Veg-Jing Out: King's Joy Crowned World's First Vegetarian Three-Star Michelin Restaurant

Veg-Jing Out: Your semi-regular guide to a guilt-free lifestyle in the capital.

King’s Joy crowned world’s first vegetarian 3-Starred Michelin Restaurant

Last week, Beijing’s dining scene took center stage as Michelin returned to the city and doled out a new round of their coveted stars. Among the recipients was King’s Joy which, having earned themselves two stars at last year’s culinary christening, was no stranger to the list. This year, however, they garnered one more star, making them one of only two three-starred restaurants in the capital. While this is doubtlessly an accomplishment in and of itself, perhaps more noteworthy is the fact that this promotion makes King’s Joy the world’s first vegetarian three-starred Michelin restaurant, an accolade that seems to have flown under the radar, or was perhaps overshadowed by the fact that they also received China’s first Michelin Green Star for environmental and sustainable practices. 

To date, there are only about 135 three-starred restaurants worldwide, with France and Japan leading the pack at 29 each. Incidentally, one of those French establishments, L’Arpège, shocked the restaurant world when it turned vegetarian in 2001. The disruption was not to last though, as they subsequently added fish and poultry back to the menu shortly thereafter. Similarly, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, also located in France, made a similar move in 2014 when their menu was almost exclusively vegetable and cereal-based. Nevertheless, they too have retained a limited amount of fish, effectively making the restaurant pescatarian, and thus falling short of being considered a formidable plant-based player. 

Of the restaurant, Michelin’s inspectors wrote, “Just a stone’s throw from Yonghe Temple, this upmarket restaurant is remodeled from a courtyard house and features a glass-roofed dining room. The Taiwanese chef honed his skills at his grandparents’ restaurant of the same name. Try his tasting menu for culinary highlights, such as honeylocust, fox nuts, and peas, as well as rice with assorted mushrooms and peach resin, both delivering a nice contrast of textures.”

Given that it’s been five years since we reviewed the spot, perhaps now would be a good time to check back in and see what executive chef Gary Yin has been up to over the years. Until then, congratulations King’s Joy!

New vegan menu additions around town

While they might not be Michelin starred, there are still a number of restaurants around town that are deserving of, shall we say, honorable mentions for their new plant-based options. 

First up is Q Mex who, after a successful debut at this year’s Burger Fest, officially launched three new vegan burgers – the vegan buffalo chicken burger, spicy vegan double burger, and smoky vegetarian double burger. While that covers the “Tex” side of their brand, the “Mex” is represented by a host of other plant-based options including classic hard and soft shell tacos, fully-loaded melty quesadillas, and hefty burros, all of which can be stuffed with your choice of faux shredded chicken or spicy chorizo. It’s worth noting that the hard shell tacos and burgers are only available at Q Mex Bar and Grill locations and the burros and soft shell tacos are only available at their Taqueria. 

Meanwhile, although technically not a restaurant, Swedish furniture giant IKEA made headlines earlier this week when they released a plant-based version of their famous meatballs in the mainland, served at both the cafeteria (okay, I guess it’s kind of a restaurant), as well as in their frozen foods section, which go for RMB 20.90 and RMB 39.90 respectively.

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Images: King's Joy, Q Mex, IKEA