The Fo Guang Shan Water Drop Vegetarian cafe is a busy little hub near the entrance to this elegant, tranquil temple at Flat Bush in Manukau. The distinctive pagoda style temple roof can be seen from some distance away, and as you walk up the steps and enter the main doors into the large atrium you can see ahead of you the open landscaped central courtyard. The cafe is to your left.
Kitty was enraptured with her Laksma Deluxe ($18), a delicious and indulgently large bowl of noodles, sprouts, tofu, BBQ flavoured soy, and mushroom gluten balls in a thick coconut milk curry. It was too large for her, she consumed all the broth and veges but left many of the noodles. There is a smaller version but I suspect she’d order it again just for the sheer joy of it.
My own Lohan Delight ($15) was a bowl of mushrooms and other fungi, water chestnuts, gingko nuts, broccoli, tofu and bamboo sticks in a savoury gravy, with a bowl of rice. Totally different, and a very nice light meal.
Both dishes were vegan. We were unable to choose a cake to go with our rather good coffee as they all contain egg.
There’s plenty of parking on site and I was able to drive across the neatly paved courtyard to deliver Kitty to the base of the main steps. I was pleased to see there’s also a sloping ramp as an alternative access to the main doors.
The cafe is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 4pm.
To find out more about the 50+ vegetarian cafes throughout NZ, ask for the Guide to Vegetarian Dining Out in Aotearoa/New Zealand $9.95 + postage – email VegeCafesNZ@daramcnaught.com
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