• Gong De Lin (Melbourne)

Every now and then I have a dilemma.  To blog or not to blog?  I find a place, so hidden and delightful that I want to keep it all to myself.  I know, I know, the best places deserve to be popular.  But will it change the atmosphere if everyone suddenly knows about it?   On the third floor in the same building as Noodle Kingdom, you would only discover Gong De Lin if you happened to be using the elevator.  There are no signs.  There is no separate entrance.  Once on the third floor you will enter a zen-like space with quiet music, no voices, green, natural wood and peace.  The food follows a similar vein – healthy, natural and fully vegan.

The variety of dishes  give you a wide choice.  There are noodles, soups, mains, dumplings...

Hot and sour soup is one of my all time faves and theirs is equally delicious with the fully tangy flavours.

The “chicken” and other such mock-meats are made from tofu and gluten and thankfully do not taste like real meet.  The hot and spicy chicken is a hit of flavour with chewy glutinous chunks with peanuts, capsicum and lots of chilli.



The noodles with cabbage and soy are pleasant, as are those with veggies and the rice cake with preserved vegetables.




The food is delicious, and more importantly, completely vegetarian.  I cannot tell you how nice it is to have people fully understand vegetarianism.  I don’t eat meat.  They don’t cook it.  Sometimes I just want to escape and enjoy a meal.

People often ask me: what’s the best vegetarian restaurant in Melbourne?  There are too many who use it as a cuisine style, an excuse to serve average pizzas, average curries, average tarts and too much salad.  Gong De Lin is a quality Chinese restaurant, that happens to be suited just for my liking.  What’s my favourite vegetarian restaurant?  At the moment it is definitely Gong De Lin.

Gong De Lin
Level 3
264 Swanston Street
Melbourne 3000
9663 7878

Gong dè Lin on Urbanspoon