Zen Garden

Absolutely Delicious!!! Our family's favourite restaurant for sure! We always start with the Soy Nuggets (we honestly felt the need to double check that they were soy the first time! They are just like McDonalds chicken nuggets but SO much better and cruelty free!) and then my husband and I split the Sweet and Sour Lappa with two sides of white rice. it is the perfect amount of food to split between us and so delicious! They are super accommodating as well. Sometimes we don't feel like the

So Delicious!

We recently enjoyed another fabulous visit to Zen Gardens. The service we received was warm and inviting, and the amount of attention we were given was perfect. We ordered Miso Soup (deliciously simple) and the incredible Hot and Sour Soup (packed with a delightful array of mushrooms, and packed with a spicy punch!) I absolutely love the Jasmine Rice -- so earthy and tasty -- so I always get a bowl of it to accompany my meal. Our entrées were "Chicken" Fried Rice (huge portion, complete with tasty chunks of asparagus), Sweet and Sour Lappa (fantastic flavour with so many colourful and fresh veggies) and Vegetable Tempura (light and crispy batter, not heavy and drenched in oil). Our server figured out it was our daughter's birthday, and she surprised us at the end of our meal with a chunky chocolate chip cookie wedge for the girl of honour! In addition, we were given a Happy Birthday gift certificate to bring to our next visit. What a generous thing to do! The cost of our lovely meal was affordable and we felt we got great value for our money. As vegetarians, it is refreshing to dine at a restaurant where we don't need to worry about the ingredients in anything we order. What a pleasure! We love everything about Zen Gardens and can't wait to return.....

A Favourite With Vegetarians

More than a lunch-time walk away from most offices, this small franchised restaurant is a favourite with vegetarians, and those who enjoy Asian cuisine. There are some very good faux-meat dishes, and the boxed meals are good value. I often start with wonton soup, avoid the chicken fried rice, but other dishes are usually well-presented and enjoyable. One of the Chinese servers who has been there for some time is particularly pleasant but, unfortunately, I am always uncomfortable with the owner who just sits silent and immobile at a table like a Party cadre causing the staff to show a slight sense of fear.

Nice people / Not a fan of the food

My colleague and I visited London for a conference and we stayed at a hotel near Zen Gardens. We ordered curry vermicelli, fried fritters, and wonton soup for takeout. The wonton was oily and needed more flavour (salt?). The fried fritters was considered the "hot item" on the menu and it was ok. It had a "different" taste to it - not sure if it was the seasoning. To be fair, perhaps the fritters would have tasted better had we not let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. The curry vermicelli was the best out of what we ordered but it was average compared to other noodle plates I had tasted. I wouldn't say "I will never go back" but I would be hesitant to go back unless friends/colleagues insisted we go back. Very nice people that work there though!

One of my favs

I've been here twice and love it!!! My favorites are the soy drumsticks, soy chicken balls, and crispy fritters. Me and my bf always order these and share it. Very polite staff! Good prices!

The prices for the dinner combinations are excellent - you get a bento box with salad, rice, a spring roll, soy nuggets and your entree as well as soup, tea and dessert for only $16. I almost always get the lappa when I go, and my friend loves the kung pao soy chicken - the other combos I've tried have been hit or miss. The dessert it comes with is a tiny, light piece of cake, which is a perfect way to finish off the meal. The soy fritters were absolutely amazing and reminiscent of popcorn chicken. I've always received great service but I've been there enough times to learn the customs in this restaurant. They will not bring you your bill unless you ask for it, even if you're sitting with empty cups and plates. My friend and I were lucky enough to go on the restaurant's 5th anniversary and we were given a $10 gift certificate for a future meal. It made me feel like they go out of their way to please the customer.

Tasty meal

Adequately priced and tasty alternative meal. Wished they had more options that were not deep fried, however. Was looking for a veggie (aka. 'healthy') meal but found many choices were deep fried. There is a lot of immitation meat on the menu and this may turn some people off. The selection of teas and beverages was a treat. I would go back, it was a nice change and everything was flavourful and well prepared.

Zen Gardens presents a bit of a conundrum. The food can be quite good and you certainly won't find anything quite like it anywhere else in London, but the management is terrible. It is obvious to me that the servers and (in the long run) the customers aren't treated very well by the owner/proprietor(s)--which is made evident by the regrettable turnover in staff. (Some of their best servers have apparently left on bad terms.) The menu is tricky because the descriptions are sometimes inaccurate and often times don't paint a very good picture of the food itself. Hence, a knowledgeable and candid server is essential--all of which seem to have gone elsewhere. I can't say I would recommend Zen Gardens to anyone who isn't willing to sift through the menu to find some of the really unique flavours and textures concealed therein...but it is possible. Sidenote--for my recommendation on what to get, see my order below.

I've been to Zen Garden's a few times and have...

I've been to Zen Garden's a few times and have only been impressed by the soy fritters. Everything else I have had has been adequate or below average.

Mediocre - has something changed?

I have frequented this restaurant several times, as I work in the vicinity, and was dismayed at the service and the food that I received on my lunch today. The dish was poorly mixed, with clumps of curry in the vermicelli. My friends meal was burnt and didn't taste anything like my meal (we ordered the same meal). When we asked if another dish could be made, the server said, it looked gross when I brought it out to you. I don't know if it's just me, but that doesn't seem like the most appropriate thing to say to a paying customer. Overall, the dish I had was mediocre at best, very dull and not very tasty or spicy. My friends dish was pitiful. I am wondering if management has changed or the cooks have changed because the atmosphere and the meal was so different from before. I don't know if I will return back, but if I do it won't be for a long while.

I dont know what happened!

I'm not sure what happend, I'd been here twice before and it was great. Upon visiting today, I noticed that the staff was different and the food tasted quite a bit different. Perhaps new management? I ordered the Curry Vermicelli which I have had before (excellent) but not this time. When I recieved my order it looked a bit different from my friends. The waitress told me to let her know if it tasted funny. I started eating and realized my dish was totally charred on the bottom which gave it a weird powdery texture complete with burnt-wok flavour. I let the waitress know and she was very nice about it and told me she would get me a new plate. When I received my new meal, the waitress told me that when she picked up my first dish she "thought it looked gross". Well, why would you serve it in the first place? My new dish tasted much better than the first one, but still not that great, especially in comparison to the other times I'd had the same thing. The other thing I thought was strange - after another customer had finished her meal, the waitress approached her and said, "Ohh are you vegan? Becuase if you are what you just ate had whey protien in it. I just found out" I'm not vegan but if I was I'd be pretty upset about that! I feel bad for writing such a terrbile review, but this was a terrible experience. The waitress was very nice, just seemed to lack knowledge of the food service industry. I will not return.

Way Too Quiet and Awkward

I'm from Toronto and used to the selection and business up there - maybe that's why I feel the way I do, but this place was awkward and uncomfortable. We came around 7pm and no one was there (a Thurs. night); while we were there, three other parties arrived, one already left even before we did. The music they played was kitsch Pachelbel's canon; definitely not what I would call "smooth" or relaxing. The waitresses had nothing else to do and I felt I was being stared at the whole time and "over-waited" on. Also, because sometimes there was no music I felt I had to whisper or they would just sit and listen to us. Call me obsessive, paranoid, whatever, I just felt it was a very awkward energy in there. **ALSO: We came to this place about two years ago or whenever it opened, and it was the same. We came again because we read these reviews (raving!) and we thought, "wow, maybe they've really improved things" - so we thought we'd try them out again. All in all, I would say I had about the same experience as last time. I think that if you're from London and you've never tried plain rice and veggies dishes before, you might find this place quaint and fascinating. They DO have extremely nice, clean visual decor. But if you've ever eaten in Kensington or Chinatown in Toronto, this is WAY different. ***FYI: they do not cook with onions or garlic (because they're Buddhist owners, I was told). So if you like Chinese dishes with garlic, or onions in your stir-frye, you won't get that here. Instead, common vegetables are: -mushrooms -black fungus -seaweed -bamboo shoots -taro (and then all other usual Chinese vegetables like baby corn, etc.) The owners do the cooking and seemed very nice. The veggies themselves were steamed well and it was all clean and prepared fresh. I think it's just the overall atmosphere/energy that I didn't like, and the fact that the food seemed a tad plain for my current tastes. But if you're in the mood for mild-tasting, steamed veggies, this could be a good place for you. For me, the energy totally weighted the experience

Pleasantly surprised

My friend’s BBQ-pork bun came out fantastic, with a perfectly soft and fragrant bun (the bun is actually where the skill-level of the chef is deduced) that I never in a million years thought I’d find in London. The filling was sweet and saucy, and although not real pork, tasted incredibly similar. My sticky rice wrap was also incredibly authentic. It had a savoury mushroom filling, but the real treat was the sticky rice, which was cooked to perfection. For the entree, I ordered a curry vegetable dish and my friend ordered a fried rice (what kind exactly I forget). Both our dishes had a surprising taste, the kind of surprise that makes your eyes go wide with delight as your taste buds start to react to the first spoonful. For her, it was the sweet pineapple, for me it was the curry sauce. I didn’t expect my dish to come out looking like it did. I thought it would be a curry vegetable stir-fry or something, but it came out looking more like a stew, in a heavy pot with a thick sauce. The sauce was an absolute delight, and I have no idea what kind of curry they used. The mushrooms made it especially savoury, and I loved the subtle spicy taste that developed over time as I consumed more of the dish. One of the ingredients that also surprised me was okra, something I’ve never had before but found quite interesting. The dessert menu was disappointingly short, so we decided to go elsewhere for dessert, but the tea menu was was quite varied and extensive. The whole experience was a pleasant surprise, and I made it a point to meet the chef(s) after our meal. Both my friend and I will definitely be back!

This was our first visit to Zen Gardens, we were...

This was our first visit to Zen Gardens, we were in awe of the selection, presentation, service and most important taste. Would recommend Zen to anyone.

This was our first visit and we'd really enjoyed...

This was our first visit and we'd really enjoyed it. The food came really fast and it was so good. I'd definitely go back.

I love this place and I particularly think that...

I love this place and I particularly think that that the combination boxes are an excellent choice. You get a soup, small salad, and appetizers with the main meal in addition to tea and a little dessert! I have tried over 10 items on the menu and I still don't know which is my favourite. I've also tried their sushi and loved it. The menu is innovative and different from anything I have ever tried before. My non-vegetarian mom liked it too.

My first time to Zen Gardens wasn't what I had...

My first time to Zen Gardens wasn't what I had anticipated. I wish the food would have been more tasty. However, the wonton/miso soup was amazing; best creation ever! Also, if you're ordering the bubble tea... it's not your traditional tea with the pearls... instead they had lychee strips. The bubble tea tasted alright but they need to invest in wider straws! The overall atmosphere of the restaurant is memorable; from everything to the soothing music to the bamboo walls!

This is my second visit to Zen Gardens. The food...

This is my second visit to Zen Gardens. The food this time was much better, so it just depends on what you order but the service this time was horrible! I suppose Valentine's Day would be an excuse but the restaurant was packed and the table arrangements were horrible. A few parties left b/c their seats were so bad. They literally had tables inches apart and some in the entrance way making it impossible to not be disturb by guests entering. Everything we ordered was spectacular! If you have a taste for mushrooms... be sure to order the Enoki Mushroom Balls, you will not regret it! The coconut milk was also a mouth watering experience. Things to know: If you order the dinner combinations... the tea isn't brought out until the end of your meal with the so-called 'dessert' which consist of a biscuit... so don't expect a cake or anything near exciting or tasteful. (you could always ask for the tea first) Some of the tables are also really uneven/rocky and make it difficult to eat, I just stuck a ball of napkin underneath one of the table legs! haha Overall a great place, just a little pack... and make sure not to visit on a busy night!

Wonton soup was delicious with good quality...

Wonton soup was delicious with good quality vegetables and tasty wontons. Schezuan Tofu was a bit too spicy, but once past the heat, the taste was good. Portion size was satisfactory. Jasmine tea smelled and tasted good, but was too expensive for tiny amount of tea (1 tiny teapot for $5). Service was fast to refill water and food came in good time, but tea wasn't brought out until after meal. Small, clean bathroom. Calming music and environment.

Best food I have found. I am not vegetarian but...

Best food I have found. I am not vegetarian but this food is so delicious and healthy. I come here about once a week.