Vegan in George Town

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Jenny

George Town was listed as a must visit on every Malaysia two-week itinerary I looked at when researching our trip, so we added it to ours…and kind of wish we hadn’t! It’s mainly mentioned as a great source of street food, which is not really relevant for vegans. We found some tasty food in the restaurants, but were generally underwhelmed with the sights and found the street food totally off limits to us. Here’s the good food we did find…

Pinxin Vegan Cuisine

Nasi lemak

This is an all-vegan restaurant that we visited twice and got some variation of nasi lemak both times. The first time we both got rendang nasi lemak. The rendang was delicious, it had a good strong flavour and there was lots of tempeh, lion’s mane mushrooms, and (we think) some tofu. The accompaniments on the plate were good additions, with some good textures coming from the cashews and pickles, and some good flavour from the sambal. The rice was well cooked and the poppadum was a fun addition.

Nasi lemak with a saucy curry

On our next visit, Dr HH got the kurma curry nasi lemak. The curry sauce was tasty with a bit of chilli kick but nothing too spicy (according to him and his high tolerance levels!). There was plenty of tempeh and bits of mushrooms in the sauce.

Nasi lemak with a satay skewer

I got the satay nasi lemak. The satay skewer was made from lion’s mane mushrooms, so it had a great texture. The satay was good and nutty but didn’t pack the same exciting flavours as the rendang.

Two glasses of milky tea

We both had ice milk teas and enjoyed them, they were quite sweet and exactly what we were looking for. We ended up having quite a few of these throughout our time in Malaysia. I never usually drink iced tea, but these milky versions were truly excellent!

This restaurant was a big hit for us, the menu had lots of fun dishes we wanted to try, and service was fast and friendly.

Kommune Eko-Deli (The Habitat Cafe)

This little cafe is located at the top of Penang Hill, within the gift shop building at the back entrance of the Habitat (more on this below), outside of the ticketed area. If you enter Habitat from the entrance closest to the funicular and walk right the way through, you will find this when you exit through the turnstile, before taking the shuttle back to the funicular.

A curry puff

We each had a curry puff. The filling was well seasoned and fairly generous, and the pastry was good and flaky. It felt like it had just been heated up in a microwave because the pastry was a bit soggy rather than nice and crisp. But it was good, and I’d definitely have it again.

A slice of black forest cake topped with a cherry

We also tried a slice of cake each, I got carrot and walnut and Dr HH had black forest cake. Both slices were huge, we were thrilled! The black forest cake was quite moist and chocolatey, with good amounts of cream and fruit.

A slice of carrot cake

The carrot and walnut cake was really beautifully spiced and light. Generally, this trip to Asia was light on proper sponge cakes, so this was an unexpected delight.

Two glasses of chocolate milk with ice

We also got a couple of iced chocolate milks, which were not too sweet and very refreshing on a hot day.

It was a really welcome spot when we emerged from our walk, highly recommended if you’re going to Habitat.

Kommune Lebuh Victoria

This is a partner restaurant of the cafe above – this time, it’s a proper restaurant in the heart of town.

Courgette rendang

We both ordered the rendang with flatbread and we enjoyed the dish. Most of the rendangs we tried in Malaysia used tempeh or mushroom as the main ingredient, but this one featured courgette. The courgette pieces were well cooked and the sauce was nicely seasoned, but it didn’t really wow us. There were some herbs and bits of pickled papaya on the plate which added some different textures and flavours. The meal was tasty without being truly great and it may have benefitted from some more sauce. The flatbread was generally quite well made, but it was maybe a bit thick and I thought it tasted just a little bit sweet.

Fried mushrooms alonside rice crackers and a pot of sauce

We also got a plate of inche kabin. These were marinated and fried hericium mushrooms served with rice crackers and a tangy sauce. These were delicious! The mushrooms tasted great and had wonderful texture. The rice crackers and the sauce combined with the mushrooms made for a great bite with different textures and flavours.

Thin and small pancakes topped with melting white ice cream and passion fruit

We got lempeng for dessert. These were coconut pancakes topped with passion fruit, mango, and a scoop of coconut ice cream. I really enjoyed this, but Dr HH wasn’t so keen on the flavour of the pancakes. I wish they’d been a bit bigger, it was quite a small portion.

It wasn’t a total success for us, but I really liked the restaurant and what they were trying to do, so I would certainly visit again and recommend it for anyone visiting the area.

Lily’s Vegetarian Kitchen – Georgetown

This was a cheap and cheerful vegetarian spot, seemingly popular with locals. We sat down, looked through the menu, and then filled in the slip of paper indicating what we wanted. The menu labels with L anything that isn’t vegan. We took the paper up to the counter to place our order and paid in cash (they don’t take card) and waited for the dishes to be brought to us. There’s a self service station where you can collect cutlery, but there were no napkins unfortunately. They bring each dish to your table as it’s ready.

Satay skewers alongside a dip and cucumber

We shared the satay for starters. The satay sauce was delicious, with a bit of heat and ginger. The texture of the chickeny chunks was good.

A plate of thin noodles topped with chopped peanuts

Dr HH had the mee goreng, which was a noodle dish. It had some good peanuts on top, but needed something more for texture. The tofu and potatoes were good.

A plate of thick noodles, tofu and vegetables

I had the Penang char koay teow, which was fried flat noodles. The noodles were good and there was some fun tofu, but not enough for my liking. There was a bit of heat in the dish, but it wasn’t too spicy. Everything tasted slightly charred. This dish is a local specialty which was veganised at this restaurant. I tried to find out afterwards if it’s supposed to be a bit charred, but couldn’t really be sure.

It was cheap and pleasant, and I’d happily go back and try another dish.

Every Fresh Bar

This was our breakfast spot while we were in George Town. There’s a variety of bowls to choose from, and for each you can choose the base as yoghurt (not vegan), oatmeal (vegan), or smoothie bowl (vegan).

The first time we went there was table service. The second time we ordered using the QR code on the table. Both times we paid at the counter at the end of the meal. The WiFi password is on a piece of paper at the counter, if you need it.

A bowl topped with granola, fruit, and peanut butter

I had the tropical berry oatmeal and paid extra for peanut butter on top. It was topped with strawberries, banana, mango, blueberries, and grapes, plus granola. The oatmeal was warm and filling, and overall it was enjoyable.

A bowl topped with granola, fruit, and peanut butter

On our second visit, I had the mango banana oatmeal, with added peanut butter. It only had those two fruits on, which was fine by me. I’m not convinced by the mango and peanut butter combo, but it was still nice and I really wanted the peanut butter for added nutrients.

A bowl topped with granola, fruit, and peanut butter

Dr HH had the purple pitaya smoothie bowl and also paid extra for peanut butter on top. It had lots of purple dragon fruit on, making it extremely pretty. It was cold, refreshing, and enjoyable, with a generous amount of fruit.

A bowl topped with granola, fruit, and peanut butter

On our second visit he had the berries tropical smoothie bowl and also enjoyed it. There was a good selection of fruit.

Overall, it was a convenient breakfast spot. Neither of us is that into smoothie bowls or fruity oatmeal, so we were never going to be totally dazzled by the menu, but it kept us well fueled and seemed very popular with tourists.

Activities in George Town

Ornate buildings in the temple complex
An ornate gate with lots of golden statues

Kek Lok Si temple, which is the biggest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, was easily our highlight of George Town. It’s a huge complex of buildings with so many beautiful details to see. There’s also a nice view of the hills nearby and the city below. It’s well worth a visit.

Green trees and hills
A monkey eating on top of a sign

We also took the funicular up Penang Hill to visit Habitat, essentially a nature trail through some fun forest (you have to pay to get in). In truth, it was a bit underwhelming – we didn’t see a single bird, and parts of the forest walk were closed. But we did enjoy seeing this fun monkey, and the café at the end made it more or less worthwhile

A temple with incense burning outside
A small building on a jetty
Street art

We also took ourselves on a self-guided walking tour of the street art and main sights of George Town, but came to the conclusion that they were a bit underwhelming. There were some nice temples (burning the largest incense sticks I’ve ever seen!), but lots of colonial architecture which we are not really into, and then lots of tourist traps. To be honest, I wouldn’t hurry back to George Town. At least the food was good though!

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Vegan in Kuala Lumpur: Part Two

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Jenny

This post features a lot of dishes but only two restaurants! We had a couple of meals at two sister restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and tried quite a lot of dishes there. They both had fun menus with interesting veganised local dishes, which is very much what we were looking for as our trip came to an end.

La Gula by The Hungry Tapir

A croissant cut in half and filled with vegan prawns in a sticky sauce

We visited this spot twice for breakfasts – it’s not open super early, but it was fine for days when we had time for a lie in or a late start for travelling. On our first visit, Dr HH had the see-food sambol croissant. This had bits of mock prawns and konjac squid that were coated in batter and in a sweet and spicy sauce. This was all stuffed into a heated sliced croissant. It was an enjoyable dish, He liked the textures of the mock sea food, but didn’t think there was a huge difference between the two types. The croissant was good and flaky and a bit sweet. The whole thing was very tasty but just a touch too sweet. I was tempted by this dish, but knew it would be too sweet for me. I’m hoping to recreate the seafood sambol and serve it with something more neutral at home.

A big cooked breakfast

I was powerless to resist the LaGula big brekkie and it lived up to its name. The sausage was excellent, it was well fried with a good crispness to the outside and was delicious and meaty. The ricotta cheez we think was in a square croquette form and tasted very much like a smooth potato filling (it was tasty, but not really cheesy). The scramble was pleasant, not particularly eggy but it had a good texture and taste. The mushrooms were good, they were well cooked and seasoned. The beans didn’t really work very well, they were very heavily flavoured with dill and that didn’t really fit with that rest of the dish. Also, I hate dill.

A croissant sliced in half and filled with rendang

On our second visit, Dr HH had the rendang croissant and really enjoyed it. The rendang had loads of mushrooms and the sauce was creamy and flavoursome. The croissant was flaky and crisp on the outside. Of course it was a little sweet again, but by this point in our trip we were all in on rendang and had it at almost every meal!

A bagel with cream cheese, vegan meat, and the edges of a vegan fried egg, next to a pot of red sauce

I had the sunny days bagel, which contained a fried egg, ham, and cream cheese. I was worried the cream cheese might be a little sweet, but it wasn’t at all and didn’t overpower the other flavours. The meaty slices were excellent. I loved the texture of the fried egg, but wish it had a yolk and an eggy taste. It felt like it only really contributed to the texture. Overall, it was really delicious and I only wish it had been bigger!

A pink drink and a creamy oaty milkshake

On the drinks front, Dr HH had a mocktail, the cranberries, which he really enjoyed, it was fizzy, fruity, and sweet. I had the oat of this world smoothie, which is thick and tasty but could have been a bit colder. In general we were pleased with the drinks selection.

A slice of pie and pot of sauce
A sideways view of the pie and layers of meat visible

We also got a bit bag of takeaway loot for one of our travel days. The no bacon or egg pie was the highlight. It was a big hearty slice generously filled with lots of pastrami and cooked onions. We didn’t really get much of an eggy flavour or texture to it though, unfortunately. It’s a shame we had it cold as I’d really like to have seen how it was when warm and a bit crispier.

Two flaky croissants
Cheese poking out from inside the croissant

The Cheez sausage with croissant probably would have been better if heated too. The sausage was tasty but there didn’t seem like much cheese, maybe on heating and melting it would have seemed more plentiful. This was tasty but the filling was just concentrated down the centre so most of it was just plain croissant. Maybe it would have been better to be sliced and have the sausages put in more like a sandwich.

A croissant with a lotus biscuit on top

The biscoff croissant was good. The croissant is well made and flavoured, and it was sliced and filled with a layer of biscoff spread. (Apologies for the blurry photo.)

A croissant with the line of cream along the top

The almond croissant was similar, it had a sweet almond spread on top and inside along with lots of flaked almonds – it was a bit too sweet overall.

A pain au chocolat

The pain au chocolat was too bready and didn’t have a good pastry texture, unlike the other baked goods. There wasn’t a lot of chocolate filling so most of it was very dry. This was a bit of a let down.

A cinnamon roll

The cinnamon bun wasn’t great either. It could have been a bit flakier or crispier, but it was all very soft. The flavour of the filling had a bit of a strange taste so it didn’t work for us.

A slice of cheesecake with a thin biscuit base and lots of chocolate cream

Just when you’re thinking the sweet options here might not be that great – I also had a slice of chocolate mousse cake on one visit, which was basically a chocolate cheesecake. It was rich and delicious! I wish the biscuit base had been a little thicker, but no real complaints.

It was a really nice eatery, but we had one significant complaint which was that the music was too loud, at one point it felt like the bass was reverberating through my body. It’s not the experience I’m looking for during day time! Besides that, service is great and it’s a really light and airy spot.

The Hungry Tapir

We also visited this spot twice and really enjoyed ourselves. It’s owned by the same people, but has a different menu and is more of an evening spot – quite dark inside like a bar rather than a restaurant.

Battered mock chicken and a thick orange dipping sauce

We tried two of the sharing plates. The fried cheeken was really tasty – battered and deep fried oyster mushrooms. The batter was crispy and well seasoned for a good savoury taste. They weren’t really much like chicken, but they were excellent fried mushrooms.

Six chicken skewers, a pot of satay sauce, and some salad

The satay was also excellent. There were six skewers. The mushroom chunks were tender and succulent, and the satay was spicy and well seasoned without being too hot from chillies.

Folded flaky roti with a pot of dahl and sambal

We both loved the roti canai. This was the only time we saw a labelled vegan version of this dish during our two weeks in Malaysia, and I ordered it on both occasions because it was so good. The breads were perfect, really flaky and buttery. The sambal had lots of small pieces of tempeh in and was quite spicy. The dahl was well seasoned and quite mild. Our only complaint is that it was quite a small serving of dahl.

A pot of jackfruit curry, a pot of raita, and three lacy looking breads

Dr HH also tried the jackfruit roti jala, which was a bit disappointing. The breads were fine, but the net-like style meant that they were missing the flakiness. The coconut raita was nicely flavoured, but the jackfruit curry was underwhelming. Despite this one not quite hitting the spot, we still rate this restaurant really highly.

A square of brownie

There’s an extensive dessert counter, so I had the brownie which was rich and chocolatey but very much a cake rather than a brownie for me.

A slice of banoffee pie

Dr HH had the banoffee pie which was sweet and creamy. The caramel was especially good, but the pastry could have been crisper.

We reserved a table for both visits, just to make sure we got in – especially recommended for the weekend as it was busy on Friday evening. We thoroughly enjoyed this restaurant!

Activities in Kuala Lumpur

The Petronas towers at night

Like most visitors to Kuala Lumpur, we went to see the Petronas Towers. We didn’t pay to go in, but enjoyed the view from the street below.

A dinosaur exhibition

We also went to the Petrosains museum, which is about what you would expect from a science museum owned by an oil company! Online reviews suggested it was a fun destination for adults, not just for kids – but there were so many kids in that we couldn’t even get close to any of the hands-on exhibits, which is a shame. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone without kids, to be honest. But it’s a fun opportunity to learn about how great the oil industry is!

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Vegan in Kuala Lumpur: Part One

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Jenny

Malaysia was the last country we visited on our summer 2024 trip. We spent a few non-consecutive nights in Kuala Lumpur, in between trips to other parts of the country. Our meals were a bit haphazard – some Malaysian dishes, some from other cuisines. But generally, they were tasty!

Sala – Avenue K

A burrito sliced in half

On our first night we wanted something quick and easy close to our hotel, so we tried this place. Dr HH got a pulled jack burrito and enjoyed it. It contained BBQ jackfruit and well-spiced beans that gave a really good flavour. There was a good zingy flavour from the salads and sauces as well. Dr HH always complains with burritos that when you bite into the side with the hot fillings everything is nice and warm, but then the salad side is ice cold. Has anyone worked out a way to solve this? The crispy bits of fried bread on the side were a nice addition.

A bowl of red broth with noodles, tofu puffs, and vegetables

I was in the mood for something local, so I got the laksa and it was excellent. The sauce was creamy, spicy, and really well seasoned. It was a little bit too spicy for me, but Dr HH thought it was great as he slurped down my leftovers. It was well filled with lots of noodles, vegetables, and tofu.

Two slices of lemon cake with a thin icing flaking off

We got some lemon cake too and this was a bit disappointing. It wasn’t very lemony and the texture wasn’t great. It was a bit dry and not quite the sticky moist cake we were hoping for.

All in all, it was a fast food place in a mall and we got what we expected, more or less. It was a handy place for a late meal after being on the go for a while.

Kusa Japanese Vegan – Bukit Bintang

This is a stylish looking vegan restaurant with extremely attentive service and a fairly long menu of Japanese dishes. We didn’t necessarily want Japanese food in Malaysia (though there was quite a lot of it around!), but this was close to where we were staying and convenient.

Battered mushroom pieces

We shared a couple of starters, the popcorn mushroom and crunchy tempura. The popcorn coating was not very crispy, unfortunately, but it has some decent flavours from the mushrooms and seasoning.

A plate of tempura and pot of dipping sauce

The crunchy tempura was extremely lightly battered and did not appear to be seasoned at all. The dipping sauce was also extremely bland. It’s hard to mess up tempura, but they just about managed it.

A plate of noodles topped with a dark brown sauce alongside sliced cucumber and pickles

I had the jjajiang ramen, but my expectations were not met when it was served as a plate of noodles with mushroom sauce. The lighting in the restaurant was too dark for me to see in the photo in the menu that it was brothless. I should have paid more attention, but I didn’t even know that brothless ramens existed! The sauce was very tasty and absolutely packed with mushroom flavour, but it really wasn’t what I was in the mood for, unfortunately. I still cannot accept this dish as a ramen!

A thick yellow brown with noodles, broccoli, seaweed, and tofu

Dr HH had the kusa ramen, and was happier with his dish, which was an actual ramen with broth. The noodles were good. The broth was creamy and spicy, but really the chilli overwhelmed any other flavours. The toppings were fine but a bit unexciting and didn’t really add any flavours.

Overall, it was not really for us. It has consistently great ratings on Happy Cow, so perhaps we were just unlucky with some of the seasoning not quite being right on the day.

Minf Houze Vegan Cafe

This vegan restaurant is on the top floor of a quite small and slightly run-down mall. We were the only guests when we visited for an early dinner on a weekday, but it is well reviewed on Happy Cow so presumably business picks up later. Staff bring menus and an ordering slip (and pencil) to your table. You mark your choices on the paper, then take it up to the counter to place your order and pay. They bring the food to your table when it’s ready.

Chicken skewers with salad and a pot of satay sauce

We shared a couple of the snacks, and really enjoyed them. The satay Malaysia didn’t look too appetising to me with its weird strands, but actually the taste and texture were really good. The satay sauce was fantastic too, with a good nutty flavour and decent but not overwhelming chilli kick.

Dark rolls with a bright orange sauce

The fried vege yuba maki rolls were even better. The rolls were quite crispy and the meaty texture inside was great. We liked the occasional crunch of water chestnuts. The dipping sauce here was just ok, we preferred dunking them in the satay sauce.

Nasi lemak

For my main, I had the nasi lemak special, which was blue rice, pickled cucumber, roasted peanuts, mushroom bits, poppadoms, and some sauce, with a pot of potato curry on the side. It was a fantastic array of tastes and textures. Everything was nicely seasoned, but not too spicy. I would definitely order this again, and went on to order nasi lemak in other places at every opportunity I had!

A bowl of broth filled with noodles and pineapple

Dr HH had the asam laksa soup and was not so keen. It had pineapple in it, which he had overlooked on the menu, and it was quite a dominant flavour which he felt didn’t enhance the dish at all, unfortunately. The noodles were a bit overcooked. The fishy tofu was excellent though. Even though it wasn’t the dish for him, he said he would happily return and try something else.

This was our first proper Malaysian meal of the holiday, and overall we really enjoyed it. It really inspired us for the rest of the trip to come.

Activities in Kuala Lumpur

A colourful wall of the temple with a skyscraper emerging behind it

We didn’t spend too much time sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur, but we did take in a few spots. We visited the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, which was a nice change from the other places of worship we’d seen on our long trip. It was colourful and had lots of interesting details in the artwork.

An ornate dome

We also visited the Islamic Arts Museum, which was impressive. It was quite large so we ran out of steam a bit, but we enjoyed what we saw, especially some beautifully illustrated and written old texts. Again, it was quite different from the sights we’d seen earlier on our trip, so a very welcome change.

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Vegan in Hong Kong: Part Two

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Jenny

Alongside the multi-dish feasts mentioned in last week’s blog post, we also had some lighter bites, baked goods, and other treats. Here’s everything else we ate in Hong Kong!

Omusubi

While trying to find a quick and easy lunch, we grabbed a few rice balls to take away from Omusubi. There were just a few vegan options, which were clearly labelled.

A rice ball with chopped pale vegetables

First up was a Kinpira Renkon Omusubi. The first one had a mix of vegetables (lotus root, konjac, carrots) in a chilli and sesame sauce. The texture of the vegetables gave a nice crunch and the flavours were fine.

A rice ball with a leafy green filling

We also tried the Nozawana Greens and Soya Bean Mixed Rice. There were a couple of different textures in there from the greens and the beans, and it was fine.

We weren’t dazzled by the flavours of either of these, so I wouldn’t be rushing to buy them again, but they were handy for a convenient on the go lunch.

TREEHOUSE – H Code

We generally tried to avoid western food on our trip, but sometimes we just had to go for convenience, which is why we ended up at Treehouse, where we got a couple of sourdough wraps.

Green beans and mushroom poking out the top of a wrap

Dr HH got a large musella wrap. This promised spicy tofu with mushrooms, green beans, and a miso dressing. It was fine. The seasoning on the tofu was quite tasty, but not really spicy. The textures of the whole thing were pretty good. The sauce was okay, but not incredible. The bread was good, nicely crisped on the outside and a good thickness.

A wrap containing broccoli

I got a half sized snowdrop wrap. It was tasty, but it had lots of broccoli rather than the advertised cauliflower. There were tempeh and mushrooms which were tasty and added good textures. There was some excellent tender melty aubergines too.

Two wraps, tightly bound in their packaging

These wraps were perfectly fine but they didn’t really wow us with the flavours. Unless you’re desperate for some fast food or craving a wrap, I wouldn’t make a special detour for this place.

Maya Bakery & Bar

We were thrilled to find a mostly-vegan bakery with rave reviews – bakeries had been serving us very well on this trip so far! It turned out there was just one non-vegan item, and possibly dairy milk for drinks as well, so it is very vegan-friendly indeed.

A plate containing three pastries alongside two milky, frothy hot drinks

We got two things each for breakfast along with a milky drink and it made for a good hearty start to the day. Dr HH got a chocolate chip crookie and an egg custard tart. I got the chocolate croissant and the peanut butter crookie. Everything but the croissant were warmed up in the oven for us before being served.

An egg custard tart, flaky pastry with a rich yellow filling

Dr HH really liked the egg custard tart, which is something we think neither of us had ever tried before, either vegan or otherwise. He enjoyed the texture of the thick set custard, and it had a good sweet flavour. The pastry kept a bit of crispness which is good considering the filling.

A crookie that looks like a croissant, topped with a hard looking dark light brown shell studded with chocolate chips

He also tried the chocolate chip crookie, which was great. The pastry of the croissant was good and crispy on the outside and nice and light and fluffy inside. There was some generous filling inside and on top that made for a tasty treat.

A crookie that looks like a croissant, topped with a hard looking dark chocolate shell

The peanut butter crookie, which I tried, was similar. There was a layer of peanut butter and chocolate on top and good filling on the inside too.

A croissant half dipped in chocolate and topped with a line of chopped nuts

I also got the chocolate croissant, which felt a bit more like a bread than a pastry and wasn’t as good as the others. Maybe it suffered from not being heated up (everything else was served warm). There was a good generous chocolate layer on the top but no filling.

Happily, this spot continued our trend of finding excellent vegan baked goods on this trip!

So Coco

We were excited to see an all vegan ice cream spot, but a little disappointed in the range of flavours – besides two of them (passion fruit and Thai tea), they overlapped with the flavours we are usually able to get in other places, including Prague (pistachio, coconut, chocolate, matcha, salted caramel).

A plastic cup with two scoops of ice cream

We each got a double cup, I had chocolate and salted caramel. The chocolate was nice but not rich, unfortunately. The salted caramel was sensational, probably the best salted caramel ice cream I’ve ever had, with great flavour and balance.

A plastic cup with two scoops of ice cream

Dr HH had Thai tea and coconut. The Thai tea tasted like tea, but we weren’t sure where the Thai element came from. The coconut was fine, but a bit unexciting (our fault for choosing it).

Generally, the texture was nice and creamy, but we each had a couple of hard, icy spots in our scoops. With the underwhelming chocolate as well, this place fell a little flat for us. They did have an extensive menu of shakes and drinks too, so it may well be worth experimenting with it a bit more.

NUTTEA – Causeway Bay

A plastic takeaway cup filled with brown tea and topped with a thick layer of cream

We saw a lot of NUTTEA branches around the city, and were excited to give it a try. We were a bit overwhelmed by the menu and not sure what to order though. We both went for the earl grey tea with chocolate cream. When ordering, we were asked what ice and sugar levels we wanted, which are questions we are not used to when ordering drinks! In case you are similarly perplexed, “standard” is the option we went for and it all tasted fine.

Our first sip with a straw was just tea, which was quite dull. Once we gave it all a good stir, it was almost like a tea milkshake. The cream was so thick and decadent, it was really delicious. It was pleasant, but I’ll not be desperately seeking it out again in the future.

Activities in Hong Kong

The skyline viewed across the water at night

When we were not hiking around Hong Kong in blistering heat, we were taking in some of the big tourist hits, starting with the Star Ferry. This is basically a commuter ferry that runs all day, but it’s fun for tourists as well as a cheap way to enjoy the skyline and being out on the water.

Skyscrapers viewed from above at the peak

We got the tram up to the Peak, which offers this impressive view of the city. It’s a bit of a scrum trying to get onto the tram, and a total tourist trap up top, but if you can battle through to the viewing platform it’s worth it.

Terrapins swimming and resting on a rock in the park

We had a leisurely stroll through Hong Kong Park (where LockCha Tea House is located) and particularly enjoyed the terrapins basking in the sun and splashing around the ponds.

A traditional garden with city skyscrapers in the background

I’m a huge fan of Nan Lian Gardens, where Chi Lin restaurant is located. It has some really beautiful buildings, well-tended gardens, and the lovely contrast of traditional and modern.

Some of the golden buddha statues at the monastery, each in a different pose

We thoroughly enjoyed the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery (which neither has 10,000 Buddhas nor is a monastery), which has actually more than 10,000 statues of Buddhas in various poses. When you climb the hill, there’s also a nice view of the city. Beware though, we encountered a wild boar on the way up!

The big buddha statue viewed from a cable car

One of the big attractions in Hong Kong is the Big Buddha statue, accessible via cable car. It is indeed a massive statue. The cable car journey is terrifying for anyone with a fear of heights, but apparently very enjoyable for everyone else!

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Vegan in Hong Kong: Part One

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Jenny

I was really happy to spend a few days back in Hong Kong, where I lived for a couple of years in my twenties. I remembered it being a very vegan friendly place, because I used to attend Meat Free Monday get togethers with a huge vegan group, where the organisers would order loads of dishes to share at a different vegan friendly restaurant every week. We ended up revisiting a few of the restaurants I attended with the group back in the day. But sadly, I found that while there were lots of vegetarian options, a lot of restaurants were not super vegan friendly and not nearly as good at labelling the vegan options as they were in Taiwan.

Three Virtues

This is a big traditional restaurant with lots of dishes that can easily be shared. We got three main dishes to share between two of us and that was plenty of food.

Deep fried strips of mock fish, topped with scraps of batter and peppers

The deep fried vegetarian squid and cuttlefish shreds with spicy salt was probably the best of the dishes. The fishy bits had a good bouncy calamari texture, great crispy coating, and were well seasoned. The two types of fish on this plate were quite similar but you could definitely tell they were different.

A large vaguely fish shaped dish with a crispy skin sitting in a bright red sauce and topped with pine nuts and a few shredded vegetables

Sticking with the fishy theme, we also tried the fried vegetarian fish made with bean curd sheet and laver. I remembered Hong Kong being good for mock fish dishes like this. There was a flakiness on the fish and the skin had a good crispy texture. There wasn’t much fishy flavour though. The sweet and sour sauce was fine, it’s never going to be my favourite sauce but I enjoyed it. There were lots of pine nuts in the dish too for a bit more texture.

A plate of rolls with crispy skin and mock meat chunks inside

Finally, we had the deep fried vegetarian chicken roll in Fukien style. The chicken looked very promising and had a lot of exciting textures going on. Crispy pastry, crunch from water chestnuts, good chewy mushrooms, and a great mock meat texture on the chicken. Sadly, it didn’t really taste of much. Dr HH ended up slathering them in sweet and sour sauce from the fish as the dipping sauce that came with it was a bit insipid too.

Dishes using egg are clearly labelled on the menu and some dishes that use honey clearly state it in the name of the dish, so this was quite easy to navigate for vegans. We almost walked right past the entrance on the street – the restaurant is on the first floor, so it’s easy to miss!

Chi Lin Vegetarian

I always used to enjoy combining a walk around Nan Lian garden and Chi Lin nunnery with a meal in this restaurant. We made a reservation – the restaurant wasn’t super busy at 6pm, but did fill up quite a bit after that, and I believe reservations are always recommended. We met up with some old friends, so we were a group of four and ordered four main dishes and one side to share, plus dessert.

A hot pot of mushrooms and meat in broth

We ordered the braised porcini with “water ghost” bean curd casserole from the chef’s recommendations section of the menu. I really loved all the mushrooms and tofu in this, and it tasted delicious.

A big dish of yellow noodles with vegetables

The Singapore noodles were not very spicy at all, to my surprise. They were standard Singapore noodles, not mind-blowing but perfectly pleasant.

A small pouch made of bean curd skin alongside a piece of broccoli

The braised bean curd patty filled with enoki mushrooms was tasty. There were four little parcels in the serving. They were generously filled, but a little tricky to bite through. There was some broccoli on the side of this dish too.

A dish of soft looking aubergine and mock meat in a sauce

Our favourite dish was the braised eggplant and wheat gluten with sweet and sour “Yan nim” sauce. The eggplant was cooked perfectly so it was nice and tender. Usually I don’t enjoy sweet and sour sauce, but this was really flavoursome and well balanced.

A plate of baby bok choy

We also got a side dish of bok choy, which were pleasantly small and tasted fine.

A steamer containing four pieces of gelatinous looking striped brown cake

The steamed brown sugar and ginger cake was really tasty and not at all what I expected when my friends suggested ordering it! It’s not a sponge cake, it’s quite gelatinous in texture. The ginger taste is so strong, it’s got a really great kick to it. I loved it!

The menu is in English and staff were attentive and helpful. There were quite a few dishes on the menu that I’ve never tried before, so it was a fun opportunity to try something a bit different. There’s no vegan labelling on the menu, you just have to hope that only the dishes that obviously list cheese/egg in the menu are non-vegan, or ask the staff for clarity.

LockCha – Admiralty

We had a good meal at LockCha but were frustrated by the lack of clear labelling. There were a couple of symbols that popped up next to some dishes but there was no key explanation of what they were. A small number of items clearly said they were vegan but the vast majority said nothing. Some things had egg or cheese in the name so we knew to avoid those. We found an online menu on Deliveroo which had more things labelled as vegan so we generally used that as a guide. After guessing our way through some orders, the staff had a look over and confirmed everything we ordered was vegan but we would have much preferred a clear menu rather than having to guess.

A bean curd roll stuffed with vegetables

The food was worth the effort though! The bean curd rolls were excellent. They had a good crispy outer and were well filled and flavoured.

Two slices of fried taro cake with a crispy brown top and visible chunks inside

The fried taro cakes were also great. They had a bit of a potato like texture with some good crunchy bits in there too, again the seasoning was very good. These were our favourites and we ordered extra plates of each of these. I loved all the taro we got in Taiwan and Hong Kong!

Two dumplings with a wrapper and open top, topped with black truffle

The Shao Mai with black truffle were very good. They had a good meaty texture and and were well flavoured. The truffle on the top was a good addition and there wasn’t too much of it – I’m not a big truffle fan.

Two big fluffy buns

The fried mushroom bun had a good soft texture and a nice bit of crispness on the outside. The bun was a bit sweet and the flavour of the filling didn’t really shine through – my permanent complaint about this kind of bun, I don’t know why I can’t resist ordering them!

Two fried dumplings

The fried dumpling had a meaty filling and generally tasted better than the mushroom one. We were also given a vinegar sauce to dip these in which I think would have been welcome earlier to be able to dip other things into as well.

A steamer containing two pale and flat looking dumplings

The steamed lily bulb dumplings were a bit bland and isn’t something I would want to order again. It sounded so exciting and unusual that we couldn’t resist trying it, but it’s possible that there’s a reason lily bulbs aren’t a big feature on many menus.

A steamer with two gelatinous looking pieces of striped dark brown cake

And inspired by the previous night, we got some steamed ginger cake to finish. This was tasty but not as good as a similar one we had at Chi Lin. I’m on the lookout for a recipe that will help me recreate this at home!

We got some Lapsang Souchong tea to drink too which we both enjoyed. It has a good smokiness to it and went well with the food.

Overall, it was a good meal. Not everything really hit the heights we were hoping for, and the menu labelling was perplexing at best, but the good stuff was very, very good!

Kung Tak Lam – Tsim Tsa Tsui

This was our favourite place we ate at in Hong Kong. The menu was quite extensive and all of the dishes we tried were a hit and well seasoned. We were meeting another friend there, who took the lead with the ordering, and we shared all the dishes between three of us.

A platter with five components each containing a different dish

The five fortune cold platter was a lot of fun. There were a few cold noodle and salad bits that were fine. The silken tofu was nice and slippery. The mock meat was cold and slightly sweet, but went nicely with the edamame and black fungus. The crispy bits in the middle had a fantastic crunch and intriguing sweet and spicy sauce.

Six crispy cutlets

The soya bean/pork fillets were really meaty with a good crisp coating. The black pepper sauce on the side was thick and delicious.

A dish that is shaped with a fish complete with face and scales

The fish looked really spectacular – after I took my photo, the staff sliced it up for us at the table. Sadly it didn’t have a particularly fishy taste or texture, like in Three Virtues. Both cases seemed to be style over substance to me, which is a shame when there are some quite easy ways now to mimic the rights flavour and flaky texture.

A hot pot filled with chestnuts, mushrooms and mock meat in a sticky sauce

The braised vegetarian chicken with black mushroom and chestnuts in casserole was good. It had a good helping of mushrooms. The meat bits felt like a chopped up veggie sausage to me, rather than a nice chicken chunk, which was a bit of a shame. But it was tasty.

A dome of rice speckled with green and topped with pine nuts

The fried rice with seaweed and pine nuts was really tasty, perfectly seasoned and with a nice crunch from the nuts. I keep meaning to recreate this one at home, as it seems fairly straightforward.

This branch has really impressive views of the harbour, and it’s definitely a good spot for tourists. The menu is in English and clearly marks items that contain eggs or dairy. Staff were friendly, and service was quite fast. Again, I would probably recommend reserving a table in advance to be on the safe side.

Activities in Hong Kong

A view of sea and green hills and the beach from the Lamma island trail

Despite the continued high temperatures and humidity, we committed to a few outdoor activities, with my two favourite hikes from when I lived in Hong Kong. The Lamma Island family trail was a quite short and not too strenuous walk across the island – the climb isn’t particularly tough, but the heat and exposure made it quite hard going. Still, we enjoyed the views very much.

A view of sea and hills from the dragon's back hike

The Dragon’s Back hike on Hong Kong Island was longer and tougher, but actually more enjoyable. Again, the climb wasn’t too bad at all and the views were really spectacular. We set off early enough that the sun wasn’t high enough to be too punishing. The descent was a little boring, but we enjoyed a little paddle in the sea at the end of the trail. I really wanted Dr HH to be impressed by the views of this hike, and he was, so it was a great success!

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Vegan in Alishan

Posted on January 27, 2025 by Jenny

Our final destination in Taiwan was Alishan, which is up in the mountains. The main reason for visiting Alishan is for the hikes and the mountain views, but honestly, the best thing in my opinion was the chilly temperatures. It was a cool 17 degrees when we arrived mid-afternoon. That was the coldest we had been for weeks! It was thrilling to be outdoors and not dripping in sweat for a change.

Alishan is a national park. It is really, really not a vegan food destination. According to Happy Cow, there are a few places serving vegan options, so we went to one restaurant for dinner. Besides that though, we brought our own supplies for breakfast in the hotel and packed lunch on the go – we were only there for 24 hours so it was fine.

Shan Bin Restaurant

A hot pot that has not yet been cooked, with mushroom, vegetables and tofu

All the shops and restaurants (and there are not very many!) are clustered together in the one main area of the national park. This restaurant is in with everything else, and was easy to find. We got the large vegetarian hotpot and two portions of rice to share between two of us. This was a good amount of food.

A cooked hot pot with mushrooms, vegetables and tofu in broth

The hotpot had a fun assortment of vegetables and mushrooms, along with some tofu. We really liked the taro as its something we don’t get at home and had been enjoying in Taiwan, and enjoyed its potato-like texture. There wasn’t much flavour coming from the broth itself, so we were happy to have some hot sauce on the table that we could add to our dishes for more flavour.

The staff were good and attentive, they came around and poked the pot from time to time and let us know when everything was ready to eat. It was certainly not the best meal of our trip to Taiwan, but we got plenty of protein and enjoyed the experience.

Activities in Alishan

A paved path through a misty forest

If you’re in Alishan, you’re probably there to do some hiking and see the sunrise and sunset. We enjoyed some fairly gentle walks during our brief stay. (A quick note to anyone who suffers travel sickness – the bus there goes along some very twisty roads, so take whatever precautions you need to.) We kicked things off on arrival by taking the forest railway to Chaoping and walking the Sister Ponds Trail and Giant Tree Trail, both of which meandered through misty forests.

The view from the train station completely obscured by heavy cloud
The view from the train station with the clouds lifting momentarily to show blue sky and mountains

We attempted to see the sunset from the main station at Alishan. When we arrived shortly before sunset, the view was totally clouded over (as it had been since we arrived at the mountain a few hours earlier). Miraculously, the clouds cleared briefly right as the sun was setting so we got to enjoy the mountain view and some beautiful colours – just for a moment. There was only one other family there even attempting to see it because it was such a cloudy day. Remember, don’t write it off automatically if things look cloudy. The view changes quickly!

Sunrise with the sun peeking over a mountain and a blanket of clouds below

Like the majority of people staying in Alishan, we were up before the lark to catch the sunrise train up the mountain. The departure time of the train is announced the evening before, and you can buy your ticket then as well. The train was busy, and everyone piled off to scramble for a spot at the same view spot. We quick-marched about ten minutes back downhill on the main road to the old train station and enjoyed the view from there, with only three other people. Again, we were at the mercy of extremely changeable weather, but we got lucky and saw the sun emerge behind the mountains and above a thick layer of clouds. The dawn chorus was the perfect soundtrack! It was well worth the early start.

A disused railway track in a lush green forest

We slowly wandered along the trails back to town through the forest, enjoying the views along the way. Our final trail was along the disused railway out to an enormous old tree. It was a very quiet walk, hardly anyone else seemed to be heading that way, so it was really peaceful and lovely. The whole stay was really fantastic. It would have been nice to stay a bit longer to enjoy the cooler temperatures and do some more ambitious hikes in the area – even with the limited food options.

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Vegan in Taichung

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Jenny

After Taipei, we spent two nights in Taichung. I got the impression that not too many western tourists visit Taichung, or certainly not in the summer when we were there, because we were treated a bit like a novelty and everyone wanted to know where we were from and what brought us there. People were so curious and kind! The vegan scene was not as thriving as in Taipei – it’s a much smaller city. But we found some real gems.

Guan Shi Yin Organic Lifestyle

We had dinner here during our stay in Taichung and enjoyed it.

One plate with slabs of mock meat and peppers, accompanied by bowls of rice, soup, and greens

I had the fried king oyster mushroom with rosemary and soy sauce business meal (meaning that it’s served with rice, soup, and two sides). The mushrooms were really tender and well prepared. The dressing was nice, but personally I couldn’t pick out the rosemary taste. It was good nevertheless! The soup had tofu and cabbage in it, and was really tasty. My sides were a little plate of wilted greens and some pickles, which were fine but unremarkable.

One plate with sliced mock meat covered in sauce, accompanied by bowls of rice, soup, greens, and beans

Dr HH had the vegetarian black pepper steak business meal (it was vegan, not vegetarian, don’t worry!). He enjoyed the texture of the steak a lot, it felt like a good seitan with a nice crisp exterior. The sauce was good and peppery. He also found the greens slightly dull as a side, but enjoyed the beans.

Breadcrumbed and fried mushrooms on a plate

We also shared a plate of deep fried pepper king oyster mushrooms, which had a fantastic crispy texture and were well seasoned. Lovely!

The staff were really friendly and accommodating, and spoke perfect English to us. Overall we had solid but not mind-blowing meals, and we very much enjoyed saying that we were eating “business meals”!

Jiu Liu Su Shi

This was an extremely cheap and cheerful spot which served us very well in Taichung! The owner was very friendly and was interested in talking to us (via translation app). There was an English menu to order from, fortunately.

A bowl of yellow broth with vegetables, mushrooms and noodles in it, and one big brown chunk of mock meat

Dr HH had the curry noodles and it was very good. The broth had a good thick texture. The flavours were good but it felt just a bit under seasoned. Fortunately there was some spicy sauce he could add. There were plenty of noodles and they had a good texture. The vegetables had a range of different textures which was good for the dish. There was one piece of mock meat on the top, it was quite thin and it would have been good to have some more.

A big dish of flat noodles with greens and mock meat

I got the wonton noodles, they were wide, flat, and very tasty. The broth in the dish was also very tasty and enjoyable. There were little bits of mock meat and something with a bit of crunch which both added good flavours and textures.

Ten dumplings drizzled in sauce and sprinkled with spring onion

We each got a plate of ten dumplings too, these were very good. They had quite a fragrant herb in them that we couldn’t identify. They were generously filled with mock meat and cabbage.

Alongside the menu, there was also a buffet option but we didn’t investigate that. It seemed like the other customers were all locals, so it had quite a friendly and cosy feel to it which was nice.

Wheat Allergy Baking Studio

We absolutely loved this bakery! It was a little hard to find at first, as it’s down a small alley into a little courtyard. Our first visit was around midday when there was a decent array of items available. Our second visit was close to 5pm and there were very few things left, so don’t leave it too late in the day to visit!

There are no English names on display, so I’m not 100% sure what each item we ordered was called. The staff explained the items to us in English, so we had a good idea of what we were buying each time, just not the official name.

A pain au chocolat

This one is easy enough to identify – we tried a pain au chocolat. It had a generous chocolate filling. We ate it the day after we bought it and it had lost some of it’s crispness, which is a shame, but not their fault.

A small round bun

Dr HH enjoyed the coffee mochi bun, which had a strong coffee flavour and a fun texture from the nuts on top and the mochi in the centre. We’ve not seen this kind of mochi bun before, so that was fun. I hate coffee, so I avoided this one.

A bread bun with edamame beans and pockets of cheese on top
Inside of a bread bun with melted cheese and edamame

We tried the cheese and edamame bun, which had loads of pockets of cheese and was perfectly baked. It was well seasoned as well with quite a peppery kick which I loved.

A brown croissant with sharp angles and juicy berries

We got a chocolate and berry croissant. The chocolate dough was rich and delicious. The pops of juiciness from the berries helped to balance out the richness. This was comfortably my favourite of the sweets we tried.

A black bread bun with orange filling spilling out of the middle and vivid cheese strands on top

Finally, we had a charcoal bun with fishy filling. The filling was really savoury and delicious, and the bread was soft. The charcoal added a bit to the flavour as well. We had this on both visits, it was a real highlight.

The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and spoke English to us, and told us about the business and building. It was a great spot for picking up packed lunch and breakfast supplies, highly recommended. I wouldn’t have known it was gluten free were it not for the name either.

Su Zha Long Xu Cai – Shmashuni (Sun Moon Lake)

A bag of battered and fried vegetables and mushrooms dusted with orange powder

We took a day trip to nearby Sun Moon Lake, and were a little unsure about where we’d find vegan options. fortunately, Happy Cow helped us out with a couple of potential spots in Ita Thao, one of the bigger towns or spots around the lake. This place was located on the main tourist drag and staff were happy to talk to us in English. We got a large bag of mixed fried vegetables to share. We were going to get individual portions but the staff recommended we just get one to share as it’s a substantial portion. I wouldn’t say it was really big enough for two people as a hearty meal, but it did the job as a relatively light lunch for two.

Battered and fried enoki mushrooms
A battered and fried mushroom

We were impressed with the frying, everything was crispy and not greasy, and even the paper bag the food came in barely had any oil stains on it. The selection in the bag was good, there were a few different types of mushroom with the little bunches of enoki mushrooms as a particular highlight. There were also some slices of lotus root which had a good crunch to them. Then some needle flowers and gracilaria (according to the sign at the shop) – I don’t really know what they are but they were perfectly fine.

We were asked if we wanted it spicy and we asked for bit of spiciness. We didn’t pick up on much heat from it, but the overall seasoning was good.

We initially got there right at 11am which was the listed opening time on Happy Cow, but it wasn’t open yet. We came back about an hour later and everything was up and running.

Activities Around Taichung

The wetlands with a walkway towards the sea
A crab with one giant claw scuttling around the mud

On arrival in Taichung, we headed straight out to the Gaomei Wetlands, which is home to thousands of migratory birds. Alas, not in the summer though! We saw some crabs and a couple of egrets, but nothing too exciting. Still, it’s nice to see the sea, and you might be there at a more convenient time for birdwatching. Definitely do some research on bus timetables though, it was not the most accessible spot.

An ornate temple building

We took a day trip to nearby Sun Moon Lake, which is a couple of hours away by coach (which you might want to plan in advance if you’re travelling during a busy season – the coach tickets reportedly sell out). There’s a lot you can do at the lake. Our top priority was Wenwu Temple, which was extremely colourful and lavish and offered an impressive view of the lake.

Cable cars up in the hills and a view across a huge turquoise lake

The best views were from the ropeway though. Alas the ropeway doesn’t really lead anywhere good so you just have to do a roundtrip. But with views like this, who’s complaining? You can also take boat rides between three different points on the lake, which is a convenient and scenic way to get around. It’s possible to walk some of the stretches alongside the lake too, but it wasn’t clear to us exactly how open the routes are, and it was far too hot in the summer anyway!

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Vegan in Taipei: Everything Else

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Jenny

After reviewing the Taiwanese restaurants last week, this post is a bit miscellaneous – one fusion restaurant, one bakery at which we tried almost everything, and an incredible place for ice cream. Let’s see what Taipei has to offer today!

Vegan Amore

Taipei has loads of listings on Happy Cow, but a lot of them are small market stalls or places with no seating or air conditioning. It was hot and humid during our visit and we were permanently drained as a result, so we were desperate to find eateries where we could have a seat somewhere cool. For that reason we broke our usual ‘don’t get western food in Asia’ rule, and visited this place in a very well air conditioned mall. And in its defence, some of the dishes were fusion!

A mound of spaghetti with crumbled mock meat

Dr HH kept us somewhat on track by trying the Sichuan spicy spaghetti with peanuts and vegan pork. He was very happy with the spice levels and thought it had a good tingle from the Sichuan pepper. The pork was nice and added some good texture. This was a tasty dish.

A dish or carbonara with strips of mock meat

I had the tagliatelle carbonara with vegan bacon, which was absolutely not fusion. I was served spaghetti rather than tagliatelle, which is a shame because I love tagliatelle, but the dish was really nice. The sauce was creamy and generous, though maybe a little under seasoned. Fortunately the bacon provided a nice salty hit.

This was not one of our culinary highlights of Taipei because it wasn’t really the dining experience we wanted – but we were very grateful to have a chance to sit down and cool off, and the food was perfectly pleasant.

Hip Pun

We visited this all-vegan bakery so many times during our stay in Taipei! It really made me wish I could bake bread, or at least that we had similar options to these in Prague.We really loved this bakery and highly recommended it. It kept us well stocked up for breakfast and packed lunches on our trip, and even when we visited within the last hour before closing, there was always still a decent selection.

A long bread bun
Inside a bread bun with chunks of mock meat running through it

A lot of the items we tried were stuffed or filled bread buns. The ham and garlic bun tasted exactly as it should – plenty of ham and garlic! We enjoyed this one.

A bun shaped like a number eight and covered in meaty bits

The meat floss bun wasn’t too exciting, unfortunately. The bread was good, but the small meat pieces tasted a little sweet and we would have preferred bigger chunks. I saw a lot of meat floss buns in convenience stores, so this seems like a big thing in Taiwan. It’s always good to see a veganised version of a popular local dish!

Inside a bun with chunks of tofu
A long bun drizzled with a sticky peppery dressing

The black pepper with tofu was the standout savoury bake we tried. There was plenty of soft and moist tofu inside with lots of black pepper giving it a good bit of kick, the seasoning was excellent. I would love to recreate this at home!

A bread snail with pieces of ham and sprigs of rosemary

The ham and rosemary snail was well seasoned and generous with ham. Again, this would be a good one to recreate at home.

Inside a bun with slices of vegan cheese and mustard
A long sticky looking bun with melted cheese across the top

The maple mustard ham was tasty if you’re a fan of mustard (I am not!). It had a good amount of ham and cheese inside but there wasn’t a lot of flavour from the cheese. Still, it was nicely balanced.

A bread bun with a streak of set butter down the centre

The sea salt butter bun was a bit disappointing, the salty butter was all concentrated in one spot. Maybe this would have benefitted from being heated up so the butter would melt and spread more, but we were eating on the go without heating opportunities.

Inside a bun with yellow egg like pieces in the centre
A round bun

The egg yolk and taro bun was enjoyable and part of our attempt to eat plenty of taro while we had the opportunity. The sweet taro worked well with the savoury flavour from the yolk.

A bread bun with some raisins in

Moving on to sweet things now – the earl grey and maple bun was sweet and delicious. The tea flavour was a little subtle, but pleasant.

A small scone with berries
A small chocolate scone with chocolate chips

The scones were the only item we tried that were not perfectly baked – the chocolate ones were a bit too crumbly and dry for us. The cranberry scone had a better texture. Flavour-wise, everything was good!

A cinnamon roll

The cinnamon roll was good, it was big and generously filled. It’s not the best we’ve had, but it was good.

Inside a bun with swirls of chocolate and fruit
A bun studded with cranberries and patches of chocolate

The cranberry chocolate bread was big, it was filled with a chocolate spread and the cranberries added nice juicy pops of sweetness and sharpness.

A large flat brown bun with chocolate stripes
Inside a chocolate bun with a square of chocolate cake in the centre

The chocolate cake bread was a piece of chocolate cake with chocolate bread baked around it. It was decadent and enjoyable. I’d never seen anything like this before, and I’m not sure I could bring myself to recreate it – it feels like a bit too much unless you’re on holiday!

A long bun with chocolate poking out at one end

The chocolate filled bread was okay. The chocolate cream filling was smooth and rich but it wasn’t very well distributed throughout, making some parts of it a bit dull.

A cheesecake with a thin base, dark cream coloured filling with some large yellow patches, and darker top

And finally, on to the dessert counter. The Basque cheesecake was tasty, Dr HH enjoyed the slightly savoury element and different texture from the egg yolk sections.

A slice of cake with layers of sponge and cream

The salted caramel cake was tasty and sweet, but we didn’t notice much salt.

A square chocolate brownie on a foil wrapper

The chocolate brownie was tasty but was more cake than brownie, with good chunks of nuts.

A slice of cake with layers of black sponge with black cream

The sesame cake wasn’t quite sweet enough but the bake was good and the cream smooth.

A tart with a thin pastry side, yellow cream, and caramelised top

The French pudding tart had good pastry and a lovely smooth filling.

A small pot of chocolate mousse with flakes and crumbs of dark chocolate on top

The chocolate mousse was great, very decadent with a great smooth texture. The chocolate flakes on top were a good addition.

Not everything was a total hit, but overall we were extremely satisfied with what we tried. And what a variety of items they sell! Imagine having this much choice regularly!

Nice Cream

I think bubble waffle ice creams were all the rage a few years ago, then I totally forgot that they exist. In Taipei, they continue to thrive! Nice Crema is an all-vegan ice cream spot which offers cups of ice cream, or milkshakes, but we had our hearts set on the gelato waffle. It’s quite clear from the menu board how it all works. There were at least six flavours of ice cream available when we visited, and a few waffle flavours as well. When we ordered, we were told it takes about ten minutes to prepare, which was fine by us. There were four seats at the bar and no other customers on a weekday lunchtime, so we took a seat to enjoy our treats.

A bubble waffle cone with two scoops of ice cream, chocolate sauce, and a biscuit, all propped up inside a paper cup

Dr HH got a chocolate chip waffle with Sicilian pistachio and chocolate ice cream, plus chocolate sauce.

A bubble waffle cone with two scoops of ice cream, chocolate sauce, and a biscuit, all propped up inside a paper cup

I got an original waffle with soy milk and Oreo cookies and cream ice cream, plus chocolate sauce. Both of us received our orders served with a Lotus biscuit on top. We enjoyed the ice cream, especially the chocolate, which was very rich. I thought the texture of the Oreo one was not quite right, it seemed a bit too frozen and hard rather than creamy like the others. The waffles were excellent, crisp outside and soft inside.

All in all, this was delicious and highly recommended!

Activities in Taipei

A pond covered in water lillies

Despite the overpowering heat, we enjoyed a few outdoor activities in Taipei, including the botanical gardens. They weren’t the most thrilling gardens we’ve seen, but we did enjoy spotting some birds that we don’t get in Prague. It was fun to see the plants that we only get in the hot houses in the Prague botanical gardens, just growing normally in Taiwan.

Trees in the middle of a pond with low branches. Numerous egrets and herons are standing on the low branches and in the trees

We also took a walk around the pond in Da’an park which is home to an incredible number of birds. There were millions (millions, I say!) of egrets and herons of all different kinds, basking on the low branches and nesting in the trees, plus various other birds swooping in and out. We had our binoculars with us so we could look at them in close detail, and it was so amazing. If you want to do some birdwatching, this is certainly the place to go.

A paved stairway through the trees
The Taipei skyline with greenery of the mountain in the foreground

We also somehow hauled ourselves up Elephant Mountain. Even though we went early in the morning to avoid the hottest time of day, it was absolutely baking and I have never sweated so much in my life. It’s not actually that long an ascent – it’s called a mountain, but it feels more like a big hill, and it’s right in the city. But it’s all steps and it’s all tough. We had plenty of water and stopped in the shade whenever we could, but it was still a hard climb. The views made it worth it though – we loved looking out at the Taipei skyline. It also felt completely different from the walks we did in Korea and Japan where the plants and trees were a bit more familiar to us. This felt properly tropical! If you are a keen walker, this is a fun activity for your trip to Taipei.

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Vegan in Taipei: Taiwanese Restaurants

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Jenny

We spent just over a week in Taiwan, and really loved it. People were so friendly and helpful. The cities had a lot going on, there was a lot of natural beauty, and the food was excellent! We spent a few days in Taipei, battling the intense heat and humidity, and were very impressed with the vegan scene. Best of all, there were lots of restaurants at which lots of small sharing plates were encouraged. We were thrilled to get to try lots of different dishes. Here are the Taiwanese restaurants we tried there – other eateries to follow next week.

Yang Shin

We went to Yang Shin on our first night in Taipei and loved it so much we went back for one more visit later in our trip. It was absolutely heaving on both visits, so I strongly recommend a reservation (you can book online easily). It’s vegetarian, and the menu clearly indicates with picture symbols which dishes contain milk, eggs, and honey (this system was quite common in Taiwan and Hong Kong, we found). There was a huge array of vegan dishes, and we seized the opportunity to try quite a lot of them! On our first visit, we ordered five dishes for two people, and felt like we could have gone for one more. The dishes were brought over when ready, not served all at once, which means you can never get a photo of the table straining under the weight of all the food, sadly. But at least you get everything while it’s piping hot!

A stack of three bean curd skin rolls stuffed with greens, tofu, and puffed rice

We kicked things off on our first visit with the chopped mustard greens and tofu wrapped in bean curd sheet. They were a bit dry, and we would have liked some dipping sauce, but they had a good flavour and texture. I love bean curd, but it’s not something that is served much in Prague, so this leg of the trip was heaven for me.

A steamer containing folded pancakes and a plate with braised mushroom, sticky sauce, cucumber sticks, and crunchy bits

The Beijing duck style king oyster mushroom was a pancake dish that we assembled ourselves at the table. The crispy bits made for some fun textures, but the flavours didn’t pack a punch unfortunately, so it was nice but not mind-blowing.

Chunks of hard looking stinky tofu with lots of red chillies and cashews

The kung pao deep fried stinky tofu was fantastic – really spicy and moreish. It was our first time trying stinky tofu, and definitely not the last (in fact, we ordered the same dish again on our second visit). If you’re a bit unsure about stinky tofu, this is a great gateway dish as the crispy coating and other flavours take the edge off a bit. I found that generally it smells terrible but tastes amazing. I’ve been desperately looking for stinky tofu recipes since getting back to Prague, but sadly it is not easy to make yourself. I’ll need to find an excuse to get back to Taiwan!

Three steamed dumplings

The Cantonese BBQ cha siu bao were a bit too sweet for me, but Dr HH enjoyed them. To be honest, I generally find this kind of dumpling a little too sweet, so this was probably poor choosing on my part.

Three large beige puffs

The deep fried mushroom puff was amazing and we had it again on our second visit. It had an almost takoyaki style soft, gooey texture inside the crispy coating, with a lovely savoury, peppery taste and earthy mushrooms.

Chunks of taro coated in a sticky sauce, with crispy rice cakes

The stir fried taro cake in xo sauce was exceptional. We’ve not had much taro in our lives so it always seems like an exciting option. Here the taro had a great chewy texture and was really well complemented by the crunch of the rice cakes. The sauce was delicious too.

A hot pot with stewed aubergine and other vegetables

The stir fried Chinese yam and eggplant in oyster sauce was good. The yam was quite crunchy and surrounded by soft and slippery aubergine which made for a good contrast of textures. The sauce was flavoursome too.

Three dumplings in a steamer, yellow wrappers with a beige filling, open at the top and topped with tiny orange balls

The Yang Shin signature Shao Mai was okay. It tasted fine, but didn’t really have any particularly strong flavour. We were expecting it to be a bit fishier, but as always we are a bit scuppered by having stopped eating meat when we were so young that we haven’t had meaty versions of most dishes! We didn’t really know what these should taste like, we were just guessing.

Large flat noodles with beansprouts and other vegetables

We also had some stir fried flat noodles. The big, wide noodles were a hit, and the flavours and textures were fine, but it was a bit oily.

This was such a great spot. In particular, the stinky tofu and the mushroom puffs were absolutely perfect in both texture and taste. Everything else was good too, and we were tasting dishes we’d never seen on a menu before, which was really fun for us. I highly recommend this spot for vegans in Taipei.

XiangHe – Serenity

Serenity was a similar spot, with a varied menu and clearly labelled vegan options. It was much quieter than Yang Shin, but it was quite busy so you probably want to make a reservation just to be on the safe side. We got 4 small dishes to share and two bowls of rice and there was plenty of food for two hungry people.

Strips of mock meat along with chopped dark red chillies, mange tour and spring onions

Who could resist a dish called sautéed vegetarian pork intestines? The meat pieces were well seasoned and had a bit of a bouncy texture. The greens added a nice bit of crunchy texture, and the chillies weren’t too spicy. We had no idea if this was a close approximation of intestines, but it made for a tasty plate.

A big bowl of mapo tofu brimming with cubes of silken tofu

The mapo tofu stew was delicious, lots of slippery tofu with some of that Sichuan pepper tingle. The sauce didn’t taste quite as strongly of the doubanjiang chilli paste as others we’ve had and this also led it not being bright red like other versions too. As someone who makes a lot of mapo tofu these days, I am in awe of how they managed to serve it with so many of the silken tofu pieces intact. Mine fall apart the second I stir it or scoop up a ladle for our bowls!

Sticky looked chunks of mushroom alongside vivid green broccoli

The king oyster mushrooms in vegetarian oyster sauce were excellent. What’s not to love about meaty slabs of mushroom with great texture? The vegan oyster sauce was very flavoursome. The broccoli on the side was fine, but it wasn’t seasoned and was a bit wet – really not adding to the dish.

Four pieces of stinky tofu in a deep red broth

And of course, we couldn’t resist more stinky tofu! We tried the steamed stinky tofu stew. It was good to try this version without the additional flavours in the Yang Shin dish – we got to focus fully on the stinkiness of the tofu! I could have eaten another pot of this, honestly.

Two dark mochis

We were served a couple of little mochi at the end which I think we’re licorice flavour with a red bean paste inside them – perfectly enjoyable. We were also served free tea and refills throughout the meal.

The menu was I think not as extensive as at Yang Shin, but it was still full of novel and exciting dishes for us. The stuff of dreams!

Lai Xin SuShi

We kept seeing the word “SuShi” on Happy Cow, and realised that it translates to ‘vegetarian’ – so this is absolutely not a sushi restaurant! This was a cheap and cheerful vegan spot specialising in noodles and dumplings.

Thick white noodles in sauce and topped with thin shards of cucumber and carrot

Dr HH got noodles with miso, spicy, and sesame sauces. The noodles were delicious, nice and wide. The sauces didn’t really pack enough of a punch for him, though. The chilli was strong, but the other flavours a bit too mild.

Thick white noodles with chunks of mock meat and greens

I got the braised meat noodles. I loved the noodles too, you could really taste the freshness. The meat pieces were tasty but there wasn’t much sauce and it felt a bit under seasoned.

A plate of dumplings
The inside of a dumpling, showing the thinness of the wrapper and the cabbage filling

We also got a plate of ten cabbage dumplings to share. The cabbage dumplings were the only fresh flavour they had made in the restaurant that day, the others were from frozen. The other fillings might have been more exciting, but we opted for the freshness. They were really tasty, the dumpling wrappers were the perfect thickness. They were generously filled and there was lots of flavour in them.

Strips of fried tofu on a plate

We got a side plate too. You can pick these up from the counter yourself and add them to your meal for 35NT$ (less than a pound). This was some nicely seasoned tofu slices that we both really enjoyed – there were a few different things to choose from.

The food here was not a total hit like the previous two spots I’ve reviewed, but it was much cheaper and still really fresh and fun.

Activities in Taipei

A screen made of jade

We saw a few cultural sights in Taipei, including the National Palace Museum. Unfortunately the big attraction in the museum, a jadeite cabbage, was not on display when we visited, but we saw lots of other great items and took lots of photos. Our only complaint about the museum was that it was quite poorly serviced by buses, so it was a bit too much effort to get there and back. Ultimately I’d still recommend it though.

A large and ornate building

We swung by the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall without really checking what it was – it turns out it’s a memorial to a dictator. Rather than sharing that with you, here’s one of the other highly photogenic and less problematic buildings from the same square.

An ornately decorated temple

Long Shan Temple was one of my highlights of Taipei. It was a real shift again from the religious sites we’d seen in Japan and Korea. The attention to detail was absolutely extraordinary, we just walked around with our mouths hanging open and our phones up trying to capture every single carving and colour. Really beautiful.

An exhibition at the museum of contemporary art

Less impressive to us was the Contemporary Museum of Art, which unfortunately was a bit too contemporary for our personal tastes. Most of the exhibits were video-based, which is just not my favourite medium, so it fell a little bit flat. It’s always nice to be somewhere with air conditioning though!

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Top Ten of 2024

Posted on December 30, 2024 by Jenny

This year has been a great year of food for me! I enjoyed so much delicious food on my long summer trip, it was quite hard to select a top ten. A couple of local spots in Prague make the list too, they have served me faithfully this year. There are a lot of Tokyo eateries on this list – no wonder I’m already planning another trip! In no particular order, here are my top ten food spots of 2024.

Indelicious, Prague

Five pieces of sev puri on a plate - a kind of cracker topped with little mounds of chutney, all buried under crispy sev

This has fast become my favourite eatery in Prague. It’s not fully vegan, but they have loads of vegan options and are constantly adding more and trying new things. The sev puri is the stuff of dreams! More here.

Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto, Kyoto

A vivid green broth topped with noodles and chilli threads

This is one of the places we were most looking forward to in Japan, and we still reminisce about it on a weekly basis. Being forced to rub essential oils on your hands is a bit much for me, but the art and atmosphere were really fun, and the food was amazing. This ramen was unlike any of the other ones we had in Japan, and Dr HH had an incredible Sichuan dish you can read about here.

Wheat Allergy Baking Studio, Taichung

A brown croissant with sharp angles and juicy berries

We went to some good bakeries on our summer trip, and this was the best. This croissant was delicious, and the savoury breads were just as good.

Kung Tak Lam – Tsim Tsa Tsui, Hong Kong

A platter with five components each containing a different dish

This place had such an exciting menu and we loved the selection of dishes we ordered. The lovely view across the water didn’t hurt either!

Vegan Bistro Jangara, Tokyo

A bowl of ramen with a golden broth, a big portion of thin noodles, a few pieces of mock meats, some red onion and greens on top.

In a year of delicious ramen, this is way up there with the best. We ordered two different types of ramen, and both had really flavoursome broth and tasty mock meat. Full review here.

Dosa Dosa, Prague

A large dosa

I can never resist a dosa, and this all-vegan restaurant has at least three options on the menu. They also do vegan lassis, which are otherwise unheard of in Prague, and have an excellent selection of cakes. The banana bread is a favourite of mine, for its massive chocolate chunks. More on Dosa Dosa here.

Isakaya Masaka, Tokyo

A bowl of mapo tofu with loads of silky tofu cubes poking out at the top

A rare, non-ramen spot from Japan! We had a sensational mapo tofu and some of the best vegan chicken I’ve ever had in this casual lunch place in a mall food court. And I’ve had a lot of good vegan chicken! You can read more about the dishes here.

Yang Shin, Taipei

Chunks of hard looking stinky tofu with lots of red chillies and cashews

Yang Shin will always hold a special place in my heart as the place where I was first introduced to stinky tofu. What a revelation! Our numerous other sharing plates were also full of interesting flavours and textures. We went twice in Taipei, and I’d love an opportunity to go again!

Hip Pun, Taipei

A long bun drizzled with a sticky peppery dressing

Another Taiwanese, all-vegan bakery! We tried almost every dish they had in this bakery, it catered to us for multiple breakfasts, packed lunches, and desserts. The black pepper with tofu bun was truly the stuff of dreams!

Saido, Tokyo

Two skewers of vegan meat, nicely charred and sticky looking. They are on a metal grill over a heating device at the table.

The menu we chose here contained far too much food for me, but it was really fun to try loads of the traditional dishes of Japan, veganised. It’s hard to choose a favourite course, so peruse the full review here to see what we got to try.

Here’s hoping for more delicious discoveries in 2025!

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