Green on Earth Vegetarian Cafe – A Contender for the Best Ma La Xiang Guo in Singapore

I’m a mala addict.

2018 has seen me feast on 2-3 mala xiang guos a week. I cannot get enough of the waves of spiciness and numbness that the dish offers. The sauce that coats all of my chosen ingredients and Maggi mee had kept me up in bed as it burns my stomach but it just made me fall even more in love with it.

We know you like hidden gems, so how about this place?

At the top of the stairs was Green on Earth, which turned out prettier than I had imagined. What a fancy setting for a mala xiang guo lunch.

“Is the place vegetarian?” I asked upon hearing the name Green on Earth. In all honesty, I have my reservations about vegetarian food. I don’t have a doubt that vegetarian food can taste amazing and many restaurants can attest to that. However, it just seems like meatless options are never as tasty. Nevertheless, I was intrigued.

I made my way to the all-too-familiar ingredients section. For the uninitiated, you can select all the ingredients you want from the counter. You’ll be charged by the weight of your ingredients($3/100g, all ingredients). You also pick your spiciness level (low or 小辣, medium or 中辣, high or 大辣) and whether you want rice to go along with. I enjoy all degrees of spiciness but I went with 中辣 to test out the waters. I also got a Chrysanthemum Tea ($2) to extinguish the flames.

Like an addict finally getting his fix, I relished the cyclic punches of the ma and la. Apart from the ingredients in the bowl, there was no other hint that this was a vegetarian creation. One thing that I especially loved was the use of hua jiao in the dish. The citrusy note of the pepper is something that I look for in every bowl of mala xiang guo. Locally, many establishments have shied away from using the numbing pepper as some diners do not appreciate the tingling sensation that comes with it. Green on Earth didn’t, thankfully.

The ingredients were cooked well too. The lotus root was crunchy, and the potato slices were a tad sticky. I almost always order these ingredients to more accurately compare the standards.

I always find that you get to really know the standard of a mala xiang guo by the texture of the noodles.

One thing that you will not find anywhere else is the availability of mock meat. I do not enjoy it as much as my usual lotus root, potato slices, and tofu skin. But, if mock meat is something up your alley, then you might enjoy the variety here.

Apart from mala xiang guo, Green on Earth also has other tze char offerings such as Stir-fried Mix Vegetables ($10/15/20), Mapo Beancurd ($10/15/20) and Double Taste Fish ($15/25). I was tempted to add them to my table but the mala xiang guo was way too filling.

Mala xiang guo is a rather difficult dish to rate. I realised that people look out for different things such as spiciness, oiliness, value, the freshness of ingredients, curry smell etc. The most important factor for me is the use of hua jiao, and Green on Earth is definitely one of the best that I’ve tried.

P.S : They’ll be open throughout Chinese New Year so if you’re looking for vegetarian food, Green on Earth is a great option.

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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