Friday 21 February 2020

EAT 21, Damansara Uptown


On my walkabouts in the neighborhood, I noticed (last year) that a new eatery opened at the spot vacated by my once favorite place.


EAT 21 is located just above the nasi kandar place I visited last year. I was curious of course. Prior to this, a short lived hot pot place was at this very same spot.

So I googled and found out that EAT 21 serves vegetarian food (of the clean eating kind, not all vegetarian outlets are created equal).

Some clean eating would do me good after the indulgent feasting during the recent Chinese New Year (yes, I put on weight. Bah!)


The few reviews I found were positive and I was encouraged to climb up the stairs (for some much needed exercise) hee..hee... 


It is a small place with very simple decor, helmed by a very warm and friendly lady, Ruth. 


At the moment choices are limited to only three - the Speedy Gonzales, The Best Marigold and The Super Bowl.

I started off with The Best Marigold (RM8.00), then the Speedy Gonzales (RM12.00) and lastly The Super Bowl (RM8.00).

I found The Best Marigold and Speedy Gonzales quite tasty, while The Super Bowl might  be an acquired taste.

The following week I returned. What I am sharing here are meals that I ordered as takeaway to enjoy in the office (so that I can tambah ingredients heh..heh...).

Since I love Mexican flavors, I had the Speedy Gonzales again.


In my bowl are potatoes, quinoa, green peas, corn, brown rice, topped with falafels (the white and green mash look like sour cream and guacamole which you would find in a regular burrito bowl, but they aren't).

There were pickles too this time (love that!). At the bottom is a sauce with flavors akin to chili con carne. For more details read here.

And then the next day it was The Best Marigold, Indian inspired, which I find very agreeable to my tastebuds.



What you have in this bowl are potatoes, quinoa, green peas, spiced brown rice, chickpea curry and topped with pickles and shallots. I love the pickles, eaten with the aromatic spiced ingredients, the aroma and taste reminded me of murtabak. For more details read here.


I brought along some fresh coriander to the office (my favorite herb) and poured The Best Marigold into my container and gave it a good mix. 

I have to be honest, the last bowl, The Super Bowl was not my favorite. The five spice powder in this one is quite distinct. But I was willing to give it another go.


Besides quinoa, potatoes and peas, there are also mushrooms, beans and rice (underneath) with the spice mix. For more details read here.


Again, my last portion of coriander (and some sliced cucumber) was put to good effect for added zing to The Superbowl. I think a dash of my favorite chili sauce might make this more pleasing to me. Or even some cut chilies with a tiny dash of soya sauce.

As suggested by Ruth, you can add anything from fried eggs to nutritional yeast to even, yes, chili sauce to make The Super Bowl more interesting. It is a bowl that can be tweaked to one's own taste and of course to do that you would have to bring this home (or to the office) with you.

In keeping with my wish to incorporate more plant based meals in my diet, EAT 21 would be the place to meet my goals. You can also order via Grabfood

Usually when I eat vegetarian, I am not satiated and get hungry within the hour. But at EAT 21, with generous portions and high fiber content (no mock meats are served here I am happy to report) from complex carbohydrates, the meal keeps me full for hours till dinner time.

Another plus point - the food is salted sparingly and there is no sugar added. Oil is added at bare minimum and only olive oil is used. If you are more accustomed to heavily seasoned food, your tastebuds may need some adjusting. Of course don't expect the curry/burrito bowl to taste like the regular versions but I assure you they are tasty nevertheless.

So people of Damansara Uptown (and neighboring areas), vegetarians/vegans or otherwise, come try (tasty) clean eating. Prices are very friendly (portions generous!) and best of all, you can expect warm and congenial service. At the moment operating hours are limited from Mondays to Fridays from 11:30am to 2:30pm.

21 comments:

  1. Clean vegan food. Wow, that was a short operating hours. But the bowls looked tasty and colourful.

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    1. If only the bowls were bigger but flatter, then we would be able to see the contents much better.

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  2. Somebody gave me vegetarian rendang to try. Ummmmm...I'd stick to meat, thank you very much.

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    1. LOL! I am not into fake meat dishes. To me, if one is vegetarian, then let's be honest about it and leave out the fake meat.

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    2. I agree with you on this point.

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  3. this food is too 'vegan' for me...lolx...I need some meat!

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    1. hah..hah... I guess you are not used to it.

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  4. The vegan bowls do look delicious. I think my sister in law would love these.

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    1. The food is pretty good, even a non-vegetarian like me enjoyed it and did not miss meat at all!

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  5. ooo, how cool that all three choices of bowls have distinctly different flavours. i'd definitely be tempted by the speedy gonzales and the super marigold - it sounds like they care a lot about their ingredients and preparation :)

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    1. Yes, the food is well prepared. In fact, I have kept them for my early dinner and it stayed fresh and tasty. My two favorite ingredients are the potatoes and peas. LOL!

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  6. The 5 spice bowl would be my least preferred too. I like the price but don't think I can convince my lunch friends to eat here. I usually find quinoa needs a lot of chewing until my jaw hurts. How do you find the quinoa here - need a lot of chewing or not?

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    1. This type of food is not for everyone I guess. I know what you mean about quinoa, I have eaten tough ones too (undercooked). The ones here are very tender, very ngam you. LOL!

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  7. I will definitely try this vegan place. I think the CNY meat feasting has poisoned me with much guilt. I felt like going vegetarian for a while.

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    1. Yes, yes, please go and try and please bring along your wifey. I have a feeling she would also enjoy the food. Let's take a break from meat at least once a week!

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  8. This vegan place is quite different from the usual vegetarian stalls i frequent.

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  9. I can have this once in a while, too "healthy" for me, LOL

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