By Ye Jun (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-30 15:44

Cao Mu Jian doesn't have an English name and it also doesn't even have an English menu. But this teahouse and vegetarian restaurant does have some amazing mock meat dishes and a Zen-like atmosphere that make it a worthwhile place to try adventurous sampling and then engage in a long chat.

The name of the veggie-friendly establishment, where waitresses wear costumes common in performing tea ceremonies, literally means "among grass and woods," referring actually to tea. Half of the six private rooms are designed for tea drinking, and there is an extensive tea list.

The large Chinese-style dining hall is more note-worthy, however. A creek is designed to flow through part of the restaurant, with goldfish swimming inside.

The food and tableware are both elaborately prepared and presented. The menu is filled with many tempting choices; dishes are made to imitate meat with various nutritious ingredients.

For example, the delicious imitation fish with sweet and sour sauce (suan tian du zhong sheng, is actually made of soy bean protein. There is also "duck" (cha xiang ya), "sea cucumber" (xi zhi kou liao shen), "braised pork chop" , and even "hamburger-style steak"  and "kebabs" all without meat, of course.

Taiji vegetarian soup is made of a mixture of corn juice and spinach juice, with the green and yellow belts forming a Tai Chi symbol. Zhong he sheng is an assorted vegetable salad coming in a glass bowl. A crispy rice dish is quite tasty and comes with two bowls of sauces for dipping.

There are very few spicy dishes, but wild mushroom hot pot is one. The red chillies and salty preserved black soy beans make it a real treat for spice lovers.

The quantities of the dishes were quite big, each enough for three to four people. Illustrated photos make it fairly easy to work around the Chinese-only menu and still order well.

Average spending is 100 yuan for two. Tea costs from 88-888 yuan.

Cao Mu Jian
Location: 2/F Huateng Building, A302 Jinsong Sanqu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 010-87730135
Open time: 11 am-midnight