#2280 - 8181 Cambie Road, Richmond, BC
604-276-2251
It's Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節 (fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month)...that means it's a veggie day for me and a praying feast at home. Since I was at Richmond T&T for some last minute shopping, I decided to try the vegetarian food upstairs.
No, it's not a vegetarian stall, which can be a problem for true Buddhist/Taoist vegetarian followers. You see, for true Buddhist/Taoist vegetarians, their kitchen and dining ware cannot be contaminated with meat...even if it's been thoroughly washed and cleaned. But for me, I'm more strict about the food than I'm with the ware. After I placed my order, the owner acknowledged that it would take a little longer because my order needed to be cooked separately in a non-meat pot...I was quite pleased with that.
I ordered a Vegetarian Style Beef Noodle Soup 素牛肉湯麵. I specifically asked if the vegetarian items are for Buddhist/Taoist 齋, the owner assured me and pointed out that many of her customers are from the penthouse temple. Now, for those who are familiar with Buddhism/Taoism...noticed something odd? Yup...cilantro...WTF??? I must admit, the cilantro added depth to the broth...however, it's forbidden.
The "beef" was simply gluten chunks (also known as "soy meat"). Of course, these had absolutely no beef taste nor texture...and tasted very "packaged". I had one bite then left the rest. The soup broth had that "stew" fragrance, but it was salty. The noodles were overcooked.
Only the six items listed on the left are vegetarian dishes. I questioned the owner whether the vegetarian items are 素 or 齋? The idiot actually had the guts to tell me, "there's no difference"...WTF? Are you kidding me? You're located at the bottom of the most popular Buddhist temple in 604...and you didn't know that cilantro is a forbidden item? She claimed that the temple told her cilantro is allowed and she has always seen it in the vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan. Yea...right...WHATEVER...let's just say I won't be coming back, period.
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