hong kong iii: gaia veggie shop

Despite having a Visa debit card which I had used just fine as a credit card all over Shanghai and Hong Kong, my hotel was unable to take an imprint of it and instead unexpectedly took a huge chunk of my cash as a security. As a result, by the time I hit dinner on my second day, I was running short of cash and reluctant to withdraw more. This is what led me to the Gaia Veggie Shop when I was in the area (visiting the flower market on instructions from Nan).



There is a review on Happy Cow that suggests that single diners be careful not to over order. I wish I had headed this advice. Pictured above is the pork noodle soup I ordered. It was super amazingly delicious, I was so happy to eat this. The mock pork was beautifully flavoured and delightfully crumbed, and the noodle soup had a hint of sweetness and I ate as much of it as I could. Towards the end, my Hokkien chicken finally came out (not pictured). It was okay, but there was no way I could eat more than a slice or two.

Gaia Veggie is a Cantonese Buddhist restaurant. There were no English speaking staff on the night I was there, but the menu is in Chinese with English subtitles and also has some handy pictures. It's a mostly vegan menu.

I loved my meal, and the service was fast though perfunctory, and I heard someone get in trouble for seating me next to the kitchen. The only problem I had was the tea and shoots which were given to me as I was seated, and were in fact secretly not free (10HKD).

Gaia Veggie Shop at the Pioneer Centre
Shop 135, 3/F
Pioneer Centre
750 Nathan Road

Get there on the MTR, Prince Edward Station (Not sure which exit, I actually walked up there from my hotel). Near the streets with the Ladies Market and the Electronics Market.

Accepts credit cards (min HK200).

hong kong ii: long man lou

Prevented from accessing Twitter in China, it wasn't until I was on the bus from HK airport that I was able to ask for any advice on where I should go. K was super insistent that I go visit Chi Lin Nunnery and the restaurant there, which is 100% Buddhist Vegetarian, and situated beneath a little waterfall.



Long Man Lou is inside the Nan Lian Garden, which is next to the Chi Lin Nunnery. I got up early and went for a wander through the garden, checking out all the pretty things and visiting the little exhibitions situation here and there throughout the garden. There is even a little rookery there!

I had been hoping for an early lunch, but alas it was not to be. The restaurant opens at 12 and not a minute before.



I ended up going for the four dishes banquet, which looked like a whole lot more than four dishes. I was worried about the excessive mushroom component but it was totally amazing. Service was lovely and the venue was very pretty, with the waterfall and things.

The menu is in Chinese with English subtitles, and a few of the staff speak English. There are technically no photos but I snuck this one so I could show you how lovely the food looks!

And it's such a lovely garden! Definitely visit the gardens and the nunnery even if you don't have time to visit the restaurant.

K's review.


Long Man Lou - Chi Lin Vegetarian [ 龍門樓 - 志蓮素齋 ]
Nan Lian Garden
60 Fung Tak Road
Diamond Hill

Get there on the MTR, Diamond Hill Station, exit C2. You have to walk the winding paths of the garden to get there, it's about a ten minute walk through the garden but it's nice and flat. Acceps credit card. Long Man Lou has a 85HKD minimum spend, which is easy to meet. My meal cost 88HKD.

hong kong i: late night takeaway snack from three virtues vegetarian restaurant

My flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong was delayed for two hours, putting me in HK much later than I thought I'd get there. As a result, by the time I checked in to my hotel and oriented myself, it was late and I was hungry. Fortunately, marked on the map provided by the hotel was the nearby Three Virtues Vegetarian Restaurant, with handy late night takeaway window.



I know this picture looks unappealing! I promise it was a perfectly serviceable late night snack, ordered by me in Cantonese and eaten in my room with a bunch of grapes picked up from a nearby street stall. I was feeling pretty chuffed with myself!

Three Virtues also has a sit-down restaurant four floors up, but I was a bit too restless to give it a go.



Three Virtues Vegetarian Restaurant
Shop D 4/F, JD Mall,
233-239 Nathan Rd
Jordan

at Bowring St, Jordan MTR Exit C1; accepts CC. accessible via an escalator and a lift. the takeaway counter is on the bottom floor.

recommendations for shanghai and hongkong

I am going to Shanghai next week, and Hong Kong the week after, and I am starting to get really excited about it! So now I am looking for recommendations for food and things in those two places. In HK I'm staying on Kowloon (in Kowloon?), and in Shanghai I'm staying in a fancy boutique hotel right next to People's Square.

Have you been to either of these places? Do you have anything to recommend?

Also, has anyone purchased the Happy Cow iPhone app? I am considering it but I have such a mixed relationship with Happy Cow I'm just not sure! Advise me, internets!