Beijing Dining - Vegetarian Cuisine at Pure Lotus and King's Joy

[yflyer]

This thread is for j.iin and all readers on SQTalk who have an interest in vegetarian cuisine.

I have been travelling to Beijing frequently over the past 12 months or so, and one of my colleagues there is vegetarian. As a result, I have had many fine vegetarian meals in Beijing, which I believe most diners would really enjoy whether they were vegetarian or not.

Two restaurants my colleague brought me to were Pure Lotus and King's Joy. Both are top-end vegetarian restaurants, with wonderful cuisine and ambience.

However, the two restaurants could not be more different...

[yflyer]

Starting with Pure Lotus, this is a restaurant with a unique ambience...



It is probably also the Guinness Book of World Records holder for restaurant with the largest and heaviest printed menu. This solid, hard cover volume is more than 2 feet long with illustrations and menu items with flowery names like "Harmonious Qi Gastrodia As You Like It Vegetable"...

[yflyer]

A variety of teas is on offer, each with different taste and health benefits...



First course was vegetarian hand rolls which were seaweed cones mainly filled with salad, fruit and nuts.



Then came mock fish, which really gave the impression of fried fish...

[yflyer]

Then "fatty pork" which were really three layers of different gluten or tofu fused together, along with buns...



This was prepared to look like "lean meat", "fat" and "skin" in three different layers...not unlike the real thing...



Another "fish" dish, again tasting like fish but probably made from gluten/flour, tofu...



Braised eggplant with celery and other vegetables, in a spicy sauce...



A bowl of delicious soup / porridge.



Sweet dumplings...



And fruit for dessert...



Needless to say, everything tasted fresh and refined. And when you left, the female guests were each given a flower.

My last visit some some time in the middle of last year (2013), and some of the most recent comments on the web have mentioned a decline in quality and/or price increases. If this were the case, it would be sad because when I went, this place was at the top of it's game, and provided guests a great dining experience. If anyone has been there recently, do share your feedback and impressions.

[yflyer]

Another restaurant in Beijing which made an impression was King's Joy.



This place serves traditional/modern Chinese vegetarian cuisine in a modern setting.



Unusually for a vegetarian restaurant, this restaurant underplays the religous/buddhist aspects of traditional vegetarian cuisuine, and offers patrons the option of wine and alcoholic beverages to accompany the meal.





That said, the food would satisfy most vegetarian purists, including my vegetarian colleague.

[yflyer]

We ordered a set menu, which was served Western style, in individual portions.

I am no expert on vegetarian cuisine, and indeed half the time I had only the vaguest notion of what vegetables I was eating, but flavours were refined, elegant and quite delicious.

I am going to post the pics and mostly let them speak for themselves.

Appetiser plate...



Clear soup...





Tofu...



Sticky rice...

[yflyer]

All this was among the most delicious and refined cuisine I have eaten, but what really elevated it to the next level, was a simple rice dish to end the meal.



I eat rice almost every day as a staple, and love it in its various forms, whether it is Thai fragrant rice, Indian basmati rice, Japanese/Californian short grained rice, but this must have been one of the most perfect rice dishes I had ever eaten.

Individual grains with perfect texture, light and fluffy, with subtle vegetable flavours, that did not need any other accompaniment. In fact, any additional ingredient, whether meat, fish, shrimp or vegetable, would have detracted from the perfection of this simple rice dish. A perfect way to end the meal.

[yflyer]

After that, a couple of small desserts, subtle and not too sweet, with distinctly natural and Oriental flavours (i.e. quite unlike the flavours you get in Western desserts)...





And throughout dinner, a steady flow of high quality tea.



Incidentally there is also a separate room, adorned with antiques, for connoisseurs of Chinese tea to savour different varieties and grades of tea. We adjourned to that area after dinner for more tea, brewed the traditional way way, where the host attempted to educate the more ignorant among us (myself included) on the right way to enjoy the tea.

[yflyer]

There is also a small, intimate outdoor dining area as well, if the weather is right for it.

[yflyer]

So two very different vegetarian restaurants in Beijing, both well worth seeking out to try.

Here are address details:

1. Pure Lotus 净心莲
Address： 东三环长虹桥东角通广院内， TEL：65923627

2、King's Joy Restaurant 京兆尹
Address：北二环雍和宫大殿西，五道营胡同东端，TEL：84049191


Thanks for reading!

[Kyo]

Might have to give the second one a try, it looks rather deserted, however

(Am not a fan of mock meats. If you're gonna be vego, be vego!)

[yflyer]

Might have to give the second one a try, it looks rather deserted, however

(Am not a fan of mock meats. If you're gonna be vego, be vego!)

I'm not a big fan of mock meats either, but it is quite interesting to eat this style of vegetarian once in a while just to see how effective an illusion the chef is able to create...

Actually, Pure Lotus does "pure" vegetarian, as well as "mock" dishes. I find their mock dishes quite elaborate and more refined than your typical vegetarian mock meats, but you could also do very well ordering just the "pure" vegetarian dishes.

One other place (with a name difficult to translate) is:

木鱼缘
西城区华远街9号置地星座大厦5号楼，TEL：58518108

This is another high-end and refined Chinese "pure" vegetarian restaurant, with no mock meats in sight. Also worth trying...