When local media reported last week that 70 percent of Taipei's vegetarian restaurants were using animal byproducts in their food, it was reminiscent of the UK scandal a decade ago when a consumer discovered pork in their Linda McCartney brand veggie sausages. While a lot of vegetarian food prides itself on having the same consistency, smell and taste as meat, many vegetarians are uneasy about eating substitutes that taste like the real thing -- and past and present transgressions suggest why.
For strict vegetarian cuisine, with a selection of non-dairy items to satisfy a picky vegan, Tianmu French Style Vegetarian restaurant offers pricey western fare that doesn't look, smell or taste anything like meat.
PHOTO: DIANA FREUNDL, TAIPEI TIMES
Owner and chef, Lien Yu-lan (連玉蘭) learned how to cook from a non-vegetarian French national living in Taipei. Being a vegetarian herself, Lien said she would experiment with different ingredients to create the meatless dishes she serves today. Since the opening of her restaurant four years ago, she has passed on the recipes to her daughter, Lien Pei-Lu (連珮如), and now the mother-daughter team spends quality time in the kitchen inventing meatless dishes.
suggests, and more Mediterranean offering a large selection of pastas, soups and salads. With summer on its way, a variety of salads including avocado salad (NT$350), and mixed nut salad (NT$300) among others make a nice light lunch, and with an appetizer such as roasted bell peppers (NT$350), or mozzarella in balsamic sauce (NT$300), it could be a simple dinner. For a more substantial meal there are a choice of three set meals that include appetizer, soup, salad, main entree, fruit plate and tea or coffee (NT$550 to NT$980).
The best item is the complementary freshly baked bread. You'll need the bread if you order the pumpkin soup, which is sweet and tastes more like a dessert than a starter. The nut salad is full of flavor and comes with a tangy house dressing.
For desert there is an assortment of cakes, ice cream and yogurt smoothies, or a chocolate fondue (NT$480) made with homemade chocolate. The drink list includes a good selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages with a nice, but small bottle of Chilean white wine (NT$500).
The interior is tasteful, the white textured walls with dark trim compliment the antique furniture. The dim lighting and jazz music give it a romantic atmosphere making it the perfect place to take a generous date.
It’s only half the size of its more famous counterpart in Taipei, but the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Nature Science (NMNS, 國立自然科學博物館植物園) is surely one of urban Taiwan’s most inviting green spaces. Covering 4.5 hectares immediately northeast of the government-run museum in Taichung’s North District (北區), the garden features more than 700 plant species, many of which are labeled in Chinese but not in English. Since its establishment in 1999, the site’s managers have done their best to replicate a number of native ecosystems, dividing the site into eight areas. The name of the Coral Atoll Zone might
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