Still Thoughts Vegetarian Restaurant 静思素食坊

Jingsi Su Shifang is a simple restaurant tucked inside a quiet alleyway in an old Beijing hutong. Rhythmic Buddhist chants play softly, giving the place a peaceful feel. The kitchen produces a wide range of creatively meatless dishes and so there is plenty to choose from: tofu on a hot iron plate (菩渡众生 pudu zhongsheng); mixed vegetable pot (全家福 quanjiafu); mini egg rolls (再塑金身 zaisu jinshen), a vegetarian version of Hangzhou’s ganzha xiangling, wrapped using tofu sheets laced in a light sauce; and tongzi baoxiao (童子报晓), a cold appetizer made from several sheets of tofu skin pressed together and served with a sesame paste-based dipping sauce. There’s also a vegetarian Peking duck, complete with pancakes for wrapping.