Been wanting to try this new veggie option, owned by the sellers of palm-sized clay musical pipes; did so this Sunday eve.
If that short description alone perpetuates the Lamma Island Bohemian tag, it needn't. This small restaurant next to the gas appliance showroom / ex-Corner Bar is as down-to-earth as its 30-something Hong Kong Chinese couple owners. Garden furniture, spartan decor and mid-brightness lighting makes it a relaxed interior to eat in.
Menu-wise it's a a small list. Our party of three ordered two burger sets and one pepper chicken with pasta. "Thought you said it was a veggie place!" I hear you saying. Yep, these and and all listed items use mock meats - 21st century seasoned and textured bean curd. Now that's all well and good, except ... unfortunately, the same or very similar patties are being used for all dishes. Deep-fried, they are the 'chicken' or 'pork' - not just with our dishes, but also a key component of other diners' meals we observed.
That similarity aside, the pork-burger and chicken-burger were each served in a large fluffy sesame bun with cucumber, tomato, lettuce, perhaps a bit too much mayo and a generous portion of crispy not-too-stringy fries. The pepper chicken set was a vegetarian version of a chanteng sizzling cast-iron classic, the pasta in a garlicky onion and garlic salt sauce was tasty; accompanying slices of sauteed eggplant, broccoli and mushroom went down well. The ever-present battered chicken patties were a bit too thin and overdone this time.
At a moment when all diners were served, one of the owners took a live turn with a pipe over backing music for about 10 minutes. Enjoyable to see and hear a bit of live music.
The meal sets come with a hot or cold drink; priced $88 each. Gratis drinking water is poured as guests are seated. We were overlooked on the water, but this a new operation, so we made allowances for that and the 20-minute wait for two main dishes and more than 30 minutes for the third one.
All in all, a nice meal and ambience if you're not in a hurry - and a charming couple in charge.
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