Veg-ging Out

A friend I met in Beijing two years ago was stopping through for a few days between her 4-month program abroad in Japan on her way back to the UK to continue her studies in Brighton.  Remembering she was a vegetarian, I did my homework and wanted to take her to a restaurant where she could enjoy Chinese cuisine without worrying about everything cooked in animal fat.

Pure Lotus Experience: With raving reviews everywhere, I was eager to check out this vegetarian hub run by genuine Buddhist monks.

Best Part:

• Dining was truly an ‘experience’ – from the moment we walked in, they sprinkle your hands with rose water, the décor is really phenomenal, the menus are giant picture books, the complimentary fruit was served in a basin with dry ice, and they gave us a lotus flower on our way out the door. Really a special experience, perfect to bring a vegetarian tourist. J
• Their Vegetable Hand Roll with Seaweed was fantastic (see photo here).
  

  Pure Lotus Veggie Hand Roll

• Complimentary watermelon for dessert, which was served in a big basin with dry ice, which was a very nice touch.  (see photo here).
  

  Watermelon Served in Dry Ice

• Ordered the ribs out of curiosity, very tasty, but definitely didn’t taste like real meat. Not sure why people say the taste of fake meat is ‘just like the real thing.’ I beg to differ.

• Highly recommend ordering a pot of tea – great selection and presentation
• Reasonably priced (about RMB 100 per person)

Comments:

• Given three giant menus that were beautiful, but rather than descriptions of the food items, there was a lot of philosophical jibberish  that made no sense. And when asked the staff to describe dishes or provide suggestions, they just pointed at pricier items.
• We asked to move to a different table, but wait staff said it was reserved, but table remained empty until we left (about 10:30pm).
• As with most Chinese restaurants, I recommend going with a minimum of three people so you can order more and get more variety in dishes.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 9
• Service: 3
• Overall Experience: 7