Lotus House (荷舍), a newly opened vegetarian eatery, dishes up healthy meals in pleasant surroundings, in the busy Wangfujing area. The second floor dining area is decorated in pleasant green and yellow colors, with paintings on the ceiling. Obviously, the food consists of mainly vegetable dishes, as well as various imitation meat products, primarily made from soy bean protein, and konjak, made with starch from a plant corn.

Butter fried pumpkin cheese cake (瑶台抚琴望广寒), fish made with mashed potato, yam and taro (金鲤龙门献瑞宝), and scalded vegetables with cheese and milk served in a bun (芝士面包焗时蔬) are worth trying. Sliced vegetable abalone is served on ice with slices of lettuce, while Hami melon and white turnip (南海叠翠) tastes rather good after being dipped in wasabi and vinegar. But it is not great value for money at 168 yuan.

Fried E'mei Mountain spring bamboo shoot (峨嵋春赋金顶月) is served with apricot kernels, fresh lily, lotus seeds and pine nuts. The dish is prepared with tieguanyin tea.

For imitation meat dishes, there are Kashi mushroom kebabs (喀什法味串烧菌), imitation beef steaks with black pepper on an iron plate (紫玉金刚黑椒排), and stewed imitation sea cucumber (闻法皈依众生缘).

Average spending is 50 yuan per person. Located at the end of the lane next to Peninsula Hotel to the east, Jinyu Hutong. 6523-9747. 东长安街东单路口向北第二个红绿灯左转金鱼胡同北京王府半岛饭店东侧

(China Daily 03/15/2008 page7)