11 International Vegetarian Cuisine to Satisfy the Fussiest Eaters

European countries are big on the idea of healthy and green living. There are many vegetarian and vegan options available across Europe. However, this is not the case here, as most people still love feasting on meats, especially “bak kwa” (BBQ pork) during Chinese New Year. In recent years, a growing trend of healthy eating has been observed. Now, there are numerous vegetarian choices in Singapore as well. From vegetarian hawker fare to vegetarian tom yum to vegetarian sashimi, we bring you 11 international vegetarian cuisine.

Rojak Line

Owner Debbie has been a crazy rojak fan for years but she didn’t like hae ko (shrimp paste). So, she created her own vegetarian rojak sauce using quality ingredients. Hae ko (shrimp paste) is an important sauce for making rojak. The vegetarian version induced skepticism in us initially but it turned out to be outstanding. The sauce is rich and sticky, but tasted surprisingly light and zesty. With a hint of tamarind and ginger flower, the well-rounded flavours bind the ingredients perfectly.

Rojak Line Rojak ($4 / $5 / $6) has got prominent ingredients such as pineapple, turnip, you tiao and cucumber which give a refreshing dimension. My only gripe is that the you tiao (dough fritters) were not crispy enough, lacking the desired crunch.

Another popular item on the menu is Vegetarian Popiah ($1.80) which is made with braised turnip, carrot, shitake, homemade sweet sauce, peanut, chilli and garlic. Vegans can request for no garlic.

Teng Bespoke Vegetarian Dining

Bespoke made a lasting impression when their Three-kind Sashimi ($19) set was served. Featuring mock salmon, mock squid and mock tuna, we thought these make-believe replications of sashimi were very well executed. Taste-wise, it had a fishcake-like chewy texture with a smooth exterior. Each of the mock sashimi boasted slightly different textures and tastes, almost similar to the real ones we have at Japanese restaurants.

The Unagi Maki ($15) is highly recommended by the chef. Although mock unagi tastes extremely different from the real eel, it features a crispy texture, with creamy sauces packed into the maki. Just pop the entire maki into your mouth and you get a burst of flavours, with a good mix of contrasting textures! So delightful!

Pepper Jade Thai Vegetarian Cuisine

With a luxurious interior, dining here made us feel like we were dining with Thai royalty. Pepper Jade and Bespoke are actually sister restaurants, located in the same mall. There is an extensive offering of Thai vegetarian dishes here, from appetisers, all the way to desserts. We shared a plate of Deep Fried Chicken wrapped in Pandan ($12 for 6 pieces). If no one mentioned that this is a vegetarian dish, we would’ve thought that the “chicken” was authentic. The tender texture is similar to the actual pandan chicken and even the taste was alike, boasting a strong aroma, enhanced by the pandan leaves.

Tom Yum Soup in Claypot ($14) explodes with flavours as soon as it reaches our tastebuds. It has a well-balanced spicy-sour taste, making it perfect, especially on rainy days. According to the waitress, the soup is made with fresh and original herbs and spices before vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, tomatoes, mock meat-like crabsticks and prawns are added in. Pair this with the Blue Butterfly Pea Rice ($3 per bowl) to complete your wonderful vegetarian Thai feast.

Greendot

Greendot is the place to go for salads, but they have recently brought back their vegetarian burgers due to high demand. Only available at the Paya Lebar and One Raffles Place outlets, there are five flavours of burgers to choose from. The Rendang Lion Mane Burger ($9.90) doesn’t come with fries. You have to top up $3 for Iced Lime Tea and fries.

Basically, Lion’s Mane is a medicinal mushroom, good for boosting immunity, memory and mood. This mushroom stimulates immune systems and boosts white blood cells count to help healing processes. Doctors are also known to use this nerve-regenerating mushroom to fight dementia and Alzheimer’s. One bite and you get a bouncy texture, with some juices that resemble shrimp or lobster meat. The rendang is not too spicy, delicious, and its fragrance was brought out by the coconut milk. Interestingly, the rendang here is better than some of the ones cooked with meat out there.

Gokul Vegetarian

This restaurant offers a huge variety of vegetarian Indian food so, if you want to try many items, you either have to dine here with a big group or head back many times. The Potato Curry Puff ($1.50) came steaming hot. The deep fried pastry shell was crisp on the outside yet fluffy within. It complements the generous chunks of strongly-flavoured curry potatoes that were enveloped within.

The Masala Dosa ($5) was stuffed with lightly cooked potatoes and green peas and is served with two chutneys and sambar. The potatoes were slightly mashed, resulting in its creamy texture which goes very well with the dosa. Scoop the potato-filled dosa and dip it into the chutneys or sambar and you’ll get to taste different flavours and textures. The Mushroom Kurma ($6) is braised in a spicy sauce, made with yoghurt, cream and nut paste. It turned out to be quite rich, with a nutty finish.

O’bean Organic Soya Vegetarian Place

When I told my dining partners that we’re going to have vegetarian bak kut teh, they were astounded. Without the ‘Bak Kut’ (pork ribs), and the ‘Teh’ soup base that is simmered with pork ribs, how can one even recreate the dish? Well, O’bean’s rendition comes in the form of mushrooms. Shrooms Bak Kut Teh ($14.80 per pax, with rice; $60.80 for 8-10 pax, soup only) has a herbal soup base. It contains vegetables and mushrooms of different types and sizes. The soup turned out to be surprisingly slurp-worthy, despite it not being that herbal-ish nor approximating bak kut teh. A small amount of soya powder has been added to the soup to give it a hint of soy taste, which actually made the soup a tad more substantial. The fried dough fritters were crispy and so addictive that we ordered an additional portion at $1.80. O’bean also serves vegetarian kway chap and vinegar braised trotters, among many other things.

Kwan Inn Vegetarian Restaurant

Approximately 5 years ago, Madam Choo made the headlines when she won more than $400,000 from a casino slot machine at Marina Bay Sands, and then proceeded to give it all away. It was not the first time she had hit the jackpot only to donate the money to charity. This is the charitable woman behind Kwan Inn Vegetarian Restaurant.

Their extensive menu includes Vegetarian Suckling Pig, Specialty Vegetarian Goose, and many more. Si-Chuan Spicy Soup ($15 small) acts as a good appetiser, boasting a good consistency of well-balanced sourness and spiciness. Ingredients such as tofu, salted vegetables and capsicums give this soup a mix of textures. This is perfect especially on cold nights, and it really whets your appetite for more. Spicy Stir-Fried Vegetarian Diced Chicken ($16 small) consists of mock chicken, peanuts, vegetables and chilli peppers. The succulent meat, which was very addictive, goes very well with rice and the level of spiciness was manageable.

Victor Veggie

This is a superb supper spot for those craving for sinful skewers of vegetarian satay. Closing at midnight, this hawker specialises in satay, otah and Western dishes. Unfortunately, the otah was sold out when we were there so we only had the satay (80cents per skewer). The charred black segments gave the satay a nice smokey flavour and the mock meat was tender. Not to mention, the peanut satay sauce was such a good complement. Featuring a creamy texture, it was neither too spicy nor too oily. Be prepared to wait for about 15-20 minutes during busy periods.

The Boneless Kitchen

Koreans are big on army stews, and it is rumoured that is started when Korean soldiers used to dump whatever rationed ingredients they have during their military days into their helmet and cooked them into a stew during meal times. Vegetarians can look forward to 4 different bases for ‘Jeongol’ (stew) at The Boneless Kitchen. Doenjang Jeongol ($35.90 for 2 pax) features a soybean paste hotpot, served with 2 bowls of rice. The refilling of soup is chargeable at $2. Ingredients such as carrots, cucumbers, tofu, different types of greens and an assortment of mushrooms fill up the hotpot. The savoury broth had a hint of sweetness from the ingredients as they have been simmered long enough. We also shared a Gyeran Mari (Rolled Omelet $5.90). The egg was done very well and had a fluffy texture. We might consider topping up 70 cents for cheese in future.

Whole Earth

This Peranakan vegetarian restaurant has been awarded the Bib Gourmand Award in the Michelin Guide Singapore 2016. Although their menu is extensive, there’s only one page dedicated to true-blue Peranakan cuisine such as Nonya Curry, Nutty Buah Keluak and Assam Pedas Vegetables, just to name a few. The Nonya Curry ($20.90) takes 8 long hours of preparation. It contains shiitake mushrooms and potatoes in a thick yet smooth piquant sauce that was very tasty indeed! Huge crowds can go for the 5-spice Ngor Hiang Roll ($13.90) which is Whole Earth’s rendition of the Peranakan roll, served with traditional sweet sauce dip. It actually tasted and seemed like the real ngor hiang roll. It’s best to dine here in a big group so as to try more delicious dishes.

Hwa Jin Vegetarian Family Restaurant

Tucked in the West side of Singapore, this family-oriented vegetarian eatery is always crowded during dinner time on weekends. Serving Chinese vegetarian dishes ranging from vegetarian hokkien mee to vegetarian claypot pig trotters to vegetarian orh lua (fried oyster), it’s no wonder one would be spoilt for choice here. The vegetarian Hokkien Mee ($8 big) was moist, with a flavoursome gravy. Thick bee hoon and flat yellow noodles are cooked with mushrooms, little cubes of mock meat, shredded carrots and vegetables. The chilli is very unique as it has a herbal taste to it, yet giving enough kick to spice up the dish. Go earlier to avoid waiting too long for a table.

These eateries have proven that vegetarian food isn’t necessarily boring and doesn’t just contain vegetables. They have also come up with gimmicks to make vegetarian food appealing to the eyes, and not just the tastebuds. We hope you have more options for vegetarian cuisine in Singapore now.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the stalls featured here.

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