It's 12.30 on a Wednesday afternoon. The city is swarming with hungry mouths, the stress of work piling up with deadlines is the only thing on your mind. On days like these, you wish you could just go somewhere quite and calm your nerves. Sitting on a park bench in the city is probably the only thing that comes to mind, however you'll be sharing the space with loud lunch time footballers, puffing joggers, noisy screaming children and of course sniffing dogs.
So where do you go to find serenity on a hectic day? Look no further, I may just have the answer for you. A hidden gem in the midst of our busy city. A place to calm the nerves, and eat a wholesome meal all in one.
Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery lies in the middle of the city on Queens st. A perfect place for delicious vegetarian Asian cuisine, with beautiful teas to compliment. The gallery's cafe style restaurant is a tranquil space, with relaxing background music and surrounded by beautiful Asian art.
The food is entirely vegetarian, with varieties of dumplings, noodles made fresh each day. The restaurant follows strict Buddhist principals for its meal preparation, so you know you're eating the freshest, most wholesome food the city may have to offer. Due to this, you may have to wait a while, but it's worth it. My favorites would have to be the laksa and crystal dumplings, which are simply divine. The laksa serving is quite large for me, so I order it with less noodles so not to waste.
Be sure to compliment your meal with their endless varieties of teas. My favorite has to be the kumquat tea, which is on the sweeter side, but has a sweet and sour flavor. However, they have such a large variety, you'll never be bored.
The staff here are always smiling, and that's what makes this place so welcoming.
If after finishing your meal in peace, your mind is still toing and froing, you may also go to their meditation hall on the second floor. A tranquil space, where as you close your eyes, time suddenly has no notion, and you're free to drift off to your happy place, if only for a while.
After so much peace you may not want to go back to work, or better yet, spend the rest of the day with a serene smile on your face. So why not avoid the hectic lunch times and give yourself a calming break, something previously unheard of in city life.
