My love for vegetarian food is pretty huge but I hardly ever get to try it out. Much to my surprise, I was told by a colleague that the nearby Buddhist temple has a restaurant inside. I nearly fell off my seat and was so excited that I arrived there the next day to try it out.
In an incredibly tranquil and serene setting, you walk in and you're overwhelmed by huge vast prayer room in front of you. The restaurant is spotless and has a lot of natural light coming through. It's quite intimate and not really made for big groups but I've seen a few tables pushed together when needed. Though the actual restaurant is off to your right, you need to pay upfront at the welcome desk off to the left of the prayer room. All plates are $7 (no tax or tip needed!!) and you can opt for extras such as pots of tea, waffles, or other drinks.
The menu is simple but it's true Asian comfort food at it's best. Soups are free of MSG and strong overwhelming spices. Instead you taste pure flavours of vegetables with the spices playing nicely. No indigestion or heartburn here. Between two visits, I ordered the mock duck meat soup (seitan) with a small amount of fresh Asian vegetables in a spicy tomato broth and a curry seitan with steamed broccoli over rice. Both dishes had great flavour and the vegetables were perfectly done. No floppy overcooked vegetables ... they were bright green and retained a nice al dente crunch. The seitans are decent and not overly rubbery. They weren't the best ones I've ever had but I'd be happy to eat them again. The size of the dishes reflect the prices. They were decently portioned but for someone who is used to eating larger sizes, they might be on the small side for you.
Personally, I'd like to eat more green vegetables and have less rice/noodle to fill me up. I found the balance between vegetables and starch a little off. The flavours are wonderful and felt nourishing. The service is possibly the happiest I've seen anywhere. They're genuinely smiling and if it wasn't a temple, I'm sure they'd be skipping and whistling as well.