[Guest Post] Vegetarian Eats at Ben's!

Eating out and eating healthy often do not equate to the same thing, and it can be quite a challenge trying to find that balance. Our blogger compadre Edith from Apples On Sticks understands our concerns and frustrations; here's an excerpt of her search for good vegetarian food in KL: 

Eating healthy can mean many things – personally, for me, it also implies eating vegetarian. Now, you might be thinking what are Ben’s and vegetarian doing in the same sentence, but you’d be surprised at how many vegetarian dishes Ben’s have on their menu. I know I was!

Ben’s is a very nice place with a nice ambience and setting, including a rich menu of meals, desserts and drinks. Its unique décor is based on the concept that eating together is about building relationships, and this is embedded in the whole place. Each table comes with a box of conversation starters with topics such as ‘What is your first childhood memory?’, ‘What is something you would do if nobody would find out about it?’ or even ‘What is the sexiest food?’. These questions can be fun with friends while waiting for your food.

The first time I was dining at Ben’s it was after a battle with food poisoning and indigestion. The local spicy and fried food had gotten to me, but Ben’s was so different. I am a vegetarian, so what I did was order a vegetarian dish, and for the first time in my life, I had a mushroom lasagna. Sounds delicious? Well, it was delicious!

But the mushroom lasagna was only one of the many vegetarian dishes served at Ben’s. To my surprise, they have many delicious and interesting vegetarian meals, in an East-meets-West style. And for some reason, I can’t stand not having desserts every time I go there. I find it amusing that their drinks menu is called the ‘Naughty Menu’, when in fact, the desserts menu should be the naughty one!

Anyway, back to the vegetarian goods! Turns out, the beauty about being vegetarian is that you can still enjoy a good burger. And that’s what I did - I ordered a big fat juicy … Portobello mushroom burger! It’s completely vegetarian, and boy, is it tasty! 

As far as salads go, they do a good job there as well. In fact, one of their best ones is their signature salad, Ben’s House Salad:

Very fresh, comes with cucumbers, tomatoes, pine nuts, and soy beans, my favorite. I don’t know what the dressing is made of, but it’s sure tasty, I can tell you that much!

I tell you, it’s not difficult in Ben’s to have both a healthy and enjoyable meal at once. Topped with a refreshing drink, a nice ambience and potentially a great dessert, Ben’s is a good place to eat well, in an environment which is based on building relationships and good conversations.