Vegetarian Era - Ang Mo Kio

A sincere thanks to Karlyne (Soy Bien) for bringing this new place to my attention.  Vegetarian Era opened its door late-July 2012, and upon arriving, it still looks fresh and clean in appearance.  The stall prides itself on selling eight dishes only, but take great care in making sure these dishes are as flawless and unique as possible.  The stall is 100% vegan - No eggs, no milk, no meat and no onions and garlic.  This stall is a venture by well-known vegetarian author Henry Wang.  He intends to open a second Vegetarian Era outlet in Hougang Central, sometime in September 2012 - He will be offering eight more unique and exciting dishes in Hougang - Such as assam laksa and Hainanese beef stew - I can't wait!


Vegetarian Era
Location: Blk 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3
Contact: 96109123
Opening Hours: Daily 6.30am - 9.00pm

Henry Wang's most well known book is 'D.I.Y Vegan Sauce', which is a bilingual (Chinese and English) book based on sharing the most delicious sauces he knows, this book can be found in Popular and other book stores.  Having had a lengthy conversation with Henry during my visit, it was great to hear about his fresh vision of offering dishes in Singapore that are unique and special - Instead of the typical trite vegetarian dishes that have now become common place in Singapore.








Presentation wise, this Hong Kong Style Vege Char Siew Rice arrived beautifully. Vegetarian char siew can so often have that undesirable doughy texture, and little flavour - Therefore it was pleasing to see that high quality mock char siew was used in this dish, it had a great texture, and had top notch sweet flavour.  Although the char siew tasted great the highlight of the dish was the rice - It was not merely white rice - Instead, it was a succulent ginger rice, which was oozing with flavour.  Probably the best rice I have eaten in Singapore.

Price: $3.00.     9/10


I followed the previous dish up with yet another rice dish, this time it was the Hainanese Fragrant Rice, which can more easily be conveyed as - Chicken rice.  The chilli sauce in both this dish, and the char siew dish was exceptional - I am not someone who likes overly spicy chilli sauce, therefore I was pleased this sauce had little spice - Yet had wonderful sweet and tangy flavours, which complimented the beancurd sheet chicken and rice sublimely.  Another outstanding dish.

Price: $3.00.     8/10


Conclusion - What a breath of fresh air the Vegetarian Era chain of eateries could bestow on Singapore.  I will eagerly await the opening of their Hougang outlet, to see what are the eight new fantastic dishes offered, but until then, I urge everyone in Singapore to give this place a try.  As someone who has reviewed literally hundreds of stalls and restaurants, I must admit I get tired of seeing the same dishes, that are cooked the same way, over and over again.  Therefore when I find somewhere like Vegetarian Era, it ignites that curiosity/interest I once had for exploring different vegetarian cuisine.  Definitely a place you must visit.

Overall Rating
Food - 9/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 9/10
Value - 8/10