LOCATIONWest Melbourne
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAEverything about the White Lotus says suburban Chinese restaurant- the red paper lanterns, 1980s pink furniture, the wall calendars and the white titled floor. Yet open the menu and you’ll quickly discover that this is not your average restaurant. Not that you can be in any doubt when you see the sign above the counter - "No life is sacrificed for your meal".
For more than a decade, the Lee family has been delighting vegetarians and curious carnivores with its tofu menu. It is a curious concept, admittedly, dishes made from beans, taro, gluten and flour to resemble the animal kingdom. Yet this is more than the clever crafting of faux meat. It’s good Buddhist style. Vegetarian calamari, vegetarian fish with tamarind sauce (a new twist on being pescetarian), vegetarian chicken curry are some of the dishes you will find on this menu. Begin with the mini seaweed rolls (black moss in soy sheets) before ordering vegetarian steak with black bean sauce or vegetarian chilli prawns. The chef’s vegetarian combination of black and white wood ear fungi and mushrooms is a non-tofu alternative. Order one of the banquets to appreciate the full artistry of chef, Shirley Lee.
Fiona Symington