Zen-E-Lunchbox

This is going to be a short review, since I only had one item here (an appetizer). I had already eaten my lunch (early, too, at 11:30! :(…) and was still starving, so I went out for a walk without any real plans to get more food.
Well, it turns out that since I became aware of Zen-E-Lunchbox’s existence, I have been poring over their menu like crazy. I ended up in the foodcourt they reside in and thought, why not? I had the stuffed tofu rolls and they were delicious! But like someone said below, if you are a super-​health-​food type of person, this won’t be for you. The rolls were only $ 3.00 and were wrapped in that tofu paper (the name escapes me right now) and stuffed with cabbage, carrot, and mushroom. Very tasty.
I was also given some sweet chili dipping sauce to complement the rolls, and boy, did it ever!
I had initially ordered their wonton soup but they had totally run out (by a little before noon). So let this be a lesson to all, maybe call ahead if you have your heart set on something at Zen-​E, as they seem to be quite popular in the area.
I will certainly be back. I will also be updating my review (perhaps to 5 stars) once I try a full entrée from this establishment.

This place has been many names. Veggie House, Hankai, etc. At one point, they closed for several months. But guess who’s back, like Wendy’s twitter handle?!
I used to come here often when I lived just up the hill, especially on my day off, when I simply could not say no to a $ 9 lunch special. Today was no different. You can get 2 items with rice for $ 7.50, 3 items with rice for $ 9 or 4 items with rice for (I think) $ 12. Since the choices that aren’t made with vital wheat gluten are kind of limited, I stuck to the $ 9. Spicy eggplant stirfry, tofu rolls that they generously sliced in to bite-​sized pieces for me, garlic-​y shredded potatoes and carrots; all served on a heaping bed of white rice. At first the huge portion of white rice made me sad, because usually that means they will secretly give you less food (like how Subway will give you less toppings because they’ll put 4 handfuls of shredded lettuce on your sub) — not at Zen-​E! Here, you have enough for a proper vegan food coma. They even gave me a complimentary cup of soup! Zzzzzzzzzzzz…
The food here reminds me of the bi-​monthly vegan buffet at Avatamsaka, but tastier. Service is friendly, cheerful and the price is right. Don’t close, Zen-​E! I will seek you out whenever I am in the area!

This little food court stall is a gem.
It’s really only set up for takeout/​quick lunch on the go, but when I want a meal out and am sick of my regular rotation of «real» restaurants this is where you’ll find me.
I’ve never had anything here I disliked, but I by far recommend the satay beef rice noodle above all else. The sauce isn’t very peanut-​y, but savoury and rich and suspiciously vegan. It’s also the only place (I’ve found– please message me if I’m wrong!) that has traditional Chinese veggie eats (like bean curd skin rolls.. omg) and the fake meat dishes side by side. Convenient to say the least.
The staff is fantastic. Friendly, quick and prompt. The food comes out at lightning speed and if you get it to stay you can enjoy food court table service! There’s also a buffet for take out quickies.
The only downside is the price. It’s more expensive than Good Fortune or Veggie House were, but maybe I don’t need to order three entrees to myself. At any rate, a stuff our faces meal or two cost us $ 50 with apps, dessert and 4 entrees. Still leagues above other restaurants and definitely worth it.
Please please please Zen e move into a beautiful space with a big dining room and stay open forever. Oh and start a delivery service– at least during exam season.

Way back when in my fledgling vegan years, this spot used to be a place called Veggie House that I loved and adored until it recently closed down. My friends and I would come to this spot for dirt cheap vegan Chinese food in a low key food court setting, and all would be well.
So, after losing Veggie House and White Oak II at around the same time, I was pining for tasty food in Chinatown again. Zen-​e-​Lunchbox has certainly met and exceeded my wishes. I visited recently– same exact set up, and a very similar menu. I got to speaking with the owner and he is extremely friendly. He took his time to listen to my rambles about how happy I was to seem them open, and to talk about vegetarianism. When I asked if I had a take out menu, he said he only had the copy of the menu in its little plastic sheet, then took it out and GAVE it to me, and said he would print off a new one. He insisted I take it, and I was very humbled by the friendly gesture.
I wanted to order hundreds of dollars of food just supposed him, even though it was just me and one of my pals. We did get to try a variety of items though; shanghai noodles with mixed vegetables, ginger «beef,» stuffed tofu rolls, and pan fried dumplings. Man, everything was delicious, dare I say even better than when Veggie House was on its last legs a couple years ago! We were absolutely thrilled with everything on our plates. The ginger «beef» was seasoned perfectly, and won over my omnivorous friend who said she would prefer it to the real thing. I was particularly charmed by the tofu rolls and dumplings and will probably go back just to stuff my face with those. We left stuffed full of deep fried veggie gluten goodness.
Trendy health food vegans, beware! This place is not for you, and I am warning you so that I don’t have to read complain-​y reviews about this later. However, if you are a fan of Buddhas, or pining for some amazing Chinese take out, then definitely pay the lovely folks at Zen-​E-​Lunchbox a visit. I can’t wait to keep supporting them and dragging friends here for lunch dates.
Welcome, Zen-​E-​Lunchbox. Stay around awhile!
Review ³¹⁄₃₀ of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012