The Lotus Heart Review

I met up with Mum for lunch on Monday. I decided that we should try one of Christchurch’s vegetarian restaurants. Usually I wouldn’t shun meat but Mum is a vegetarian which is a good excuse for me to try some different foods. Our first thought was Govinda’s but Mr Christmas highly recommended The Lotus Heart and there were good online reviews so we went there. The Lotus Heart is located at 595 Colombo Street.

The Lotus Heart is run by students of spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy. The atmosphere inside the café is peaceful and unassuming. All of the food is displayed in a cabinet and appears to vary from day to day. When we arrived there were only a couple of options plus some salads, but during the course of our meal they brought out at least six different choices. I have to admit that I got a bit of food envy seeing all the stuff coming out. They also offer a wide variety of freshly squeezed juices and teas.

I decided on the enchilada bake with salad. It consisted of beans, cheese and tortillas in a tomato based sauce. The combination of herbs and spices was subtle and the result delicious. The salad was nice and refreshing and had an interesting tangy dressing. The meal was substantial and I was definitely satisfied when I got finished. I also ordered a chai latte to drink which was pretty average. Mum started with an orange and pineapple juice which she was very impressed with. For food she chose the pumpkin and potato pie. She said that it was yummy, especially the pastry base. As an added bonus her meal was gluten free.

We really liked The Lotus Heart and will definitely be back to try a couple of things in particular (especially the Hunza pie). Even if you are not a vegetarian you should check it out.