Dandy's Organic Cafe

a gem, if an expensive one.

my friend and i ordered soup and two rice dishes to share. we asked for non-spicy, vegan options and the wait staff was knowledgeable in recommending what to order. portions were hara hachi bu and would probably not satiate a bigger eater, but they were healthy and flavourful and enough for two females. they also have some vegan desserts, which we were too full to try.

it's an omnivorous eatery but veg*n is understood.

This healthy eating cafe is such a hidden gem in the Sheung Wan district. As you can tell from the name, this little restaurant boasts of its organic ingredient in its foods to offer. Once you enter the cafe, you can notice a little corner filled with Dandy's own branded products and promotional materials for a healthy and organic lifestyle. You can also see the owner Vivi Cheung's master/certificate in nutrition from a local HK university right in the corner.


What's most valuable and appealing to me from Dandy's is that on their menu they have listed all the major ingredients and the COMPLETE NUTRITION INFORMATION BREAKDOWN for each food item, including desserts! I have yet to see any other restaurant to be able to provide this on their menu. But we all know that knowing what exactly goes into your food can be extremely important to eating healthy.

But do note that this cafe also offers non-vegan and non-vegetarian food items. The idea is more on gluten-free and low-GI food. Also, the foods are pretty traditional Western dishes like pastas, fish steaks, etc. Nothing as creative as Grassroots.

For the dessert, I've tried their gluten-free almond cake, which is mainly made of almond flour. The cake was pretty moist but the vanilla extract flavor was very overpowering....In terms of flavor I think it's average, nothing special. But hey, we know that's all good stuff that goes into it, and that's all it needs.

dandy00P097DDEF723A27C2E77Bl

My ratings:

Flavor - ★★★

Environment - ★★★ (The space is a bit small and dark..)

Price - ★ (A bit pricey, all salads are above $100HKD.)

Location - ★★★★

Vegan/gluten-free options: ★★★★

Overall - ★★★

Recommendation: Salads and low GI desserts

See my photos and the full list of my Top 5 Restaurants for Eating Vegan/Gluten-Free in Hong Kong: t.cn/R5f7GjD

Looks like good European restaurant in the middle of HK.

Just to add also... Alcoholic drinks on sale at Dandy's haven't been checked for vegetarian / vegan suitability. (see weblinks below for more info)

www.vegsoc.org/alcohol
www.barnivore.com

Dandy's don't bill themselves as an exclusively vego eatery. Thus I don't see that selling non vego booze is any kind of misrepresentation. If though you are looking to have veg*an booze then Dandy's isn't for you.

Also I read a press article linking the manager of Dandy's with the now defunct O Green Cafe. The manager of Dandy's tells me she parted from O Green Cafe in Dec 2013.

Updated from previous review on Wednesday June 24, 2015

The dish labelling against vegan etc is very helpful. Food was tasty. I was in a party of 4. All of us enjoyed it. I've a friend who has also been based on my recommendation. He also said his group enjoyed Dandy's.

This small restaurant on Jervois Street has an extensive menu serving both meat and non meat dishes.

The menu is so clearly labeled, so it's easy to spot the vegan dishes and gluten free ones. The menu also lists the nutrition values of each dish.

we had the tofu and lentil salad and also the crispy sweet and sour tofu with pineapple. both were good. we had dandelion tea as a drink.

prices are a little high at 100-150 per dish but fairly standard in this area.