Have you tried Ci Hang Western & Chinese Vegetarian Fast Food 慈航中西素食 ?

I am currently on a 100-day vegetarian diet which started on merit-multiplying day 17 Nov 2011, which was Lhabab Duchen, the day that Buddha Shakyamuni descended to The Heaven of Thirty-Three in order to give teachings to benefit the gods in the desire realms, and to repay the kindness of his mother by liberating her from Samsara. 

Actually being a vegetarian for short periods is nothing new to me and I have been doing it for the past few years. Even on normal non-vegetarian days, I have cut down considerably on meat and seafood. Perhaps I am already a 80% vegetarian on normal days.  

Since becoming a vegetarian for the past one and a half month, I have to find alternative ways of eating. Sometimes it can be inconvenient when you dine outside and especially when you are with friends. Otherwise, it is just a matter of changing your mindset that you need or have craving for meat dishes. However we are quite fortunate in Singapore as there are so many vegetarian food outlets available that we are spoilt for choice.

I tried Ci Hang Western & Chinese Vegetarian Fast Food located along the shophouses next to Aljunied MRT, which is among many vegetarian restaurants and stalls in the Geylang vicinity. It is a humble looking eatery which serves vegetarian dishes in both chinese and western cuisines. So one never really get sick of the food there as there is a wide variety of choices on the menu. Let me review some of the Western food items I have tried.

Chicken Chop - I recommend this and their Fish Chop which is equally good. The Chicken Chop comes in a generous portion, with 3 big pieces of fried 'chicken' made of soy bean product, side dishes of tomato baked beans, salad and french fries (or you can change it to Mashed Potato). The chicken chop is dribbled with a very delectable sauce. You must try this dish and especially if you are very hungry.  

Mashed Potato - The sauce that they used in topping with the mashed potatoes is slightly darker than our usual mashed potato but it is no less delicious. You can have this on its own.

Hamburger - The patty of the 'ham' burger is fresh and crisp on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside and tastes something like a combination of fragrant luncheon meat and crabsticks. I was pleasantly surprised it was so good as I did not have high expectations of a so-called 'mock' burger. Although the burger is not big, I would choose this over a KFC Chicken Zinger Burger anytime.

Fried Mushroom - I totally love this dish! Chinese mushrooms are deep fried without being too oily. The mushrooms are so juicy and dipping them into a very unique sauce which turns out to be very appetising. I suspect they used a mix of plum sauce and other ingredients to create this sauce which is served piping hot (they had to warn me that the sauce is oven hot!). Funny thing about being on a vegetarian diet is that I have an increased craving for deep fried stuff at this moment. With these fried mushrooms from Ci Hang, I think I can eat 2 plates on my own!

Spaghetti - The spaghetti is a tomato based sauce, mixed with mushroom, and mock meat ingredients. I was disappointed with the spaghetti as they were overcooked, too soggy. The ingredients were also a little bland for my taste and a tad too watery.

All in all, there are so many items to choose from in Ci Hang. They have rice sets with brown rice and soup too, and individual dishes. On the chinese cuisine side, so far, I have only tried the Mee Sua Soup which was refreshing.  I heard their Hainanese Chicken Rice is fantastic too. I will try and perhaps review their other chinese dishes the next time.

Ci Hang Address: 
72 Lorong 25A Geylang, Singapore 388256. (next to Aljunied MRT), Tel: +65 6747 1229.