The Place
Isolated and embellished by a garden of verdure, Xintian Botanic Life Restaurant is a vegetarian eatery tucked away behind the Liuhua Expo Center across the road from the China Hotel. Finding it isn’t difficult: after entering from Gate No. 1, look for the green plants on your left – its front door is adorned with scores of them.
At the far end of a dark corridor, a refreshing scene unfolds before our eyes: a two-story glass and cement structure resembling a greenhouse sits in a garden with a spacious, open patio to its right, vines overhead and fresh dew on leaves left from a recent sprinkle.
An oil painting workshop occurs on Thursday afternoons in one corner of the first floor that mainly serves as a cafe. The second floor, or dining area, is partitioned with raw, concrete pillars and plants. Glass walls fill the space with natural light. Everything seems flawless. But how is the food?
The Food
Rather than providing a physical paper menu, Xintian’s laoban decided to apply an electronic substitute that’s accessible via scanning a QR code on the tables, because “it’s trendy and environmentally friendly.”
The waiters are warm and helpful in elaborating on the ordering procedure as well as dishes. Kung Pao lion’s mane mushroom (RMB68), one of the most ordered dishes, is a slightly spicy, sweet and sour treat with ‘lion’s mane mushrooms,’ cashews and bell papers. Cooking skill is demonstrated with another popular dish: Wanwu Shengzhang Shala 万物生长沙拉 (literally ‘all things grow salad,’ RMB56). Presented as a potted plant, it is made of mustard-flavored Cocoa Krispies and Rice Krispies as the base and poached okras, mushrooms and carrots as the plants. The taste? If mustard is to your liking, this is a satisfying dish.
Recommended by the waiter (who is wearing a leafy plant adornment atop his head), is the wheatgrass detox drink (RMB40), made from wheatgrass grown on the premises.
The Vibe
Eating here feels more or less like an Enya video, with birds singing in the background. It is quiet and undisturbed. And, of course, there are Chinese girls taking selfies, as tends to be the case in every well-designed eatery in town.
Price: RMB120
Who’s going: vegetarians, in-the-know Chinese
Good for: spicy vegetarian dishes, green dining environment
Nearest metro: Yuexiu Park (Exit C), 3 minutes
Open daily, 10am-10pm; See listing for Xintian Botanic Life Restaurant.
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