Chi Lin Vegetarian 志蓮素齋 龍門樓 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Jelloman is ff to see her best friend who’s visiting from Vancouver this week and I have he daunting task of taking care of one naughty kid and three elderlies during er absence. Since we have been talking about our long-overdue visit to Chi Lin Nunnery (志蓮淨苑) for quite ome time now, I thought the timing was perfect to kill two birds with one stone.

A visit to Chi Lin Vegetarian (志蓮素齋 龍門樓) inside the nunnery, followed by a journey inside the huge Buddhist temple complex after. That should get the gang occupied for a few hours.

Chi Lin Nunnery is a real sanctuary in the heart of the city. The complex consisting of numerous gardens and architectures resembling those from Tang dynasty (唐朝) is just a few steps from Diamond Hill MTR station making it very assessible.

Little nugget decided to take a few photos in the garden right before our vegetarian luncheon, which he admitted he wasn’t looking for to since he’s more of a meat lover.

We were seated at the upper levels for the first time.

Bean curd sheet rolls marinated with soy sauce (甘香扎蹄) – The bean curd sheet rolls were really nice and firm although a few of us complained about the homemade soy which came with some earthy notes and extra kick.

Deep-fried bean curd sheet rolls with mushroom, seaweed and soy gluten (酥炸海苔卷) – A similar bean curd sheet roll but this was stuffed with diced mushrooms and wrapped nicely with tiny strips of nori. Pretty nice texture and flavor profile.

Sweet and sour wheat gluten with pineapple (菠蘿咕嚕麥纖) – This came with two types of pineapples, fresh pineapple and pickled ones for a mix of sweetness and acidity.

For a dish that was supposed to reminisce the flavors and textures from the always-popular sweet and sour pork, what I found most interesting about it was the wheat gluten (playing the role of pork here). It was crispy and slightly chewy (in a good way). Not bad.

Crunchy fresh milk rolls (香酥脆奶卷) – Always love deep-fried milk custard in crunchy tubes.

Seasonal greens with Bailing mushrooms (百靈扒時蔬) – Little nugget mistakenly thought that the Bailing mushrooms were slices of abalone.

Stir-fried Chinese noodles with bean sprouts, mushroom and supreme soya sauce (豉油皇炒麵) – This came with decent “wok hei” but I thought they could be a little more heavy-handed with the supreme soya. The seasoning was very light to say the least.

Steamed asparagus and lily bulb dumplings with truffle sauce (松露百合露筍餃) – Didn’t get to try it myself but little nugget wasn’t head over heels over this one like he normally does with steamed dumplings.

Deep-fried turnip cake (煎蘿蔔糕) – I must admit, it was a little weird having deep-fried turnip cake without meat or more specifically, Chinese sausage. That deep savory flavor was sorely missing.

 
Afterwards, you went on an exploration of the temples inside Chi Lin Nunnery (志蓮淨苑). This area with the Japanese plantation really made me feel like I was in Kyoto!

I didn't think I have been here before. Going so deep into the gardens and temples. This was quite special especially considering that it's right in the heart of the city. 

     

The total damage for the five of us was almost $900 at lunch. A little pricey for a vegetarian meal if you ask me but I won't mind coming back once in a while.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Long Men Lou, Nan Lian Garden, 60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Diamond Hill

Tel: +852 3658-9388

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 9:00pm (Mon - Fri), 12:00am- 9:00pm (Sat - Sun)