Hao Guang Vegetarian Restaurant
357 Zhong Zheng Rd, Taipei, Taiwan
The highlight at this comparatively up-market self-service place are the savoury parcels of a mixture based on finely chopped mushrooms encased in tofu skin, themselves wrapped in strips of processed seaweed lightly sprinkled with sesame seeds. You can also enjoy wonderfully succulent mushrooms, small pinkish aubergines, okra, peas in their pods, finely shredded green capsicum and slices of slightly sweet tomatoes…the ability of Chinese cuisine to incorporate foodstuffs that cannot be traditional is something I’d like to know more about.
Of course visitors to a country like Taiwan may well decide to aim for more adventurous dining experiences than those offered by self-service establishments, but in an environment where one cannot speak the local language (indeed, you probably won’t be able to tell the name of the restaurant from the sign outside), it is a relief to find places where you know that all the food will be veggie, and the quality of their offerings is an added bonus. This restaurant is out of the city centre, handy to the Shi Lin MRT station.