While rojak (a sweet and savoury salad of vegetables, fruits and dough fritters) is certainly delicious, it isn’t your only vegetarian option here in sunny Singapore.
Whether you’re hoping to eat healthy, or eager to learn about how Singapore’s myriad cultures approach vegetarian fare, the island’s north side is bound to serve up what you crave.
Greendot
To discover meatless meals that tap on traditional Chinese ingredients and a variety of global culinary traditions, pay a visit to Greendot.
This popular chain of restaurants whips up dishes that hail from all across the globe, ranging from burgers with patties made from mushroom and soy to Japanese-style bentos that let you mix and match a variety of ingredients.
To sample how traditional Chinese medicine fuses with regional cooking techniques, we suggest sampling their lion mane mushroom rendang (braised and cooked in coconut milk and spices). The dish’s primary ingredient has long been used by Chinese apothecaries, in the belief that it cured stomach ailments and promoted general vigour.
Northpoint City. 930 Yishun Avenue 2 #B2-09/11 North Wing, Singapore 769098. +65 6754 1778.
Daily 11am-10pm.
Green Signature
To eat like a local and experience Zi char—a communal style of dining that involves the sharing of many different dishes—pay a visit to Green Signature. This chain of restaurants taps on Chinese culinary tradition to promote a vegetarian diet and healthy eating.
Diners can expect a plethora of flavourful vegetarian dishes, including claypot beancurd with assorted mushrooms, olive fried rice and assorted teas made from fruits and flowers. For a spicy treat, we recommend trying the restaurant’s hotplate mushroom with black pepper sauce, famous for its tender texture.
Northpoint City. 930 Yishun Avenue 2 #02-52/53/54 North Wing, Singapore 769098. +65 6935 0206. Daily
10.30am-10pm.
Bollywood Veggies
A vegetable farm that houses a restaurant, Bollywood Veggies is the perfect environment for nature lovers looking to chomp down on homegrown greens. It’s located on the north-western outskirts of Singapore, so you’ll probably want to grab a cab or hitch a ride from a friend to get to this rustic locale.
Visitors can expect the freshest home-grown produce in the dishes served here, with the vegetarian options on the menu helpfully highlighted for visitors. To experience savoury vegetarian flavours, we suggest digging into their signature warrior’s platter, which comes with farm tempura, vegetable curry and samosas. Wash it down with some fresh fig tea, made from handpicked figs grown on the farm grounds.
If you’re hoping to expand your knowledge of agriculture and sustainable food practices, the establishment also conducts a variety of green activities, including guided farm tours and educational potting sessions.
Bollywood Veggies. 100 Neo Tiew Road, Singapore 719026. +65 6898 5001.
Wed-Fri 7am-5.30pm (last order at 4.30pm); Sat & Sun 7am-6.30pm (last order at 5.30pm).
Grove
Vegetarians and eaters who eschew meat needn’t miss out on classic local fare. If you’re exploring northern Singapore, drop by Grove Café to feast on meatless renditions of hawker staples.
Popular dishes here include herbal clay pot bak kut teh (peppery pork soup) that replaces meat with mushrooms, blue pea nasi lemak (fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf, accompanied by an array of side dishes) with curry and laksa (spicy coconut milk-based noodle soup).
Canberra Plaza. 133 Canberra View #01-19, Singapore 750133.
Daily 8am-9pm.
WellSmoocht
Decadent dessert and American-style comfort food takes on a vegan twist at WellSmoocht, an all-vegan restaurant that’s bound to convert even diehard carnivores and meat lovers.
Begin your meal with Curried Pumpkin Soup or one of the establishment’s many delicious salads, dig into their playfully named Tofully Yours Tofu Burger—topped with mushrooms, ketchup and baby spinach— or opt for one of their healthy grain bowls.
Be sure to safe space in your belly for dessert. WellSmoocht boasts a selection of dairy-free ice cream made with organic brown rice milk and cane juice.
Sin Ming Centre. 8 Sin Ming Road #01-03, Singapore 575628. +65 6456 6431.
Mon, Wed-Sun noon-9.30pm.