The Veggie Table: Beijing’s Vegan Center
Posted: January 31st, 2012 | Author: LumDimSum | Filed under: Foodies & Dining Scene | Tags: Barolo, Bespoke Beijing, Biteapitta, Chinese New Year, dessert, Laura Fanelli, organic, Ritz-Carlton, The Urban Edit, The Veggie Table, vegan | 2 Comments »
The Veggie Table has been at the top of my restaurant hit list for some time now, but you’d be surprised how difficult it is to convince meat eaters to try a vegetarian restaurant! Considering The Veggie Table is purely vegan and about as organic as you can get in Beijing, you can imagine why it took me so long to find a fellow foodie to finally dine with me at a vegan restaurant!
While some may be turned off by words like “vegan” and “organic”, I am very much curious to find out more and always eager to turn towards a more health-conscious diet. And just the name “Veggie Table” is friggin’ adorable. I love their logo and the restaurant itself is very casual and cute with a strong hippie vibe. So I’m being very honest when I say that before even setting foot in Veggie Table, I had high hopes for this restaurant to really live up to its claim as “Your vegan center in Beijing”.
Veggie Table’s Bar and Dessert Counter by the Entrance
Some of you may have seen my previous post of Veggie Table, where I left sorely disappointed and very much frustrated with their lack of customer service and how poorly they handled the situation, but in spite of this negative first impression, I also left with a piece of fresh, out-of-the-oven carrot cake that was so good, it relinquished all prior frustrations as forgiven.
So that leaves me to my next dining experience at Veggie Table, where I treated my vegetarian friend for his birthday dinner here. Just after Chinese New Year, the place was buzzing and vibes were really good. The dining space has a high ceiling, comfy couches and lounge chairs to add to the laid back vibes. While we happily picked a table by the window, we immediately noticed that everything (especially the window sill) was covered in a layer of dust, our table was unstable and rocking back and forth throughout the dinner and although it’s a great space, it has not been well-kept since it opened just last year. That being said, it’s nothing a thorough clean couldn’t quickly fix.
Veggie Table’s Interior Dining Space
Since we came just after the Chinese New Year holiday, their menu only offered a limited selection since their owner/chef Laura Fanelli was not back from holiday. So unfortunately, I didn’t get to test out a friend’s recommendation to try their “stink out” burger, but we did work our way through the majority of their menu! We started off by ordering a bottle of red – a beautiful Italian wine, 2003 Giovanni Rosso from Barolo at RMB 888, which is surprisingly high considering the high-end Italian restaurant Barolo in the Ritz Carlton sells this same bottle of wine for under RMB 800. I have a soft spot for hot alcoholic drinks, so I ordered a hot mulled wine (RMB 30) and was very much disappointed to find it both bitter and harsh. Every time I took a sip, it stung the back of my throat and I pretty much gave up half-way through the cup.
2003 Giovanni Rosso from Barolo (RMB 888)
Of all the dishes we ordered, the Hummus Spread (RMB 28 for small/RMB 38 for large) was good, but very mediocre and certainly not “the best in Beijing” as their menu claims. I vote Biteapitta’s hummus to be much better than this one. The chunky meat-free chili made from organic beans (RMB 25) was full of flavor and a perfect winter appetizer. The Beet Salad with walnuts and prunes (RMB 22) was one of the highlights of our meal, in addition to the Shiitake Mushroom Burger (RMB 62) served with potato wedges and delicious, light coleslaw. Both the Dal Bhat, Indian lentil curry (RMB 65) and Vegetable Curry (RMB 60) were both very disappointing. The lentils were bland and the vegetable curry had a strange sour taste and we couldn’t make out if it was supposed to be more like an Indian or Thai curry, but nothing we were familiar with. Then again, I guess vegan food is in a genre of its own so it may be difficult or unfair to compare it to anything else.
LumDimSum Snapshots of Dishes at The Veggie Table:
Ajvar Dip with Eggplant and Onions with Pitta bread (RMB 28) / Small Hummus Spread (RMB 28)
Chunky Meat-Free Chili Soup (RMB 25) / Beet Salad (RMB 22)
Dal Bhat, Indian Lentil Curry (RMB 65) / Vegetable Curry with Organic Brown Rice (RMB 60)
Shiitake Mushroom Burger with Potato Wedges and Coleslaw (RMB 62) / Sun-dried Tomato Organic Pasta (RMB 60)
Many of the dishes we ordered turned out to be quite a hit or miss. And unfortunately the same applies to their desserts. After already being in love with their carrot cake (RMB 30), I was eager to try the rest of their dessert menu. The edges of the Glazed Chocolate Bundt Cake (RMB 30) was a little bit dry, but the inside was still very moist and it was a very rich and delicious cake considering there is no butter, egg or dairy at all!
On the other hand, the Chocolate Fondant (RMB 35) took 40 minutes to come out after we ordered it and it was still completely liquid, so we sent it back to heat up a bit longer. When it came back with better consistency – warm cake with a melted middle, the taste was still totally off. Instead of it tasting like chocolate, it really just tasted like wheat bread dough. I can’t tell you how strange it was to eat chocolate cake that tastes more like wheat bread. This was officially the first time I ever left a dessert unfinished. Not sure if it was just a flop because I can’t imagine that this would have turned out so strange if they’ve already totally nailed both carrot cake and a rich, chocolate bundt cake.
Glazed Chocolate Bundt Cake (RMB 30) / Chocolate Fondant (RMB 35)
Click here for previous LDS Article on Veggie Table’s amazing Carrot Cake:
Vegan Carrot Cake (RMB 30)
Other Reviews of Veggie Table:
Review of Veggie Table: On the same street as The Vineyard – 19 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区五道营胡同19号; Tel: 6446 2073
Best Part:
- The restaurant prides itself on serving a purely vegan and mostly organic menu.
- Very much impressed by their desserts considering there is no butter and no eggs! Chocolate cake was good, but I’m kind of in love with their carrot cake.
- Atmosphere is very casual and low key with a strong hippie/hipster vibe going on.
- I highly recommend their Beet Salad (RMB 22), Mushroom Burger (RMB 62) and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta (RMB 60)
- Delicious fruit smoothies and juices.
- They also have an extensive list of organic wines and even a special winter drinks list include a Hot Apple Pie Cocktail and a Hot Chocolate with Rum, etc.
- Just knowing that everything is vegan makes me feel like I gained a few extra karma points that day.
Comments:
- The bathrooms are outside and they are typical public hutong bathrooms – smelly and freezing cold (in winter). One bonus: The Veggie Table does have a sink with soap and paper towels inside the restaurant though.
- Service had a very aloof attitude which came off both slow and unfriendly. Dishes came out very slowly as well.
- Music was quite eclectic. Playing everything from Mongolian folk to Indian music, I think there was even some angry sounding Broadway music. Some of it was lovely (I love Amadou & Mariam, but majority of the music played was distracting, quite odd and not appropriate dining music to be perfectly honest.
- Although the restaurant decor is unique and the vibe is chill, the restaurant itself is quite dusty and in dire need of a deep cleaning. I just hope their kitchen is more hygienic! (bit of a scary thought)
- Menu seems to have decreased in size since the first time I visited Veggie Table. Now there are no pizzas and a smaller selection of burgers. But maybe this is just temporary until owner/chef Laura Fanelli returns from holiday. I would be keen to try their pizza and I’m still dying to try their “stink out” burger!
- Many of the menu items were a hit or miss and very much over-priced for what you get. While we loved the Beet Salad and the Mushroom Burger, the hummus was mediocre and certainly not “the best hummus in Beijing” as claimed on their menu. The Indian lentil curry was bland and the Vegetable Curry was sour more than it was spicy. And RMB 60 for this bowl of vegetables in a sour soup? This was the biggest rip-off of all.
- Surprised there isn’t more variety of vegetable dishes – fresh green salads or just simple veggie soups and hot dishes that don’t all have to pretend to be like meat. I would have liked to see more tofu on the menu.
- The bottle of red wine we ordered was priced at RMB 888, which is even pricier than the same bottle of wine at Barolo, one of Beijing’s most high-end and expensive Italian restaurants. I find that discomforting.
- I have a soft spot for hot alcoholic drinks, but was severely disappointed with their mulled wine which I can only describe as harsh and bitter to drink. I gave up half-way through.
- Restaurant is not open on Tuesdays and I hear their dinners are generally quite busy, so try lunch instead or book a reservation in advance.
Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)
- Food: 7
- Atmosphere: 6
- Service: 5
- Overall Experience: 6
