Vegetarian food and Buddhism are always inextricably linked, many vegetarian restaurants are founded by lay monks and Buddhist believers, and Huayan Temple Restaurant is one of the few boutique vegetarian restaurants in Chongqing that relies on temples. Huayan Temple Vegetarian Restaurant is located in Huayan Temple, a famous Buddhist temple in Bashu, boasting of "the first vegetarian in the mountain city", mainly imitation meat dishes with Sichuan and Chongqing flavors, home-cooked dishes, affordable prices, and more popular.
Chongqing people do not pay much attention to vegetarian food, while diners do not have a low acceptance of Huayan Temple. First, its imitation meat and vegetarian dishes are quite realistic in form, taste and texture, and second, the taste is spicy and salty, which is in line with the preferences of Chongqing people. However, many dishes in Huayan Temple are heavy on oil and salt, which makes diners consume too much oil and salt. The calories, fats and other nutrients in a dish are not only related to the ingredients, but also affected by the cooking style, and a vegetarian diet is not the same as low fat and low fat. Huayansi Restaurant believes that vegetarian food is not the same as light, and Chongqing's vegetarian food should have regional characteristics. Heavy dishes not only change the impression of vegetarian food as a light food, but also break the established image of vegetarian food as healthy and low-calorie.
The specialty of the vegetarian restaurant is that all the dishes are vegan, and there are not many highlights in other aspects. All the dishes of Huayan Temple are abstained from eggs and milk, leeks, garlic and other five spices, and even monosodium glutamate, which is more pure and suitable for demanding vegetarians. A vegetarian diet generally refers to a diet that does not eat meat, poultry, seafood, etc., and sometimes includes abstaining from animal products such as eggs, milk, and cheese. In the strict sense of the word, vegetarian food, also known as vegan, prohibits the inclusion of five spices in dishes, that is, onions, garlic, buckwheat, leeks, and onions, which are five kinds of vegetables with a spicy taste. Most vegetarian restaurants in Chongqing are not vegan, wuxin is more common, and animal products such as eggs, milk and cheese are also used as the core ingredients of a few dishes.
Huayan Temple and another vegetarian restaurant, Zen Yue Xinyu, are often compared because of their similar dishes and tastes. Chan Yue Xinyu opened earlier, but the Huayan Temple restaurant has a unique geographical location, and the dishes are updated quickly, and its popularity surpasses the former. The menus of the two restaurants are very similar, not only with similar names, but also with nutritional indicators such as calories and protein. This is because the head chef of Huayan Temple originally worked at Zen Yue Xinyu and borrowed from the latter's menu. The restaurant's dishes are divided into cold dishes, hot dishes, soups and snacks, and most of the hot dishes are imitation meat dishes such as fat sausages, vegetarian chicken, and vegetarian meat, as well as a small amount of stir-fried vegetarian dishes and clay pots.
The dishes of Huayan Temple are all cooked in Chinese mode, and the presentation is simple, which is characterized by the authentic Sichuan and Chongqing tastes. Matsutake mushrooms are a high-end ingredient commonly used in vegetarian restaurants, and Huayanji Temple stir-fried matsutake mushrooms and asparagus to make a dish of chanting Buddha's heart. Matsutake mushrooms have a smooth and refreshing taste like abalone, and the taste is dry, fragrant and salty. Zhuge Su grilled shape is like grilled fish, crispy and salty; The imitation boiled fish made of vegetarian fish in Shancheng is delicious; The top sign of the cumin meat skewer is grilled with lion's mane mushrooms, which are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. All three are dishes that have a very high serving rate. In addition, the Bashu couple is inspired by the famous Sichuan and Chongqing dish husband and wife lung slices, mixed with king oyster mushrooms and elm fungus, the taste is crisp and spicy. Shancheng Mao Xuewang, Dongpo meat, back pot meat and other imitation meat dishes and dry pot series, etc., mostly adopt the practice of Jianghu cuisine, add a lot of chili peppers, peppercorns, etc., heavy and spicy, it is also worth recommending.
In addition to the common imitation meat dishes, Huayansi Restaurant also has special dishes. Huayan black bean curd is an original dish, after grinding with black beans and sesame seeds, it is made by adding the spring water in Huayan Temple, the black bean is rich in taste, the spring water is sweet and sweet, the bean curd is mellow and tender, and there are three kinds of salty and spicy seasonings, which are still the taste of Chongqing. In addition to the basic menu, Huayan Temple will also launch new dishes according to the solar terms, such as the lotus set in summer, which uses lotus seeds, lotus roots, and lotus root knots as the main ingredients, and the ingredients are fresh in season, and the taste is crisp and fresh.
Huayan Temple Restaurant is located in the scenic area of Huayan Temple, the environment is quiet, the appearance is a palace-style building, there are many Buddha murals hanging inside, and there is a blessing tree for guests to make wishes and ask for blessings. The waiters in the restaurant are enthusiastic and proactive, polite, and the overall dining experience is good. The price of Huayan Temple is slightly lower than that of Bodhi Su, one flower and one leaf, but the ingredients are ordinary, the dishes are home-cooked, the presentation is simple, the environment is also more popular, and the cost performance is low.
