Gone are the days when you would be served an uninspiring salad or a sad plate of mushrooms when you requested “something vegetarian”.
Whether your reasons for seeking out something vegetarian have to do with health, your religion, or are in the interest of animal welfare, there is no lack of options here in Singapore!
1. Original Sin
The first vegetarian Mediterranean restaurant in Singapore, Original Sin has been around since 1997.
An interesting dish they serve here is the Absolut Pasta ($29), which comes with Australian asparagus and other ingredients flamed with Absolut vodka. Yep, there is alcohol content in this pasta, which is exquisitely executed.
For dessert, treat yourself to the Apple Crumble ($10). Boasting strong notes of cinnamon, this is a guilt-free treat to end your Mediterranean-vegetarian feast!
Original Sin
Address: Blk 43, #01-62 Jalan Merah Saga Holland Village, Chip Bee Gardens, Singapore 278115
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Website
2. Real Food
Real Food has a few outlets that are situated mainly around the central area of Singapore.
They have an extensive menu that caters to different palates and preferences. Even if you’re a die-hard meat-lover, you’ll find a dish here that will leave you craving for more.
Try their Vegetable Dumplings in Soup ($9.80/6pcs), a luxurious mixture of mushrooms, beancurd, carrots and beans which are handchopped and wrapped in a dumpling skin. Real Food has got the perfect dumpling filling to skin ratio, and their soup will have you slurping up every last drop!
Mushrooms, celery and cheery tomatoes are hidden gems within the gooey goodness that is the Mushroom and Celery Tomato Penne ($11.80). Their homemade tomato base is fresh, which makes this warm and toasty dish ideal for a rainy day.
Real Food
Address: Central | Square 2 | Orchard Central | South Beach | Far East Square
Contact no.: 6224 4492 | 6397 2289 | 6737 9516 | 6384 2206 | 6909 0909
Website
3. Sunny Choice Cafe
Located within a grocery store, Sunny Choice Cafe is small but brimming with appetizing food options.
Their speciality is the Hakka Thunder Tea Rice ($8.50), also known as lei cha fan.
The hero of this dish is the tea broth that is thick and very aromatic. The generous amount of different vegetables and crushed cashew nuts adds a crunch to each bite, spicing up the traditional thunder tea rice.
Another traditional Hakka dish from this cafe is the Abacus ($7). Each abacus seed is firm and chewy, with a lovely yam flavour. The dish also contains mushrooms, beancurd, carrots, which give it added texture and fragrance.
Sunny Choice Cafe
Address: 630 Bukit Batok Central, #01-154, Singapore 650630
Opening Hours: Tue – Sun: 10am – 9pm; Closed on Mon
Website
4. D’life
D’life is a bistro cafe in Commonwealth that serves up Western-Chinese tze char-style vegetarian cuisine at affordable prices.
A popular option among diners is the Hotplate Brinjal ($12). The eggplant is cooked to the perfect point of textural resistance. They swim in a tasty sauce, and go well with a hearty bowl of rice.
The Old-Fashioned Vinegar Stew ($10) is another winner here, packed to the brim with ingredients, and served with a sweet and mild sauce.
D’life
Address: Blk 428 Jurong West Ave 1 #01-256, Singapore
Opening Hours: Daily, 10.30am – 10pm
Contact no.: 6425 0128
Website
5. Afterglow
The Raw Masala Pizza ($22) at Afterglow is an absolute must-try!
It consists of assorted vegetables on a nut-based pizza crust, spicing up the otherwise green pizza. An added perk is that the layer of vegetables is topped with Macadamia Nut Cheese, which gives the pizza that added oomph of flavour!
Acai is all the rage right now, especially with the increased interest in superfoods here in Singapore.
Afterglow is no exception. They create flavoursome acai bowls with bananas, salted tahini (sesame seed paste) and raw walnut brownies. Their acai bowl “Bananas-over-Brownie” ($15) injects some sinful goodness into your regular acai bowl, proving the versatility of the almighty acai!
Afterglow
Address: 24 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089131
Opening Hours: Mon – Sat: 12pm – 10.30pm
Website
6. Elemen
Brown rice and quinoa in a stone pot?
Elemen has added some interesting elements to the traditional claypot rice. The Sizzling Quinoa Brown Rice ($15.80) is fragrant with coloured bell peppers. It is a wholesome, healthy dish with good portions of all the macro-nutrients you need.
Another unique rice dish here is the Braised Golden-Brown Pumpkin With Glutinous Rice In Hot Stone ($15.80), which arrives at your table with a satisfying sizzle.
The red wine and teriyaki sauce is drizzled over chewy glutinous rice, soft pumpkin chunks, crunchy green apple chunks and king oyster mushrooms – oriental style, but with a modern touch.
Elemen
Address: 9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-75A/76 Millenia Walk, Singapore 039596
Opening Hours: Daily, 11.30am – 4pm, 5.30pm – 10pm
Website
Who says vegetarian food is boring?
From pasta to dessert, many of the foods we love can be made to be suitable for vegetarians. If you’re a vegetarian looking for some new places to eat and some interesting grub to try, give these nutritious dishes a go!
Also read KFC Just Released A Double Steamed Chicken Burger And We Hope To God They’re Trolling Us
(Header Image Source: Burpple User Hengpei Ang, @jesslyn0206)
