Life Of Lopsided 8: Forest Dew Vegetarian Restaurant

Thursday 21 June 2012

Forest Dew Vegetarian Restaurant

A friend and I usually like to have our vegetarian meals in this place located along Bendemeer Road with the nearest MRT station in Boon Keng. Occupying 2 units below an old flat alongside a few other shops, Forest Dew Vegetarian Restaurant is air-conditioned and has a modest decor, cozy lighting with a few tables.

They have a very comprehensive menu and many choices for unsuspecting patrons, and that says a lot for a vegetarian restaurant. Here are some dishes we tried on our different visits.

Monkey Head Shrooms

Our usual must-have item in the menu - Monkey Head Shrooms - my friend's favourite. Never had I tried mushrooms which have been flavoured with black pepper and actually tasted a little similar to mutton, but more chewy, light and addictive.

Fried 'Prawns'

This is one of my favourites - Fried Prawns. Suffice to say, when I am on a vegetarian diet, or just having a vegetarian meal, I am those who actually like selective mock meat dishes. Yes they may be mushroom or tofu or beancurd equivalent or just flour, I love fried stuff. These fried 'prawns' remind me of my mom's actual fried prawn dish. I remember she used to prepare this dish when I was younger, when there was some anniversary for prayers at home.

Curry 'Chicken'

The 'chicken' in this curry dish tasted great on first try. However, we find the Curry Chicken gravy was a little over powering and they used curry powder instead or different actual curry ingredients. I love the eggplant and lady fingers.

Stir Fry Kai Lan

The only healthy vegetable dish we ordered, haha! And my vegetarian friend only likes Kai Lan. What an irony! The Stir-fry Kai Lan was pretty normal and quite crunchy and done just the way I like it, topped with strips of carrot, sesame seeds and shallots. The sauce is just right to go with rice.

Healthy Brown Rice

Friend chose brown rice while I usually prefer plain rice. I know brown rice is healthier with loads of benefits, but I eat brown rice at home everyday. Hence when I am dining outside, I prefer plain white rice.

Fish Slices & Seaweed Soup

We tried a few types of soups on our different visits. This has to be my favourite soup - Fish Slice and Seaweed Soup. I usually do not really like vegetarian fish which is made from beancurd sticks. In fact we did not touch the 'fish'. However the taste of the soup is great, very flavourful and quite similar to real fish soup. I like it that they added milk and seaweed to the soup.

Water Cress Soup

The Water Cress Soup was pretty normal. I do not like the mock meat they use for this soup. I feel that the water cress could have been boiled longer, and if with the right ingredients, the soup would be very refreshing even without the mock meat.

SzeChuan Vegetable Soup

On one of the visits, we were craving for SzeChuan Vegetable Soup. It is very appetising, with the sour tangy and peppery taste from the szechuan veggies. Again, I feel they need not have added the mock pork, because cooked in soup, the taste of the mock meat has already become 'bland' and soggy.

I think we would still go back to try the other zillion of dishes which we have not tried, including fried noodle dishes. Also I have yet to order their desserts, which are eggless. We are usually quite full with our dishes which are quite big in portion.