Can Vege'ology's Plant-Based Noodles Flourish at Xiaoyun Lu?
We’ve heard good things about Vege’ology, but we're worried about them. Just how popular can a vegetarian noodle place get? Especially on a dark, narrow Food Street, surrounded by eateries dishing out lunch for an average RMB 15? When we found out it's located near the failed beer bar Craft Art & Craft Beer (check out our less-than-satisfactory experience here), our doubts mushroomed.
It takes a good ten minutes to walk to the end of the street, but you can hardly miss Vege’ology when you get there. The sign is covered with fake foliage, the front is painted green, and the outdoor dining area is also light green, under large – yup – green umbrellas. Inside, there’s the huge trunk of a real, 100-year-old tree (!) as well as modern plastic chairs and tables dotted around it. You'll never guess what color the tables are.
Fortunately the food is more subtle than the theme. There are eight kinds of noodles on the menu, including pho, dry noodles, and noodle soups, as well as soup salads (referred to by Vege'ology as "warm salads" perhaps less than appetisingly). The original veggie noodle soup (RMB 38) contains an impressive variety of vegetables, including sweet potato, bean sprout, lotus root, seaweed, broccoli, lettuce, mushroom, and corn. The colored noodles are not soft like those you might find in run-of-the-mill noodle joints due to the addition of whole wheat and an infusion of wolfberry and wormwood. Surprisingly, none of these flavors dominate, and thanks to the light vegetable stock, you can taste each individual ingredient.
Slurping the noodles while gazing out, we noticed their slogan on the door: “Plant-based, low carbs, good protein, healthy diet.” And that's a fair description of the food we tried.
For drinks, there are two in-house made varieties (each RMB 12): red bean with coix seed water and lily with mung bean water, both sugar-free. The former has coix seed boiled and cracked in the water, blooming like a flower, and the red bean adds color to the drink. After a sip, I felt the diehard toxins of my liver due to beer drinking trying to get out of my body, and could practically hear them screaming: “Damn, she’s switched to a healthy diet!”
The ambiance is relaxing and modern, giving us space to ponder the puzzle of how a pioneering plant-based restaurant could survive here. “It's just too good, it should be in Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York … or Sanlitun.” But seeing the delivery guys dashing in and out puts our mind at rest. Vegetarian or not, your body can always use a healthy, detoxing meal. Hopefully that'll be enough to sustain this Xiaoyun Lu gem.
Vege’ology
Daily 10.30am-8pm. Food Street, Southeast of Yuanyang Xinganxian, 35 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang District (178 0112 5097)
暖蔬：朝阳区霄云路35号院远洋新干线东南侧美食街
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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Tracy Wang, Dianping
