No. 16 of my 100 fav things in Cabra (if you are not bothered to read everything just go straight to no. (3) “Salt n Pepper Tofu” halfway down the page).

There are 5 good vegetarian restaurants and two good vegan grocery stores in Cabra. I like this one, Loving Hut!

Some will tell you An Lac is the best for soup dishes or Duy Linh is best for yum cha and mock meat dishes (yes people eat pretend meat! Its aimed at the omnivore who is expected to infrequently ‘go veggie’ on special Buddhist occassions eg the day of a full moon). However mine is Loving Hut. PLEASE don’t roll your eyes! Yes i am aware that it is a franchise, stop being hipster for one moment and listen out. The chef here is one of a kind.

I swear the food is amazing. It’s not oily, it’s fresh and it doesn’t leave your mouth feeling like a dessicated mess afterwards (a comforting sign of no MSG abuse). I can’t believe this place serve up 96 different items (on the menu) and absolutely onion and garlic free!

Here are my favourites:

(1) Peking duck – An exciting vegetarian version of an old fav. It’s filled with mock roast duck (tasty bean curd), steamed carrots, coriander, cucumber, hoi sin sauce and steamed radish. No saturated fats and no onion breath afterwards.

$8 for 4, this vegetarian version is a fav of mine

(2) Chinese Vegetables Rice Rolls – This is a veggie version of Bo Bi which is a chinese/vietnamese dish where cooked vegetables are used. No vermicelli or overpowering herbs. Great for those who appreciate the simple flavours of cooked veggies….or have no teeth (this is not a joke, my grandma loves this dish and she is a fine cook). Black fungus and strips of puffed tofu are added for texture.

Soft steamed vegetables. Great for those who don't like the taste of raw veggies.

Vegetarian Bo Bi which is listed as Chinese Rice Rolls on the menu $5

(3) Salt N Pepper Tofu – This dish is SO GOOD. This is dish is worth visiting Loving Hut.

These are mini clouds of moist softness. That is the best description I can think of. I’m sorry that its so lame. It’s so good that I’ll even forgive that it’s not salt n pepper flavoured. Its more like “fried chilli tofu” than salt n pepper. But lets not focus too much on flavour, this dish has the most amazing texture ever. Its completely unlike anything I’ve ever had (and I thought I’ve had every soy product ever made…I’ve even traveled to Japan to eat fresh tofu skin).

The skin is like pastry. The inside is not dry but moist and puffy! Chilli relish is HOT.

Think of your first bite of a kripsy kreme donut. Remember how in that one moment it completely changed how you viewed donuts? Donuts were never so soft and light and non oily. All your previous donuts then seemed dry and doughy in comparison. This is what this dish will do for you. REDEFINE fried TOFU!

If you’ve been wanting to convince someone that tofu is delicious them stick this in their gob.

Salt n Pepper Tofu topped with chilli relish

This pic doesn't do it justice! It is the most unusual consistency. So soft and moist.

Where? 227 Cabramatta Road West  Cabramatta NSW 2166 (02) 9755 4410. Opened 9am-9pm 7 days.

Just try to ignore all the propaganda plastered on the wall, menu and tv.