LingZhi Vegetarian @ Liat Towers - A Fresh Take on Vegetarian Dining: Innovative Dishes Beyond Mock Meats

LingZhi Vegetarian by TungLok Group has been around since 1991 and is well-regarded in the vegetarian community for its quality dishes. It now welcomes its new Executive Chef, Michael Huang, who brings over 17 years of culinary experience.

Located on the fifth floor of Liat Towers, the restaurant offers both an open dining area and private rooms for various occasions. Chef Huang has introduced a refreshed lineup of dishes focused on health and environmental sustainability, using quality seasonal ingredients. His roots in traditional Chinese flavours also shine through.

Honey Potato with Osmanthus Flower 3.5/5

We began with the Honey Potato with Osmanthus Flower ($16.80), a chilled pyramid of soft sweet potato cubes glazed in a fragrant osmanthus syrup. It leaned on the sweeter side for me, though my dining companion enjoyed it.

King Oyster Mushroom and Assorted Fungus in Sichuan Pepper Soup 4.2/5

As a mushroom lover, the comforting King Oyster Mushroom and Assorted Fungus in Sichuan Pepper Soup ($29.80) was right up my alley. Served in a comforting Sichuan pepper broth, it featured a generous medley of mushrooms with crunchy celtuce for texture. Unlike the fiery broth one might expect, this had a gentle heat with a warm numbing kick. I wished it came with sweet potato noodles or vermicelli to soak up the flavourful soup!

Crispy Plant-Based Eel in Gong Bao Glaze 4/5

The Crispy Plant-Based Eel in Gong Bao Glaze ($22.80) is made with thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms fried to a crisp and paired with cashews. While the “eel” could have been slightly meatier in texture, it was crunchy, light and not oily. The glaze carried a mild sweetness and a hint of heat.

Pan-fried Stuffed Morel Mushroom with ‘San Bei’ Sauce 4.2/5

The Pan-fried Stuffed Morel Mushroom with ‘San Bei’ Sauce ($38.80) was another creative standout. Earthy morels are stuffed, pan-fried, and served over crunchy asparagus, all coated in a sweet-savoury San Bei sauce.

Spaghetti with Vegetarian Bolognese 3.8/5

I wasn’t expecting much from the Spaghetti with Vegetarian Bolognese ($24), but it surprised us with its balanced mix of tomatoes and mushrooms. It wasn’t as tomato-forward or as sweet as the usual versions.

These dishes and more are available a la carte or as set menus for groups of various sizes. While the prices lean higher, we appreciated the thoughtful creativity that sets the restaurant apart from more common vegetarian offerings, which often rely heavily on mock meats. Service was also exceptionally warm and attentive.

Photos and words by Jo, who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


LingZhi Vegetarian
Liat Towers
541 Orchard Road
#05-01
Singapore 238881
Tel: +65 6734 3788
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Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT Station. Take Exit 4. Walk to Wheelock Place. Go to the first floor. Exit Wheelock Place, turn left and walk down Orchard Road. Walk to destinaton. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Ki Su Shoujin Omakase @ Tanjong Pagar Road - Experience the First-Ever Innovative Plant-Based Japanese Omakase

Ki Su Shoujin Omakase is the first-ever plant-based Japanese omakase in Singapore. It is an exciting new culinary venture led by the original team behind Joie by Dozo. The focus is inspired by shojin ryori cuisine, which is traditional Buddhist cooking.

The restaurant sits along Tras Street and is decked in wood elements to create a zen Japanese atmosphere. Diners can opt to sit at the counter or book a private room for a cosy get-together.

Dinner Omakase 4/5

Lunch presents an 8-course omakase menu priced at $88 per person, while dinner elevates the experience with a 10-course offering at $168 per person. The staff revealed that extensive research went into curating a diverse array of ingredients and combinations, which excited us to explore the potential of a complete plant-based omakase. During this visit, we tried the 10-course dinner.

Beetroot Cigar

Our starters began with the delicate Beetroot Cigar, a paper-thin beetroot casing carrying diced apples and mayonnaise.

Avocado Taco, Egg Yolk Toast with Air Flown Tonburi Caviar

Following that, we had the Avocado Taco and Egg Yolk Toast with Air-Flown Tonburi Caviar. Personally, I found the latter more appealing, with its velvety sous vide egg yolk atop crunchy buttered toast. The addition of caviar provided an extra burst of savoury flavour.

Shiro Shimeji

The next part of the omakase was the 4-piece Nigiri Sushi, which seemed to focus a lot on providing a variety of textures. Our first sushi was Shiro Shimeji, white mushrooms.

Red Capsicum

The Red Capsicum was lightly torched for a lovely char. All sushi rice used was pre-seasoned with soy.

Eggplant

The third piece featured Eggplant. This was also my favourite among the nigiri sushi.

Uni with Ikura

We were all intrigued by how this plant-based Uni with Ikura sushi looked. I will keep it a surprise as to what they are both made out of, but the "uni" carries hints of sweetness with a smooth texture.

Truffle Pâté

The following dish drew inspiration from foie gras. The Truffle Pâté featured a base of crispy buttered toast adorned with mustard seeds and truffle sauce. I was pleasantly surprised by the lusciously creamy texture of the cashew nut pâté, which complemented the earthy truffle notes.

King Oyster

My favourite dish was the King Oyster course, featuring juicy king oyster mushroom with fried shiso leaf and a sweet pea purée. I loved the burst of juiciness and texture of the mushroom.

Yakimono

For the Yakimono dish, we had a skewer of beancurd skin wrapped with enoki mushroom and a cherry tomato. This leaned slightly more sweet.

Kabutoni

Next was the Kabutoni, our simmered course. This traditional stew dish had daikon, eggplant, tofu skin, morel mushroom and bamboo fungus cooked in a soy sauce and sake combination.

Golden Temaki

We were then each handed a Golden Temaki, a crunchy seaweed hand roll with maitake mushrooms and egg yolk.

Entrée

The Entrée showcased a meaty Monkey Head Mushroom, meticulously prepared to preserve its juiciness. The black pepper sauce was notably mild, but the truffle mash, although slightly salty, was buttery and flavourful.

Soup

Before concluding our omakase dinner with dessert, we were served a Leek-based Soup with a subtle hint of yuzu.

First Dessert

For our First Dessert, we were presented with slices of Honeydew and a bowl of Matcha Cake. The latter had layered sweet caramel, nutty pistachio mousse, matcha cookie crumbs and watercress leaves, and a crunchy leaf-shaped corn biscuit. I found this too sweet but appreciated the thought behind it.

Second Dessert

We each had a bowl of colourful edible flower petals, mint leaves, and fragrant herbs sitting in front of us before the chefs came around to pour liquid nitrogen into them to freeze-dry them. After crushing them, we had a scoop of Hokkaido ice cream mixed in. This Second Dessert is only available for dinner.

While the omakase price is considerably steep, the team put a tremendous amount of creativity and detail into each dish. The restaurant currently only offers omakase, but we are also looking forward to perhaps having an a la carte menu in the future.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Ki Su Shoujin Omakase
60 Tras Street
#01-01
Singapore 078999
Tel: +65 8522 6824
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Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Tras Street. Turn right on Tras Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]