Update 1/25/16: My husband finally agreed to try Water Drop Vegetarian House today. Here is a direct quote, "Hmm, I could do this everyday!" Also, this establishment now sells a coupon book of 10 coupons for $100. After you use all 10, the 11th meal is free! The proceeds from this restaurant go to support their temple. Here is a link to the Water Drop Vegetarian House Facebook page.
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| Happy hubby enjoying his Singapore noodles, Taro fried rice, Mabo tofu, and Pot stickers |
Original Post: Water Drop Vegetarian House is my new favorite lunch place in downtown Honolulu. Those familiar with the area may remember that old pink building with several Asian fast food joints on Alakea Street, which was undergoing renovations for the longest time. The building is now occupied by a Buddhist organization and much to my delight, they have opened a vegetarian restaurant just a couple of blocks from my office. The food is very delicious to this fourth generation Chinese-American's palate. I know some people think they can't "eat Chinese" every day, but hey, my ancestors did it. Thusly, I've picked up lunch from this new eatery the past 4 workdays to (ahem) try a variety of their dishes for "research."
The space is open and clean in this cafeteria-style restaurant and the servers are polite and friendly. There are plenty of tables for diners to enjoy their food and complimentary self-served hot tea and water. You stand in line and order either the Combination (4 choices plus starch) for $10 or the Mini Plate (2 choices plus starch) for $7. Trust me, the Mini Plate is plenty enough for lunch! The menu changes daily, but they seem to have "Lo Jai" (Monk's food with a lot of bok choy) everyday, along with two kinds of rice (brown rice and fried rice) and one noodle dish.
Each order comes with two scoops of rice or noodles. You may request one scoop of noodles and one scoop of rice if you prefer. I've tried the Fried Rice with vegetables and tofu (flavored to taste like meat); Vegetable Fried Rice with pumpkin; Vegetable Fried Rice with taro; Chow Mein; and Singapore Noodles. My favorite starch is the Chow Mein, which has a wonderful Shiitake mushroom flavor. The texture of the mein was also perfect. The tastiness of the fried rice dishes varies from day to day, so I recommend one scoop each of noodles and rice. The Singapore Noodles were good and seems to be very popular.
As for the entrees, I've tried the Pot Stickers with ginger sauce, Bean Curd Strips (hu jook) with flavored tofu and vegetables; Fried Pumpkin; Bok Choy with soy beans and tofu; Vegetable Pancake; Sliced Look Fun Noodles with vegetables; Spring Rolls; Fried Turnip Cake; Mixed Vegetables with potatoes; and Lo Jai. The label for each dish has either a green dot for mild or a red dot for spicy dishes. NOTE: The names of the dishes may be slightly different at the restaurant.
My favorite items are the Bean Curd Strips dish, Pot Stickers (make sure to ask for the ginger sauce), Turnip Cake, Spring Rolls, Vegetable Pancake, and as already mentioned, the Chow Mein. Only one of the dishes tasted a bit salty (sliced Look Fun Noodles dish). One advantage of a meatless lunch is not feeling bloated and heavy afterwards. Each meal left me feeling full and satisfied. But the main reason I keep going back is because the food is SO delicious! No heavy sauces or heavy flavors, but still very tasty. Now, if only I can convince my hubby to give it a try . . . he doesn't know what he's missing!
Water Drop Vegetarian House
(Corner of Alakea and Queen streets)
801 Alakea Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 545-3455
Hours: Mon - Fri, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
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| Pot stickers with ginger sauce, Bean curd strips with vegetables, Taro fried rice, Chow mein |
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| Fried pumpkin, Bok choy with soy beans and tofu, and a double order of Chow mein |
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| Vegetable pancake, Noodles with boy choy; Pumpkin fried rice, and Singapore noodles |
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| Spring roll, Fried turnip cake, Mixed vegetable stir fry with potatoes, and Fried rice with flavored tofu bits |
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| View of the restaurant from Alakea Street |
