Mock meat is something that used to squick me out a bit. I had never tasted it or even seen it before, but in my opinion, meat was meat and there was no WAY any susbstitute would be as good.
Well, I've become a little more open-minded since then, and when Stephen and I were invited to lunch with one of our vegetarian friends, we thought we'd try a vegetarian restaurant. While looking one up, I had a gander at the website of Green Gourmet in Newtown, and was instantly intrigued.
On top of not selling meat or animal-based products, Green Gourmet also doesn't serve dishes with onion or garlic, stating that "In "Vegetarian Recipies", five spicy scented vegetables are not used. They are onions, garlic, leek, spring-onions and chives. These pungent vegetables contain five different kinds of enzymes and when eaten, will not only induce offensive reactions physically and mindfully but also spiritually, as they have harmful dissipating effect upon the primeval breath of the five organs. Namely: - the lungs, the heart, the spleen, the kidneys and the liver."
Young Coconut & Fresh Mint Drink - $4.50
With this in mind, I thought I'd start with a cleansing, refreshing coconut drink. The drink was very mild, with not much coconut flavour at all, and the mint was also not as strong as I expected, but there was a hint; It was tasty and easy to drink.
Crispy Beijing Duck Wrap - $15.20
We were very excited to try these wraps, because we love duck with hoi sin, and we wanted to see what a vegan version would be like. We were pretty much astounded: the beijing style pancake, pickled cucumber and carrot, and hoi sin sauce were all pretty much the same accoutrements as the meaty version, but the "duck" was something else. Made of soy protein, it didn't really look or smell like duck, but when the whole thing was assembled and I took a bite, it was almost like the real thing. The crunch of the "skin" was there, the flavours of the sweet hoi sin and tart pickled vegetables contributed to the taste, and the pancake was light and paper thin (of course, if you've ever had a duck wrap, I don't think soy protein could measure up).
Spring Roll - $3.60
The spring rolls were a good size, and the pastry was more substantial than I'm used to. I found out later it was made of wheat. It was filled with crunchy carrot and bamboo shoot, cabbage, mushroom and celery, and served with a house-made sweet and sour sauce.
Steamed BBQ Not Pork Bun - $3.60
Stephen absolutely loves BBQ pork buns, so we decided to give this a go. The bun was made with wheat flour and filled with wheat protein that was marinated in hoi sin sauce and water chestnuts. The taste was quite accurate, and the buns even looked the same:
Sweet and Sour Taro Fritters - $15.80
Our friend Cassie chose this dish. The taro fritters, a substitute for pork, were fried til crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, and were served with pineapple, tomato, capsicum and carrot. The whole lot was coated in their housemade sweet and sour sauce.
Better Than Salt and Pepper Calimari - $16.80
Made from kelp and yam extract, the "calimari" was AMAZING. While the strips didn't curl up like real squid does, they had the same slight bite that calimari does, and the outer coating was beautifully crisp and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Eating at Green Gourmet was a hell of an experience, and it's a place I would definitely take a vegan or vegetarian friend. They take vegan cuisine seriously, and it shows in the care and presentation of their dishes. Go and sample their a la carte menu, try the yum cha on weekends, or go in for a quick lunch where you pay by weight of your dish.
Green Gourmet
115 - 117 King St
Newtown, NSW
2042
Phone: 02 9519 5330
http://www.greengourmet.com.au
I LOVED the not Duck Pancakes here...deep frying makes everything taste good I reckon. LOL.
Posted by: Miss Piggy | Aug 27, 2011 at 07:51 PM
This place looks neat! I've only ever had mock meat once and that was in some famous restaurant in Beijing and it was mind blowing o_O Need to check this place out!
Posted by: Vivian - vxdollface | Aug 27, 2011 at 10:56 PM
You can take me, I'd love to go for a veggie dim sum :D!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend daaahling.
*kisses* HH
Posted by: Heavenly Housewife | Aug 28, 2011 at 04:37 AM
I don't know if I could do it, I just love meat! My official excuse is that a lot of pretend meat is made from gluten- poison to me! Glad you enjoyed it though :)
Posted by: InTolerantChef | Aug 28, 2011 at 09:01 PM
I've always been a little curious about Green Gourmet. The food looks pretty good even though they are not quite what they seem. I suppose the young fresh coconut and mint is really what you got :)
Posted by: chopinandmysaucepan | Aug 28, 2011 at 10:46 PM
Such an interesting restaurant to give a try. The dishes sound beautifully prepared. I'm not sure I'd ever be willing to give up my beloved garlic and onion. ;)
Posted by: briarrose | Aug 29, 2011 at 04:22 AM
This looks fantastic! I've had a lot of mock meat and I love it. With Hare Krishna friends, and a vegetarian Mum, I've often had it, as well as the no garlic/onion thing. The cooks I know use asafoetida as a garlic substitute :D
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Posted by: Chanel | Aug 29, 2011 at 08:24 AM
I had my share of mock meat in my year as a vegetarian and would definitely not have it again. IMO it's better for vegetarians to get protein from real food instead of chemical-laden concoctions.
Posted by: Gaby | Aug 29, 2011 at 09:32 AM
great review. i spent almost an entire year living across the road from green gourmet without ever having visited, a vegan friend had to drag me there! i like that you've given the duck a mention, it's my favourite dish. they're fake chicken is delicious as well.
Posted by: alanabread | Aug 30, 2011 at 06:36 PM