If you’re in the market for a vegan Chinese restaurant in Manchester, you might just have struck gold with Lotus Plant Based Kitchen.
Originally opened in 2014 as a vegetarian restaurant, the venue later made its transition to an all-vegan menu, and has been serving up delicious vegan Chinese food to Mancunians ever since. Using vegan alternatives traditionally used in Chinese recipes, the menu offered up at this dining spot is authentic and delicious, jam-packed with dishes that will make it hard to settle on just one…
Lotus’ menu is sizeable, separated up into various sections: dim sum (crispy, grilled, and steamed), soup bowls, sharing platters, rice and noodles, sizzling mains, and Lotus mains. In short, there’s plenty of choice to satisfy your vegan Chinese cravings, no matter what you’re after.
When it comes to dim sum, you’ll find butterfly ‘prawns’, crispy won ton, and salt and pepper popcorn tofu. There are also red chilli dumplings, cauliflower bites, and bean curd rolls. Perfect for ordering a few and sharing between the table.
The soup bowls are veganised Chinese classics – hot ‘n’ sour, ‘chicken’ and sweetcorn – and as for rice and noodles, all our favourites are there too, including pad thai, satay ‘beef’ noodles, Singapore vermicelli, and ‘duck’ chow mein. With so many classics on the menu, Lotus seems like the perfect spot to take diehard vegans craving that Chinese hit, as well as vegan sceptics who need to learn that being vegan is about much more than carrot sticks and hummus.
There are also some pretty fun vegan dessert options up for grabs – red bean paste pancake, deep fried ice cream (we’re intrigued…), and caramelised fruit, to name but a few.
Interestingly, Lotus doesn’t use any garlic or onion in its savoury dishes. Regardless, it promises flavour, homemade recipes and authenticity, and a huge vegan Chinese menu with something for everyone.