Dinner in a bike shop? When
Happy Buddha opened – in a semisegregated seating area – inside
one of our favourite bicycle stores
we were certainly intrigued. The
aim of the wtf-based café is to bring
vegan and vegetarian food that’s
healthy, satisfying and affordable
to Shanghai, which sounds good in
theory but how does it translate to
the plate? So far, very well.
From the starters, the double
layer nachos (46RMB) arrive at the
table in a dish piled high with lettuce
and red onion. They’re a little hard
to dig into but once some of the
toppings have scattered onto the
table, the flavours are good,
mixing together cheese and
kidney beans, with salsa,
avocado and sour cream.
The vegetarian Mexican
crunch wrap (42RMB) ironically
arrives on a chopping board branded
with a bull’s head silhouette. Mixed
messages aside, this dish offers
a generous and hearty serve of
crisp tortilla packed with Mexican flavoured Serenity Seitan (a
Shanghai-produced meat
substitute made from gluten that’s
high in protein), kidney beans,
lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa
and sour cream.
The black bean burger (53RMB)
doesn’t quite satisfy. Despite
efforts from the side of vegan mayo Sriracha, the bean patty remains
dry. The dish is lifted from monotony
thanks to a tasty toasted bun and
a side of wonderfully flavoursome
sweet potato crisps. Wash it down
with a Magners original or pear cider
(39RMB) or with any of the imported
beers available (from 35RMB for
a Dos Equis lager). If you’re having
an alcohol-free day, try the Thomas
Henry bitter lemon soda (25RMB) for
a sweet and refreshing sip.
Desserts are an unexpected highlight. The oatmeal cream pie (20RMB) is great value with two large moist and chewy biscuits encasing a thick spread of
spicy coconut cream. The mini vegan
‘cheesecake’ (22RMB) is sweet
thanks to the liberal use cashew
cream and a date and walnut crust.
Calling it a cheesecake is a bit of a
stretch, but we’d happily eat it again.
Given the scarcity of options
for vegetarians and vegans in the
city, Happy Buddha is a great new
addition, and if you’re neither, their
creative and filling fare means you
won’t mourn the lack of meat too
desperately.
Although the atmosphere in
the bike shop can seem a little
lacklustre as the sun goes down,
it makes for an interesting lunch
option in the peaceful surrounds of
Jiashan Market.
