Golden Lotus Vegan

Overview

Fresh, nutritious food is the game at Golden Lotus, cementing it as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Sydney. David Nguyen's Vietnamese eatery promises the authentic flavours of Saigon without any animal products — making it vegan, too.

Beyond tofu, there are a few soy meat options available across the menu of family recipes that includes stir fries, dumplings and noodle soups.

Appetisers include tasty tofu rolls and mushroom fritters while the vegan duck pancakes are especially convincing. But if you prefer to start with a soup, try the tofu and cream corn. It's hard to belief this incredibly creamy concoction is totally vegan.

Vegan chicken dishes are also plentiful at Golden Lotus, with the highlight being the fried "chicken" with Shandong sauce, served with salad and your choice of sauce. The fish menu is a bit more limited but no less delicious, with the vegan fried fish in clay pot with a peppery light sauce and onion the standout.

If you're the type of vegan who's more into veggies than fake meats, you are also looked after. The eggplant in claypot and the fried mushroom with salt and chilli are our top picks.

The food at Golden Lotus is so tasty that even the most vehement meat-eaters will be placated — that is, ff they can look past the glowing pink "Veganism is magic" sign on the wall. The set-up is cosy and familiar; the walls are bright green and tables are placed close together to give the place a buzzing, community atmosphere. Summed up, it's very Newtown.