Gaia Veggie Shop

Good was average. Waiters (all of them and on all tables) had a habit of slamming the dishes and cutlery on tables.

Gaia Veggie Shop is a brilliant vegetarian restaurant, that serves a Chinese style menu, but catered to vegetarians, vegans and Buddhists. Specialising in both mock meats and vegetable replacements, Gaia serves up very tasty interpretations of classic Asian dishes. They are so good in fact, that a true carnivore like me can still be satisfied by a meal here.
As an example of their menu, let me mention some of my favourite dishes. The sweet and sour fish is not fish, but make of mashed taro, so it’s not a replacement as such, just a dish in it’s own right. The steamed «chicken» in lotus leaf is made of a variety of mushrooms, and is made in a a gravy that is savoury and meaty. The beef and asparagus rolls use mock beef slices, which are a very good approximation to the real thing. They also to some fake sushi which is interesting.
For me, the best things about eating mock meats are the good impacts on the environment, and of course not eating animals, but also, I find the vegetarian adaptations of meat dishes less fatty and oily. It means you can have a really good feed, and not feel all greasy and sluggish afterwards.
The restaurant is typically Chinese, in that it is crowded and crammed with tables, everything is plastic or laminated, the lighting is bright and unforgiving. However, it is clean and well presented. The staff are very welcoming and friendly. Some of the senior staff speak reasonable English, so you can make yourself understood, but if in doubt you can always point to the pictures in the menu (which includes English).
Actually, everyone there seems to be so friendly. I once even shared a couple of dishes with two complete strangers who had ordered too much! Rather than waste it, they wanted me to try some of it!
Don’t forget to grab a loyalty card (you can even pick one up at the front desk on the way in). It’s just a plastic business card, but they will give you a 5% discount upon presenting it.