Eco Life Kitchen Vegetarian - I'm Ready To Be A Herbivore

Mention vegetarian to a carnivore like me, the first things that come to my mind are, "Buddhists", "Chor Yut", "Chor Sup MM" (1st and 15th day of the lunar calendar), "Health freaks", "Mock Meats", "Annalakshmi", and "Tofu Burgers",,, nothing very exciting really, to be honest.  I love the occasional temple meals in Jln Ampang, but ever since Unkaleong moved to the boondocks, so did my hopes of ever eating there again.... then there's that Chinese New Year morning meal at my in laws, the glorious "mutton" curry that for years, I thought my mother in law slaved over the stove to make, but found out after 10 odd years of marriage, it just actually comes out of a packet, but is embellished by the MIL with additional stuff.

SOOOO, if you traverse this blog, I think the only OTHER vegetarian meal I had was in Kechara Kitchen, like 5 thousand years ago.  When friend David (ironically, the owner of "THE MEAT EXPERTS" and another porcine restaurant that shall not be named here) called to ask me if I was interested to check out his friend's vegetarian restaurant, I was actually quite keen, mainly because I am really quite meat-ed out this period.  As in have been eating too much meat, so I actually WELCOMED the prospect of a vegetarian meal, expecting it to be, well, bland, detoxing, and like drinking a cocktail of  vegetables from a slow masticating juicer.

So much for preamble.  The owner of ECO LIFE, located in Fraser Business Park, (the restaurant, not the owner) was very accommodating and little did I know, had opened the restaurant just for us last Wednesday night, on their off day.  It's easy enough to find, if you know where Fraser Business Park is, it is where the old F&N factory used to be, opposite Federal Bakery, off Jalan Loke Yew.  The landmark is the MUNICH CAFE & BAR.

It started because the owners also own a "farm" in Bukit Tinggi, now with an eco resort, an Eco Leisure Village called SONG YAN, and the chef would use the produce from the farm, which is mostly organic, to whip up vegetarian dishes.  So they felt it would be a good idea to open an outlet in KL, using their fresh and organic (though they did qualify not all of it is organic) produce under the masterful Chef, Steven Siew.

Pre dinner drinks was a fizzy calamansi juice, very refreshing.

A mango sushi roll, which actually would have fitted quite well into any Japanese menu without seeming overtly vegetarian.  Sweet mango, with rice rolled in crispy bits of err... I forget what now, as this item is not yet in the menu.

Then came the omelette roll with the most intriguing topping, pumpkin floss...which was so flavourful, that I almost did not believe it was pure vegetarian.  Slowly becoming a believer here...egg, seaweed, purple cabbage, wasabi mayonnaise, turnip,  RM11.90.

Thai Tofu, with green mango, pineapple, carrot, turnip, chilli sauce, RM9.90.  As the tofu is fried, and is crispy on the outside and moist and soft on the inside, it would make for a great snack with alcohol.  Hmm, I forgot to ask if alcohol is allowed.

Penang Rojak, which was intriguing, because I wondered how or what did they use to replace the prawn in the prawn paste rojak sauce.  Well, of course it lacked that prawny pungency, but it was a pretty darn good replacement, whatever it is.  I think it is derived from seaweed.  Green mango, turnip, papaya, ..basically all the stuff in the normal penang rojak.

Mushroom "Satay"...strictly speaking, more just mushroom skewers, though actually it isn't be a bad idea, if you ask me,  to serve this with satay sauce.  Satay sauce is vegetarian isn't it?    As I love everything mushroom, I loved this, I believe made from Monkey Head Mushroom, whatever that is.  RM8.90 per set of 4 skewers.

Just when I as wondering if we'd see any green vegetables in a vegetarian place, this steam boat comes out, with two choices of soup, lou wong kua (old cucumber) or a miso soup, I think it was.  I love old cucumber soup, so I didn't bother trying the other alternative.  All my favourite ingredients of a steamboat, ie, foo choke, (beancurd skin), fu gua (bitter gourd), brocolli, golden needle mushrooms.  There's something wholesomely cleansing about this dish.
RM23.90 per set of steamboat.

Now if you are one of those that think vegetarian food is never filling, you've clearly never had this nasi lemak.  Made from brown healthymajig colorful rice, with coconut oil (it's all the fad these days), with lovely condiments of pumpkin tempe, sambal, that bitterish indonesian style keropok, an absolutely LOVELY potato curry, made from CASHEW MILK, (santan seems to have completely vanished from this equation of nasi lemak).  I thoroughly enjoyed this dish, and would certainly have this if dining in a small group, and not having the luxury of ordering many dishes to share.  RM14.90

Their piece de resistance, Vegetarian Bak Kut Teh.  SOOOO good, so flavourful, so like the real thing, but a bit lighter, and cleaner tasting, and purer.  Mushroom stems that taste like chicken almost substitute what would usually be falling off the bone meat laced in fat... RM16.90

Definitely this dish, which is their pride and joy, is worth ordering.

The assam laksa, I guess using the same principal as the rojak, and using seaweed as the marine life substitute.  The noodle is that Korean tapioca noodle, which is lovely and chewy.  But this wouldn't rank as my favourites...RM13.90

This indo curry mee, on the other hand, SUPERB.  Again, using that magical cashew milk replacing Santan, (presumably because of health, not because santan requires the slaughtering of an innocent coconut), I love the creamy rich broth, with tau pok and brinjal, my favourite ingredients in curry mee (apart from see hum, but I can't think of anything in the plant kingdom that can possibly replace that wonderful clammy goodness)..RM13.90

Lei Cha King, or the famous Hakka Thunder Rice.  I love this dish, even in the non vegetarian places, although I always assumed it was vegetarian, but Steven said that some places serve it with dried shimp.  Well, if that "eat five different colours" rule is true, then just stick to this gloriously colourful dish, and you'll be healthy as a lark.  The hot soup, made from basil, mint, and a host of other herbs, is poured onto the platter of rice, carrots, nuts, beans, pumpkin, chick peas, ...my only concern with this dish is that it looks particularly flatulence inducing.  RM14.90.  It's a lot, can easily be shared by two.

And finally, the spinach pesto pasta.  Oat noodle, pine nuts, pumpkin, pine nuts.  I thought this was as tasty as it looked, and the pasta was cooked perfectly, just aldente enough.  RM13.90, topped with tomatoes, pumpkin and carrots.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed that meal, and texted my dear friend Sapna whose husband is vegetarian, telling her excitedly that I must bring them here.  And so I shall.  I'll be back.

ECO LIFE
40-4 Fraser Business Park
Jalan Metro Pudu
Off Jalan Loke Yew
Tel: 03-2389 0228
Closed Wednesdays

EMail : ecolifekitchen@gmail.com