Opened in 2004, Materia Medica Life Vegetarian Restaurant is the originator of vegetarian restaurants in Suzhou and the first vegetarian buffet restaurant in Suzhou.
The first store of Materia Medica Life is located in the Hudong Neighborhood Center, and after all the stores in the neighborhood center were relocated, Materia Medica Life also closed this store, and there is currently only one branch on Tayuan Road. The Tayuan Road store has three floors, the first floor is a vegetarian shop, selling a variety of vegetarian and organic products; The second floor is a vegetarian buffet area, which supplies dozens of vegetarian dishes every day, the lunch and evening dishes are the same, the price is 79 yuan / person, if you don't want to taste the buffet, customers can also order dishes on the second floor; The third floor is a private dining area, suitable for multi-person gatherings or business banquets, and the store provides 800 yuan, 1000 yuan, 1200 yuan, 1500 yuan and 2000 yuan of standard table meals.
Most of the dishes in the buffet area on the second floor are fixed dishes that have been retained for more than ten years, so imitation meat dishes occupy a lot of seats. Back to the pot meat, stir-fried pork, fried chicken, braised pork are realistic in shape, heavy in taste, and are deeply loved by elderly diners. In addition to imitation meat dishes, there are also a small number of stir-fried seasonal vegetables and clay pot dishes, which are slightly lighter in taste than imitation meat dishes. The vegetables and fruits in the salad fruit stall are of fresh quality, and customers can also mix and match them to the service staff and freshly squeeze them into juice to enjoy. The vegetarian buns at the snack stall are white and fluffy, the vegan cakes are cute, and the sushi rolls are rich in fillings, all of which are more likely to produce a feeling of satiety, so it is recommended to save them for last.
Guanyin jelly is relatively rare, it is made from Guanyin leaves mixed with jelly powder, the jelly after freezing has a unique smell, and the entrance is refreshing. The crystal cake is rolled into a hand-rolled white pot with corn kernels and vegetarian shrimp grains, which have been fried in butter and milk beforehand, leaving a faint milky flavor. Puff pastry soup is also one of the signatures of the herbal life, which replaces the common clam soup with pumpkin soup, the soup also adds a variety of mushrooms, poke the puff pastry with a spoon, the golden soup immediately gushes out of the cracked puff pastry, when eating, the puff pastry soaks in the soup for a long time, it is best to enjoy it when the puff pastry is just completely soaked in juice, at this time the puff pastry still retains the crispy aroma, and the taste is excellent.
The second floor of the restaurant is spacious, and the self-service area is all located on the right side of the restaurant, which is more convenient to pick up food. The restaurant is old, many of the decorations are old, and some of the tables and chairs still have many stains. The service staff are mainly middle-aged women, with a warm attitude, and it is more timely to add food, organize and clean. However, during the peak vegetarian season on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, there will be a situation where a variety of dishes are not replenished in time or sold out early in the morning. Parking is limited downstairs and is very crowded during peak hours, so it is not recommended to drive yourself.
