[eat] Zen Vegetarian Cuisine
There we were – one vegetarian, one flexitarian and one meat lover – ready to chow down at Zen Vegetarian Cuisine (3101 N. Rock Rd). Carly (the meat lover) felt a bit bamboozled. Somehow in the process of making lunch plans, Steph (the vegetarian) and I (the flexitarian – don’t judge) failed to mention that “Zen” was, erm, vegetarian.
Once we convinced her that her meal would be just as good without meat, we ordered an appetizer (vegetable tempura $5) and soup (egg drop).
The tempura was PERFECT. The selection of fried sweet potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli and eggplant was light, crispy and flavorful. The three of us devoured every last morsel. Carly was sold. “This is how I like my vegetables – fried with a side of dipping sauce.”
The egg drop soup was, well, egg drop soup. Nothing to write home about, but tasty and satisfying nonetheless.
We each ordered our entrees. Steph chose the Passage to India ($7) – a mix of tofu, potatoes, carrots, and soy protein in a coconut curry sauce. Carly went with the Shitake Mushrooms ($8) – mushrooms and vegetables sauteed in a brown sauce. I opted for the Moo Shoo Pancakes ($6) – stir-fried cabbage, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and eggs with moo shoo pancakes. We also ordered the pan fried noodles ($7) to share.
Each lunch entree was served in a bento box with fried rice, a vegetable egg roll, more tempura and a cream cheese blossom. The rice was on the cool side, but we found ourselves strangely enjoying it. It was incredibly flavorful – so good that you would think it had been fried with meat. The egg roll and cream cheese blossom were also good.
Steph enjoyed the Passage to India with it’s slightly spicy sauce and fresh vegetables. Carly was less enthused. “The sauce? Delicious. The mushrooms? Also delicious. The dish overall? Umm… there were a lot of vegetables. Could’ve used some meat in my opinion.” Let’s not forget that she was “tricked” into coming along with us. I thought the Moo Shoo pancakes were good overall, if not a little over-salted. The portions were so large that I could only finish one, but maybe that was due to the sheer volume of food we ordered. Our extra entree, the pan fried noodles, was unfortunately overcooked to the point where they were burnt on the bottom. While the flavor from the non-burnt portions was good, the strong burnt taste (and aroma) was hard to ignore.
The ambiance and the service were both pleasant, but not remarkable.
I would happily go back to Zen and I know Steph already has. Carly, on the other hand… Well, as she put it, “Next time I go to Zen, I’ll prepare by eating meat beforehand and sticking to the cream cheese blossom and garden tempura.”
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I, Like Carly, am a meat eater. A friend of mine took me to Zen and I was pleasently surprised. I cannot remember which entree, but it was tasteful and filling. I’ll definitly go there again and this time without reservation.
I am glad that Carly wasn’t completely converted. Way to keep it real.
My experience at Zen was pretty awful. We walked in and were sat at a table. The next person who walked in was denied service because they were closed. We felt bad, but we had already placed some orders so decided to stay. We ordered the edamame, and it tasted just nasty… and I ordered the Milk Boba Tea and it was also nasty. They both tasted like boot. Seriously.
We didn’t even stick around for entrees, but the tempura was great, but the panfried dumplings — boot flavored also. Ick.
I get pretty excited about vegetarian food, but next time I’ll head to over to China Inn or Green Acres. Glad to hear yours was satisfactory, but I’m never going back!
Must agree with Jessica. Honestly I can’t understand how they’re still opened. I chalk it up to the fact that most Wichitans don’t know what really good vegetarian food is supposed to taste like, cuz it’s not at Zen. My husband and I went and had an awful experience, too. Staff seemed ambivalent about letting us in for dinner, had their closed sign on the door at 6pm, and the overwhelming perfume stench of freshly mopped floors permeated every bite of food. The only thing stronger than the perfume aroma, was the saltiness of the food. It seemed that they didn’t quite know how to bring flavor into a dish without meat, so they resorted to salt and more salt. What wasn’t salty, was just ho-hum. The atmosphere was nice (aside from the mop perfume) and the staff were friendly once we were seated, but the manager was intent on arguing over the phone with vendors about bills at the front of the restaurant. Quite loudly. He also decided to rag out two of the wait staff for switching shifts and not telling him. Loudly. We may have caught the staff on a bad day. But I don’t pay for salty, unimaginatve food twice. We won’t be back.
Love the Pad Thai with tofu. Never tried a meal with the meat substitute yet. I am vegetarian and enjoyed the select dishes I’ve ordered there.
I agree with Jessica. I just ate there this week. The service took forever. I did not like my Moo Shoo pancakes at all! At least I was able to go to the Donut Hole for dessert!
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