So head over to my profile, to see more info on the places and locations, etc.
WOJIA COURTYARD (WULINGYUAN)
After arriving in Wulingyuan I went exploring to find some food. I was hoping to find a decent meal and really load up my body before vising Zhangjiaije National Park the next day. I did a bit of local map search and this place popped up. The guy was super friendly and when I asked him about vegan options he was welcoming and said they could help. There was a small choice of options and I went for a tofu dish. I was really wanting to get some protein into me.
The meal did what I needed to it, and it had good flavours. The staff were all smiles and friendly, and the restaurant had a good vibe.
After the meal I also bought some stone fruits from the guy out the front.
Tang Shi Fu (Wulingyuan)
After the second day of walking around Zhangjiajie National Park, I needed something to eat. I went to this place that I had seen pop up on the maps but I didn’t actually read any of the reviews for it. I kind of wish I had and made another choice, but it was a big day and this is where I ended up. There wasn’t a lot of choice, but the the staff were friendly and helpful. I ended up ordering an eggplant and greens dish and a salad.
Ordering the salad was such a good idea. The eggplant dish was super oily and a real struggle but the salad really helped to lighten the oil load. I don’t know if I would of gotten through it without the shredded lettuce. This was one of those meals that was, it’s food, and I needed to eat something. It had a purpose, but I wouldn’t really recommend going here as a vegan.
A LOTUS ON THE WATER (CHENGDU)
WOW! I don’t know if it was because of my last few meals or what, but this was one of the best meals I have had. The flavours of this tofu and potato curry were amazing! It’s so nice when I manage to find a vegan restaurant. I can make do with what I can get sometimes, but in the back of my head there is always a “who knows what I am actually eating” voice and a slight resign to the fact that things aren’t actually up to my standard. So when I eat somewhere that is vegan, I do relax a bit more and maybe that also allows me to enjoy the meal more.
I even ordered desert here. I felt like a bit of a treat and wanted to try a desert. I had seen these bird nest looking deserts around so gave it a go. It’s a nice light, sweet pastry, that was warm and oh so yummy! I really would go back and redo this meal quite happily.
SANBEI SUXIN (CHENGDU)
During my panda volunteer experience I was chatting with my guide and of course we discussed food. When I mentioned being vegan, he suggested a hot pot place that he had been told about by a previous client. So I went and checked it out.
This was my first ever hot pot experience, and I had no idea what I was doing. Luckily the woman there was lovely and super helpful. For anyone else unfamiliar with the experience, you start by choosing your soup base (I went with a tomato base) and then you choose the things you want to cook in it to eat. I was all about loading up on the tofu, got some noodles, and some veggies. You then head over to the sauce bar – where you create your flavour concoction. This bowl doesn’t go into the soup, instead once your pot items are cooked you pull them out, dip them in your sauce, and eat it. So simple once you know what you’re doing, but so confusing when you have never had an intro to hot pot before.
During the meal the staff would come and add more liquid into the pot if needed, and you can adjust the temperature if you need to. This was a pretty successful first hot pot experience and I was grateful for the suggestion.
WENSHU MONASTRY (CHENGDU)
It was a Tuesday around lunchtime when I came here and it was pretty quiet upstairs. There was a buffet downstairs that was a lot busier, but I came upstairs for the restaurant, It was a bit tricky to locate the restaurant and I was coming for a feed before seeing a Face Changing show nearby. I chose the mapo tofu and some greens. It’s so tricky ordering sometimes when meals are made to be shared and you’re a solo traveller. The food was nice. The staff were friendly. The portions were huge and I certainly got a decent feed, I didn’t need to eat anything else for the rest of the day.
Sumanxiang Vegetarian Cafeteria (XI’AN)
Well this was certainly a game changer! This was the moment I discovered the buffet culture in China. There was so much to choose from and it was all delicious. I made it here in the last hour of opening hours. The staff were lovely. You pay at the front, it’s a set price and then you can fill your plate as much as you like. It’s an all you can eat style and for about $5, it was incredible. I actually ate here twice. I came back for lunch another day, and the woman who I dealt with at the counter on my first visit recognised me and said hi enthusiastically when she saw me, Which was really nice.
