Su Life

So, this all-​vegetarian place says they open at 11, and I dropped in on the way to the beach, and no one was there, place closed, no explanation. As I meandered around looking for someone else, the owners sauntered in at 11:15. I gave them another few minutes before walking in, to be told that their cook still wasn’t there and it would be a while longer. Australians are pretty loose about their work; me, I kind of think that if you have posted hours you should be there before those hours start. And lest one think this was a fluke, they had a sign behind the counter that they’d prepared stating that the place was closed due to family business, so apparently it happens often enough. Something to think about if you want to eat here.
It seemed like there was outdoor seating, but this turned out to be for the Lebanese place next door (which had a cheery crowd). This place was small and pretty worn inside. All of this combined with its suburban strip mall location might lead you to think it’d be cheap, but not really. Still A$ 15 for a main dish only to find rice not included.
At which point, one might begin to wonder where I even found three stars for them. The answer is simple: the food itself was really good. That was a nice and aromatic herbal tofu, with some basic vegetables, but also some fancy seaweed and goji berries. And the lemon kumquat smoothie I got was no slouch either on a hot day. They had plenty of spicy dishes I’d be happy to try, if I ever feel like doing so again.

When Huo Fo closed in Sunnybank, it was like the passing of a dear friend. Nowhere could we find comparable vegetarian spicy crispy chicken or golden pancakes, so we have been in mourning until a few weeks ago when cruising the Unilocal Chinese restaurants I stumbled on Su Life.
Could it be the same people? Yes it appeared so.
I booked a table and arrived full of excitement and anxiety. However I should not have been concerned as it was the same people and the world is a glorious place once again.
Now for the critique.
It is a small restaurant with a number of outside tables under cover. Very basic decoration, bare tables and plastic covered chairs.
It has an extensive menu and the prices are super cheap.
Our meal consisted of a scrumptious Golden Pancake, hot and crispy with the drizzle of mayo. Then vege spring rolls. Great flavour but needed another minute in the pan to finish crisping.
Next was salt & pepper tofu. Small crunchy bite size pieces of magnificence with a garnish of pickle.
Then we had the dish we had longed for… Spicy crispy chicken. Served with cashews, dried chillis, capsicum pieces and a sauce to die for. Finished out with rice and rice grain tea, we were replete and very happy. All for $ 39. Wow!
Do yourself a favour and try Su Life. It is different, but very special too.

Su Life: for the brave, the lucky, and the experienced.
I absolutely love this place. It used to be called Huo Fo and was in Sunny Park shopping centre, then they closed and reopened about a year layer, cheaper, as Su Life. The décor is either atrocious or non existent, depending on your point of view, the seats are covered in hard plastic, and if you sit outside — you’re sitting on the walkway beside the car park.
The best food here is the fried stuff. And I don’t mean shallow-​fried, I mean, deliciously dripping in oil.
All food is vegetarian, and 95% is vegan — dishes containing egg are in their own subsection. You can’t go wrong with entrees — my favourites are the golden pancake (flaky, fried, and delicious, topped with vegan mayo), the calamari, the xin bao mushroom chunk, and if you’re hungry and feeling brave — the BBQ combination platter.
The mains are extremely hit and miss, but when they hit — they hit the mark superbly. When they miss, they’re never terrible, just kinda «meh». The spicy crispy chicken is a must must must must must-​have — crispy, chewy fried vegan chicken with a sweet, red, almost smoky sauce, served alongside red capsicum, celery and cashews. Ive never seen someone disappointed with this dish, and you wont want to share. Although nothing like ribs, the vegetarian ribs are sublime tasting and once again, sticky and sweet. If you’re lucky and you ask nicely, they might even make lemon chicken for you, which isn’t in the menu.
Su Life is delicious, but it’s best to stick to your favourite menu items. And once you have tried the above, you won’t even be tempted by other things — they’re that good.

Let me say straight off Chinese vegetarian is not for everyone. I believe that you either hate it or love it, but I’ve never met anyone who’s told me they’ve acquired a taste for it.
My family being ²⁄₃ vegetarian of course love Chinese vegetarian so as soon as we found out this new vegetarian restaurant called Su Life had opened in our neighbourhood, we were determined to try it out. Although in some cultures, vegetarian cooking is synonymous to fresh fruit and vegetables, pulses and lentils, Chinese vegetarian is more about roots, seeds, gluten and soy. There’s vegetables as well of course but it’s ususally stir fried or stewed as opposed to fresh salad.
The gluten is usually used to form part of the fake meat — the not-​chickens, not-​beef, not-​pork and not-​seafood. If you ever see meat on a menu at a vegetarian restaurant, don’t be confused. They are referring to the vegetarian imitation meat. Some people really don’t like the fake meat but fortunately, there’s plenty of mushrooms, tofu, noodles, chinese greens and rice dishes to please everyone.
As I scanned the menu, I immediately saw my favourite vegetarian dish– hot and sour noodle soup (see photo). Well, the flavours were pretty good though I’d prefer spicier and I found the noodles a little gluggy. On the upside there was a tasty mixture of carrots, wood-​ear mushrooms, gluten balls, tofu and Chinese greens floating in my huge soup bowl.
My sister had the curried enoki mushroom beef pot. This is an excellent choice during winter but unfortunately we went during the hottest day of this summer so she couldn’t actually eat much of the hearty meal.
Su-​life has a simple, clean cafeteria style lay out, perfect for week day meals and takeaways but probably not for special occasions such as birthdays (unless of course, you’re a Chinese vegetarian fanatic). Meat lovers should definitely give this place a try and see what it’s like on the other side.

I have a confession to make to Unilocal… I am in love. Actually, I have always been in love… with tofu. Beancurd. Dao Fu. Call it what you may, it has always been the deal breaker with my love for meat. Should I ever decide that it was time for me to go vegetarian, it would be because of tofu. I was raised on soy products being from Malaysian heritage… so it should really come as no surprise that everything from soft tofu cooked broth to your agedashi fried tofu to you hot pot tofu to you egg tofu, are all things that I have had many a love affair with. Sometimes at the same time (tsk tsk).
So when I met Su Life, an instant bond took affect. There is nothing better than tofu than tofu imitating meat. How good is it to order some barbeque chinese pork (char siu) and have it come out, looking so delicious with its red tingy edges marinaded to perfection. How yummy it tastes when you have the first bite. How delightful when you know it’s vegetarian tofu imitating pork so well you can hardly tell the truth.
Su Life was that for me, they do the non-​meats so well sometimes the texture is astounding… especially the fish. Looks just like it. Could have fooled me, and the idiot meat eater sitting on the next table thinking he was actually eating meat. Surprise! What a surprise Su Life was Unilocalers. It may not be much to look at, but boy can it provide meat with a good run for its money.