Vegetarian Havens in Taiwan: (2x) Yang Shin Vegetarian Restaurant
Hello Food Fans! Double-hello to vegetarian food fans! Today I want to highlight a vegetarian restaurant that we liked so much that we went twice in our two week visit to Taiwan.
Yang Shin Vegetarian Restaurant
This place requires a reservation since it is so popular. It is also conveniently located near an MTA station, and is on the second floor, so you can get a nice city view if you sit next to the window.
The First Trip
The first time we went, was right after my first experience with the crazy energy healing chiropractor. I was really, really upset! This restaurant gave me just the cheer I needed.
Burdock Root Crunchy Hand Rolls. Candied sweet potato. A bit sweet, a bit salty from the seaweed. Extra crunchy.
Lettuce wraps, minced imitation pork and bean curd, mushroom, peanuts. A variety of textures, the chunkiness of the peanut, the crunch of the fried bits of bean curd, some ground meat type of texture, and the crunch of the lettuce. Satisfying.
Seaweed omelet with baby corn, carrots, mushroom, egg. This one was flavorful, but overall was a bit of a mush. It was just okay.
I'm not quite sure, but I think it's an imitation "lion's head", meatball texture with an outer crisp, on a bed of soy sauce bean thread noodles. This was delicious.
Spinach dumplings. Goes with ginger slices and vinegar soy sauce. Juicy!
Burdock root rice. Healthy tasting. A slight sweetness and herbal taste.
Crispy and stinky tofu (Yes, that's what it's called!). It's got a slight stench. I've heard it described as literally smelling like garbage, but I don't really have that association. All that matters is that it is tasty! It's got a very slight sourness, and garlicky taste. On the side there is a side of slightly picked sweet cabbage and carrots. Balanced the tofu well.
All in all, it was an enjoyable meal, except for the sour memory of having just been traumatized. We were a party of three, and I showed them my blog. They seem pretty amused by it. I wonder if I've sparked their curiosity about the platform...
The Return Visit
Since it was so tasty, we returned with a different party. One of them was a friend visiting Taiwan, and it was his last day. The other was grandma (in-law), who is a vegan. After this meal, she said it was the best meal she's ever had. Impressive!
Pu-er tea. They brew it completely, so there's no leaves in the teapot. Really flavorful tea.
Creamy cabbage cheese mushroom and cauliflower casserole. Actually too creamy for my liking, but still good.
Imitation chicken and crinkly green beans. It's a stringy kind of fungus that I forget the name, and just barely misses the texture of stringy chicken thigh. This dish was very flavorful.
Taro rice balls. The shell is a layer of mushroom and rice, and inside is the soft taro. Taro I feel really rounds out vegetarian dishes well. I feel it's nutrient rich and fills the stomach.
Okonomiyaki pancake. Crispy pancake fritter on the bottom. Very convincing fake fish roe. Seaweed flakes. This really hit the spot, and was my favorite. I'm a sucker for deep fried crispy texture. And pancake batter. Yum.
Steamed rice wrapped in lotus leaves. Nothing much to say about this one. Fragrant.
Chives dumpling. This is usually may favorite dim sum item, because chives are delicious. It's kind of like a cross between a leek and a green onion. Juicy, and tastes better than spinach.
Imitation squid crepe. They really captured the texture well. You got a crispy tofu skin, cucumbers, and this nice plum sauce. The crepe was soft and chewy, perfect for making a little wrap.
Here's a few pieces of food art I made while playing with food. Which one looks better? Both delicious.
Vegetable Hot Pot. Look at all those goodies!
Loofah and imitation meat dumpling. Loofah is kind of like a squash, it melts in your mouth and is full of juices, perfectly complementing the meat.
And finally, dessert! Egg custard bun.
My first attempt at showing the inside was pretty much a failure. My wife showed me how it's done. Just look at this texture... wow. This is my favorite type of dessert! One that oozes sweet, sweet custard.
Four of us finished all of this food. Wow, it really looks like a lot. Very full, and very satisfied! Do check this place out if you can make it there, it is really great. Not for those that only eat meat, though. Let me know which one you think looks the best!
!steemitworldmap 25.0529171 lat 121.5325712 long Yang Shin Vegetarian Restaurant D3SCR
Simply exquisite photography! My husband and I were looking through this before lunch (big mistake!!) and both of us commented how delicious it all looks. It's enough to make you turn vegan!! (That's actually something I've given some thought to. But I have to learn to be more creative with vegetables.)
When I lived in San Diego there was for a time a vegetarian restaurant there called The Good Earth. Their food was pretty good, but too often you'd order something and they didn't have what it took to make it, or "the blender is broken," or some other excuse. Eventually we stopped going.
I need to look into more vegan recipes. For that, I need to be triplets.
from #theunmentionables
Oh yeah, we actually are actively looking to reduce meat, and places like these help a lot. I haven't started looking into the recipes yet but I know a few. I'll probably make one for Thanksgiving involving spaghetti squash!
Mate all that shit looks delicious.
The mushrooms remind me of something else tho!
And by the way, soy sauce... soy is converted to estrogens...
You don't wanna have mantits m8!
It's why you have to diversify. Soy isn't good to have too much of I've heard. I'm not actually vegetarian but I'm reducing meat overall.
Reducing meat = becoming weaker.
If you want to become a bear like me you will have to eat a kilogram of meat every damn day.
you make me miss taiwan!
To be honest, it's making me miss Taiwan too! But I like to remember what I did there. Maybe you can visit again soon!
I hate you. Every time I look at this post I have to go back to the fridge.
Trust me, I'm a doctor.
Oh my god, talk about a food overload! I'm not a vegan myself, but damn, those dishes looked soooooooo good! I might just have to try eating a few vegan dishes myself someday.
Yeah they are very creative with the dishes and they do taste good!
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