When I arrived at Tiandi Vegetarian Restaurant (天帝素食) for an early dinner, I found it already teeming with customers, many of whom were elderly. Stepping foot into the Buddhist establishment, no one approached to seat me or take my order.
I leafed through a menu at the counter while two waitresses rushed back and forth to fill orders. Although the slow service was understandable due to the number of customers, the restaurant seemed noticeably understaffed on such a busy day. When a waitress finally approached me, she was apologetic and friendly, informing me that since it was the 15th day of the month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, they were serving free vegetarian noodles.
After studying the menu, which was completely in Chinese but provided pictures of each dish, I ordered the free vegetarian noodles (斋面, usually ¥10), seasoned broccoli with mushrooms and peppers (浇汁西兰花 , ¥36) and a mock chicken dish made from soy protein (什锦素吉, ¥28). The complimentary vegetarian noodles, which every customer slurped up enthusiastically, often demanding a second bowl, were disappointingly served slightly lukewarm. The savory taste partially compensated for the less than ideal broth temperature, for the noodles, mushrooms, crispy tofu, tomato and bok choy complemented each other perfectly.
The broccoli dish, although not horrible, was a bit disappointing. Broccoli is a western vegetable, and it appears that the Chinese method of preparation closely resembles that of other Asian vegetables, and therefore may not necessarily suit the western palate. The broccoli was not only slightly undercooked, but the sauce also lacked any distinct flavour. The red peppers provided a slight spicy kick, but in all, it was quite an unremarkable dish.
The last dish, which I had anticipated the most, was ultimately the most underwhelming of all. The mock chicken dish, crafted from soy protein strips wound in artistic orbs, certainly did not fail to impress me visually. However, the exceedingly dry and chewy “chicken” had to first be drenched in a slightly sweet sauce in order to be palatable. Perhaps the soy protein used on this occasion was quite old, or perhaps the dish was intended this way and simply clashed with my personal tastes. Either way, I recommend that you stay far away from this dish, for it gives vegan food a bad name.
I had long anticipated dining at Tiandi Vegetarian Restaurant. It is among the vegetarian restaurants closest in proximity to my home in Gulou, and approximately a 20-25 minute bus ride from Nanjing University. However, the poor service and mediocre dishes left much to be desired. I would, however, highly recommend taking advantage of the free noodle deal – just make sure that you go on the 15th of the month according to the lunar calendar. Tiandi’s location and seemingly already well-established client base provide great potential for growth, and I sincerely hope they can offer higher quality vegetarian cuisine in the future!
Tiandi Vegetarian Food is located at 21 Hujubei Lu, near the front gate of Gulin Park.
