As it’s Vegetarian Awareness Month, we’re highlighting veggie eateries throughout October.
Mei Gui Yuan
188C G/F, Ki Lung Street, Sham Shui Po
Tel: 9128 0567/9018 0189
Grub: Hong Kong-style vegetarian buffet
Vibe: This is a small, clean and tidy restaurant with around 30 seats. The owner is friendly, and usually on hand to explain what the dishes are. If you haven’t been to this type of restaurant before, here’s how they work: you get a plate, pile it up with food yourself, and then clean up after yourself.
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Who to bring: Committed vegetarians, those interested in trying vegetarian Chinese food, or anyone who doesn’t believe that food that doesn’t contain animal products can be tasty.
What’s hot: Their fried food is delicious and crunchy – the best example is the fried dumpling skin, which tastes like potato chips.
Generally, the stir-fried vegetables aren’t overly oily or salty, which is a nice change.
If you like trying unconventional foods, there’s fish-less sashimi made of konjac, which tastes like nothing you ever had before.
When it comes to sweet treats, the osmanthus pudding is smooth and aromatic, the fried bun is tasty, and comes with osmanthus sugar syrup rather than the usual condensed milk, which is not vegan-friendly. Their usual dessert soup is red bean, and, refreshingly, it’s not too sweet.
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You don’t have to worry food getting cold or stale, or of getting bore as they regularly change and replace the dishes.
What’s not: There is a smaller-than-average range of dishes on offer. The food is very mildly flavoured, so might not appeal to those who like their lunch to pack a punch.
The seats are a little too tightly packed, making it difficult to move around to get food.
Cost: Prices range from HK$68 to HK$108 depending on the day and time of the day (takeaway is HK$29-HK$49). Full-time students (plus disabled people and the elderly) get a 20 per cent discount, children aged four to 11 are half-price, and toddlers aged three or under eat for free.