Green Gourmet - Newtown

LOCATION
On King Street, between Elizabeth Street and Missenden Road. Ten minutes’ walk from Newtown train station.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
While other health-conscious fly-by-nighters come and go, this restaurant stalwart has been feeding the local vegan community for the past decade from its Newtown base in King Street. The recent demand for gluten-free and environmentally aware cuisine has seen a new buzz surrounding this family run restaurant. The tale began with Gourmet Inn in Mosman, which was opened by Colin Fung in 1984 and was later followed by Green Gourmet in Newtown in 1989, and a St Leonards restaurant in 1992. The Green Gourmet brand now also includes Vegan’s Choice Grocery, which sells a range of take-home vegan food products. Green Gourmet originally opened as a vegetarian restaurant, later expanding into a 100% vegan menu as a result of consumer demand. With no meat, dairy, garlic or onion in sight, the restaurant aims to “nourish the mind and the body”, and offer a healthy dining experience to Sydneysiders.

A vegan take on Chinese cuisine, many of Green Gourmet’s dishes are wheat and gluten free, forming the perfect dining solution for vegetarians, vegans, the lactose intolerant and coeliacs. Its a la carte menu is offered for lunch and dinner seven days, with buffet available for lunch Monday to Friday, and dinner Tuesday to Sunday. Yum cha fiends can get their lunchtime fill on weekends. A vegetarian himself, Colin recommends the signature dish of crispy skin “not chicken” (wheat protein), served with pickled vegetables, coriander, chilli, vinegar and peanut in a shangtung sauce, and the pan-fried fresh mushrooms stuffed with taro, sticky rice and peanuts, served in a light soy sauce with broccoli and wolfberries. Larger groups are wise to order one of the kitchen’s banquets for a hearty feast at a reasonable price. Alcohol is prohibited on the premises, so end your meal with a calming herbal tea or soya-based vegan ice-cream.

Lauren Barker, April 2009