PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIATime and time again avid meat-eaters are surprised by the delicious offerings at Utopia. Though they take some convincing, the ones who eventually cave in and come along become devoted fans. The food in question is a rapidly growing trend in Australia – imitation meat made from vegetable protein – and it is often found in Taiwanese or Malaysian restaurants. To the uninitiated, the idea is usually unappealing and may bring back memories of that one time they tried canned vegetable sausages in the 90s. However, the faithful are quietly converting them one at a time.
For the first timer, ordering from the huge range of Taiwanese dishes on the menu can be daunting. But the food comes out quicker than McDonald’s (the comparison stops abruptly there) and is always top quality and packed with fresh vegetables. Be adventurous with the range of 67 different bubble teas (an iced tea base with a flavour of your choice and chunks of either sago, pudding or jelly), all with suitably cheesy names like “summer love milk tea” or “purple dream.” And whatever else you pick from the huge menu, make sure you start with the salted fried chicken. It will become your veggie-meat friend for life. On weekends Utopia is open as late as 3am with karaoke.
Louise Burke, December 2007