The Rundown
A relative newbie to the Tanjong Pagar dining scene, Ganglamedo Vegetarian Cuisine brings an interesting Tibetan take on vegetarian fare to Singapore’s conventional meatless dining scene. Unlike many Chinese vegetarian restaurants that serve dishes heavy on mock meats, the focus here is on fresh produce, with lots of fruit and greens. Eat on for health!
The Vibe
The restaurant’s nondescript exteriors belie its gorgeous interiors. A lot of thought (and money) has obviously been put into outfitting the place, from intricately painted rosewood furniture to delicate crockery, and even hot pot stoves embossed with the restaurant’s name. The main dining area is on the first floor, with booth seats that evoke a good sense of privacy, but there are also smaller private rooms on the second and third levels of the shophouse unit for more intimate occasions. Ganglamedo’s zen atmosphere is ideal for quiet celebrations (leave rowdy friends at home!) and business meetings. It makes a great venue for meatless date nights too. The restaurant was half full when we visited on a Saturday night, and the passionate staff ended up bringing us on a tour of their premises.
What’s Good
While there’s an a la carte menu available, the options are limited and prices comparatively high. We suggest going instead with their popular all-day Five-Course Vegetarian Set Menu ($49.90). There are two of these set menus available — both serve hot pot as the main dish, but the side dishes vary, as one menu is prepared without egg and pungent vegetables like onions. If you eat eggs, take our advice to go with the one that serves homemade pancake as a side dish — it’s very tasty! There’s also a special Cordyceps Set Menu ($88) but in our opinion, the basic set is delicious as it is, unless you’re dining with someone you really want to impress.
Almost immediately after placing our order, the table was filled with an assortment of individual side dishes, which made us think of Korean banchan, albeit a lot fresher and delicate tasting. A dish of grapes, blueberries and cherry tomatoes, topped with a sprinkling of shaved cheese, was so simple but so good, and really effective at whetting our appetites. We also enjoyed the moreish fried spinach pancake, and our side order of Sesame Mochi Bread ($8 for four small rolls) served with mayonnaise for dipping. When eaten warm, the bread rolls were chewy yet soft, and absolutely tasty.
The star of the set menu is without a doubt the hot pot, which comes with a staggering assortment of fresh veggies, including florets of purple cauliflower (so sweet when it soaks up the broth) and root veggies carefully carved into bite-sized pieces. There are four soup bases to choose from — white pea, mushroom, hot and sour, and tomato. The popular mushroom broth is earthy and nourishing, but its herbal notes may not be up everyone’s alley. The sweet-tinged tomato is a universal pleaser, while the hot and sour, which packs quite a fiery punch, makes a good option for spice fiends. For carbs, choose between their special steamed rice, which reminded us of lotus leaf rice, or springy handmade noodles (spinach flavour on our visit). Dessert for us was winter melon cake, which resembled closely of a less jelat Nyonya kueh. It pairs well with the Buckwheat Tea ($5 for free-flow tea), and we left the restaurant feeling full, nourished and not at all stuffed.
At first thought, the prices here may seem a little steep for a meatless meal, but considering the team’s dedication to details, the quality of the fresh produce, and atmospheric, almost fine-dining ambience supported by flawless service, we’d say it’s worth every cent.
Read what the Burpple community has to say about Ganglamedo Vegetarian Cuisine here.
