Po Lin Monastery Restaurant 寶蓮禪寺齋堂 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

After a quick stroll through Ngong Ping Village (昂坪市集), it was time to get down to business.

At first glance, the long staircase leading up to the Big Buddha (天壇大佛) looked a little intimidating for little nugget (just look at his face!) but since there’s no admission fee required here, we all decided to take part in the climb together.

I’ve visited this place a few times before and vaguely remembered racing up these stairs with my cousins. Unfortunately, those were the pre-smartphone days, so no photos or videos to capture the "Kodak moments".

Despite my bad back, I managed the climb without breaking a sweat! Of course, I had to snap a few photos to commemorate this special moment.

After successfully conquering the Big Buddha, we hopped over to Po Lin Monastery (寶蓮禪寺) for a quick visit. 

The plan was to have a very early dinner at 4:30pm at their restaurant serving simple vegetarian dishes.

I remembered dining here on a couple of occasions before, although previously it was at their casual canteen next door. It was a more budget-friendly cafeteria-style spot (no tablecloths). This time around, we decided to check out Po Lin Monastery Restaurant (寶蓮禪寺齋堂) which offered a more comfortable setting. At $150 per adult (kids eat free), I found the price to be quite reasonable.

Red and green radish soup with corn (紅青蘿蔔粟米湯) – The famous soup of the day is red and green radish soup with corn. The flavors were rich and deep as if it’s been double-boiled.

Deep-fries spring roll (脆皮春卷) – Of course, this is a vegetarian version with no meat or seafood, just strips of vegetables in the middle. Not bad.

Stir-fried asparagus with assorted mushrooms and cashew nuts (碧綠如意炒) – I liked the fact that this came with all kinds of vegetables, not just asparagus (as listed on the menu). There were green beans, bell peppers, celery, and more, making it colorful and tasty.

Stir-fried black mushrooms with vegetables (花菇扒時菜) – Little nugget loved this thanks to the mild abalone-style sauce that complemented the mushroom and cabbage nicely.

Deep-fried bean curd sheets with lemon sauce (西檸鮮竹片) – A clever vegetarian twist on the classic Cantonese lemon chicken (西檸雞). The sweet and tangy sauce, and the super tender bean curd combined for a nice refreshing dish for the summer. By far, my favorite dish this afternoon.

After the meal, we took a relaxing walk around the monastery grounds. Thankfully, it was a bit cloudy making the summer heat somewhat bearable.

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping Road, Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Tung Chung

Tel: +852 2985-4736

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 4:30pm daily