Fan Cai Xiang Vegetarian Restaurant (梵菜香素食館)

This decade-old Chinese restaurant in Taman Desa continues to be a focal point of the neighbourhood when it comes to vegetarian ideals. Previously a seamstress, matriarch Madam Gan established Fan Cai Xiang with hearty dishes inspired by her family's taste for good food sans MSG. With over 150 dishes in their menu, this restaurant replete with round tables and sturdy wooden chairs is the universal answer to an all-pleasing family dinner. Even if you are not pro-mock meat, try their vegetarian version of Honey Barbecue Pork (from RM17), which not only resembles real meat, but also manages to replicate a similar shiny lard-like sheen. As you work through the menu, it becomes apparent that the stalwart kitchen has mastered making vegetarian meats to look, feel and taste just like the real thing. The Basil Fried Egg (from RM15) is a perfect example — the mock egg dish is made from soybean sheets and then, scrambled beautifully with basil leaves for fragrant and fluffy results. In a league of its own is the Marmite Fish (from RM16). Be sure to try this tender brinjal creation, shaped like a fish and finished in a luscious Marmite and mushroom gravy.
Avg price per person: RM30
Photo by Burppler Amayzing