Tasty and Meatless | Restaurant Features

Tucked into a lower corner of the Chinese Cultural Plaza, Legend Vegetarian Restaurant, formerly Buddhist Vegetarian, is one of only a handful of completely meatless or vegan restaurants in Honolulu. Like most Chinese restaurants, the menu is extensive, seventy-one different items not including the dim sum, but unlike similar establishments, faux meats, tofu, and meaty mushrooms stand in for beef, chicken, or shrimp. With more than a dozen different varieties of dim sum daily, the meal possibilities are nearly infinite.

For a quick and satisfying tea house meal, sample the dim sum and complimentary jasmine tea alone. A small, four piece order of dim sum is only $2.50. It isn’t necessary to be educated in dim sum, so don’t be intimidated. The wait staff will assist you, but you need only point to what looks interesting, and the selection at Legend is very enticing. The dim sum are encased in a variety of rice noodles, won ton wrappers, and even bean curd. The fillings range from the won ton-wrapped lavender of creamy taro and mushroom to the pale and delicately crunchy water chestnut of the vegetarian shrimp dumpling. The earthy and savory half-moon mushroom is not to be missed. For a sweet surprise, try the manapua, but if it’s your dessert, wait to select it so you can enjoy it hot.

In contrast to most restaurants, where the meatless options are limited, ordering off the menu at Legend can be staggering. Even if you have opted to satisfy your hunger with the dim sum, splurge on an order of stir fried Chinese broccoli. Sautéed to crisp tender perfection, the mild and slightly salty greens will provide a bright contrast to the mellow dim sum. Among the seventy remaining meatless options are familiar sounding names like deep fried spring rolls, sweet and sour vegetarian pork, vegetarian chicken nuggets with lemon sauce, and spicy hot and sour soup. This perfectly balanced blend of spicy and sour is a visual treat. The thin strips of bamboo shoots and wood ear mushroom and crumbled bits of tofu provide enough textural interest to insure a very satisfying soup.

You may prefer to be adventuresome and order the deep fried gluten shrimp in mashed taro as an appetizer, followed by braised vegetarian butter fish or satay kabobs on a sizzling platter. Whatever you decide, it promises to be delicious as well as enlightening, so many aromas, tastes, and textures, and every bite is meatless. Although hardly a guilty indulgence, finish your meal with the refreshingly smooth and palate cleansing mango pudding. Devoid of overpowering sugary sweetness, this fresh fruit puree will bring your meal to a healthy close.

Legend Vegetarian Restaurant opens for lunch from 10:30 AM-2:00 PM six days a week, closing only on Wednesday. It is located at 100 N. Beretania St., #109 in the Chinese Cultural Plaza.