were too rich in taste. Spaghetti was just okay in my opinion.

Fried Rice with Mixed Vegetable & Tofu 80 BHT

Rice cooked was 100% organic. Pretty nicely presented with lots of pine nuts and sunflower seeds as garnish. This fried rice didnt taste too badly as it was full of vegetables. One thing that came to mind was that most thai places in Bangkok do not serve mock items as their main ingredients and most food are prepared using fresh vegetables.

Pad Thai 80BHT

Again full of vegetables and ingredients. Was ok especially with the spicy Chili powder and peanuts. Wasnt a dish that sunnietart liked as it was full of beansprouts.

Banana Dessert

It was the dessert that saved the day! I couldnt remember the name of this dessert but It was served hot. Bananas served with hot coconut milk and cereal on top. This was really tasty but fattening at the same time.

*the finally satisfied faces*

Location: 85/2 Tanao Road, Banglumpu (Near Silver Shops, Behind Burger King)

Tel: 022822748

Opening Hours: 8am - 11pm daily

Website: www.ethosnet.biz

Zen Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant Singapore *Relocating in Progress*

*Zen is relocating. They sent me an SMS, so they will let us know where the new location is. If you love Jap food, go to Herbivore, located inside Fortune Centre, its under the same owner.*
I first got to know the opening of this new Japanese vegetarian restuarant through the vegetarian society website. Newly opened for just a week, this restaurant is strategically located in the "vegetarian heaven" of Singapore, Bugis. In my earlier posts, I've mentioned that Bugis has close to 12 Vegan or vegetarian stalls and restuarants to date, all are within walking distance. I believe it is also because of the famous Kwam Imm (Godess of Mercy) Temple which is located nearby that led to the vegetarian boom. This new Japanese setting definitely has a strong competitive edge in this area.

Exterior of the Restaurant

Located on the 2nd floor of the building. Fairly easy to spot and its the only veg. place in this building.

At the Door

Simple posters pasted on the door.

Interior of the Restaurant & Kitchen

The interior of the restuarant follows a contemporary modern style with a zen feel, where the seats are white and decor is simple. It should be able to sit close to 70 pax. The partitions are quite high which does provide some privacy. I like the open kitchen concept as it does makes us feel like the Japanese eatery style.

Menu

It is indicated that no Alcohol, Eggs, Onions and Garlic on the first page of the menu. Also, it has included a verse from Gandhi :" The Greatness of a Nation can be Judged by the Way its Animals are Treated".

They serve quite a range of dishes ranging from hot soups to side dishes, salads, noodles, hotpots as well as Japanese sets. The names of the dishes are also written in Japanese. Sunnietart and I ordered a Jap Set each.

Japanese Green Tea (Ocha) $6

I'm used to drinking "powdered" or tea bag form green tea, hence was a little surprise when this came with fresh tea leaves. It is actually brown rice green tea, hence is different from the usual green tea bags you can get from supermarkets. In addition, they also allow hot water refill, hence quite worth the price.

Tonkatsu Set $13

Sunnietart ate this Tonkatsu set as she likes the Pork Cutlet. We enquired and found that this "meat" is not brought from veg. suppliers but totally made my their own chef. It has a unique taste that has a little resemblence of our veg. nuggets. Tastes crispy on the inside and chewy within. The homemade BBQ sauce also managed to enhance the taste further. This set consists of the cutlet, rice, miso soup, salad served with sesame dressing, steam veg (pumpkin, lady fingers etc) , pickles with seaweed and fruits. Considered a big portion if you are a small eater.

Unagi Don Set $14

I ordered this Unagi Don Set as I've always been dreaming of eating this since my colls are avid fans of the real Unagi. Unagi refers to "eel". Im surprised as the outlook of my fish really does look like the real version! This is definitely suitable for people who are not into the soy-protein made mock meats as the fish is totally tofu made. It is a fresh tofu mix spread on seaweed and creatively grilled with their homemade sauce. Tastes soft (no bones!) and goes really good with rice! The set also comes with the same side dishes as the Tonkatsu Set. I personally loved the salad as it comprises of raddish, lettuce and seaweed topped with sesame sauce.

Ganmo (Tofu) $6

This was the only side dish we ordered as they ran out of salmon sashimi. Basically 2 tofu balls pan fried and served with soy sauce. It tasted the same as my unagi, and I personally felt the price doesn't justify.
All in all, I was very satisfied and full after finishing everything served. I would definitely return again to try other food items. In addition, I really enjoy looking at the nice presentation of the dishes. Recommended if you are a vegetarian who is willing to try all kinds of vegetarian food. Do go with a open mind and be reminded this is fully vegetarian.
Location: 122, Middle Road #02-02, Midlink Plaza
Tel: 6883 1586 - do place your reservations on weekends.
Opening Hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6pm - 10pm

Shanghai - Hao Niang Niang Vegetarian Restaurant (好孃孃素食馆)

Apologies for the late post. Justice&equality, here's any restaurant I went to when I was in Shanghai then. Its located in the "Hong Kou" district. Nonetheless, there is phamplets available for you at the Shanghai Expo to let you know the vegetarian places in the city area. However if you do travel out of the city, you may need to search online for more. This restaurant I went to was in the dianping website as I was staying in one of the 3 star hotel there. It is located directly opposite the CBD area (Lu Jia Zhui).

Went with Bro Xun one of the nights.

Veg Sausage with Beans CNY 26

It is always better to look at the pictures before you order, as the english translate of the dish doesnt describe the dish correctly. Again, it features my favourite sausage of all times. Sadly this was a tad too oily.

Spicy Chicken CNY 28

I wanted something spicy and hence ordered this dish. Goes really well with rice.

The exterior of the rest. I guess the only bad point is that it is not near any MTR stations, hence you may need to take a cab there.

Location: No.108，Zhapu Road，Shanghai

Tel：021-63092098

Opening Hours: Till 9pm daily