上個月，好友提到他的愛店之一，蔬食餐廳果然匯因為租約到期將要結束營業，想找我們趁熄燈前，再去吃一次，我並不是素食者，所以，之前我也沒聽過這家店，上網查了一下，果然匯目前擁有 6 家分店，而即將熄燈落幕的店是品牌創始店，所以，只是創始店結束營業，假如要吃這個品牌的話，到其它分店還是能吃的到，真是搞不懂，為何朋友會突然這麼感傷，找大家去吃最後一次，不過，我也就跟著朋友的興頭，打算去這家店嚐鮮一下。
近年來人們因為健康、環境保護及愛動物等因素，選擇吃素的人越來越多了，很多知名藝人也選擇吃素，如劉德華、王菲、張學友等，以天然「蔬食」作為主軸的素食吃到飽餐廳也跟著因運而生，，強大的素食商機也讓餐廳和消費者都受惠，果然匯更是其中的佼佼者，曾榮獲美國有線電視網 (CNN) 的蔬食餐廳特別報導介紹，為代表台北的素食餐廳。
用餐當天，不知道是否因為人們趕在餐廳熄燈前，吃最後一次的關係，開始前的十分鐘，這裡就擠滿了等待入場的人群，還好我們有預約，人到齊後就被帶位入場，餐廳設計採用日式禪意風格，使用大量的木質線條、木架窗格展示牆等營造舒服自然的用餐環境，餐點大致分為生菜沙拉與壽司區、水果冷飲區、冰品區、熱飲區、甜點區、炸物區、烤物區、煎台區、砂鍋區、熱炒區、蒸籠區、熱湯區、歐式菜色區，菜色種類豐富多樣，有些菜色光憑外表，完全看不出來是蔬食的，如鐵板嫩煎鮮香菇或素食佛跳牆等。
日式壽司如鮭魚壽司、花枝壽司、鮪魚壽司等，應該都是用豆類加工，但是口感都做得蠻類似的，麻辣豆腐鍋，處理的蠻健康的，但辣得很順口，炸至酥脆的塔可餅，可以自己盛裝天貝、花椰菜與各式鮮蔬，佐酸甜莎莎醬，是我的最愛之一，我的果然匯最愛，是有著蔬食界牛排美稱的猴頭菇，不只是我，我們這桌的都拿了好幾輪，雖然香煎猴頭菇沒有肉味，但是一咬下去，口感厚實飽滿，營養價值也極高，而各式各樣的創意蔬食，我一邊確認食材、一邊品嚐料理味道，蠻有一種猜猜看的感覺，比如說豆奶取代牛奶的咖啡機，製作出來的咖啡，味道就是不一樣。
各式的果汁都是現打的，現打的就是好喝，喝的也很健康，至於冰淇淋，可以看到芝麻、紅心芭樂、草莓、紅豆、百香果等不常見到的口味，還蠻特別的，憑良心說，素食真的不比葷食好吃，可能是因為果然匯主打用健康方式料理，以新鮮蔬果入菜，嚴選原料，結合少油少脂的烹調方法，讓顧客吃出各式食材的原味，所以我覺得比較不好吃，而我們平常吃的美食，多佐以大量調味料提色及提味，胃口已經被寵壞了，所以我吃不慣，吃的健康或吃的美味，您們會選擇那一個呢？
Last month, my friend mentioned that one of his favorite spots, the vegetarian restaurant "Fruitful Food" (Guo Ran Hui), was going to close down because its lease was expiring. He wanted us to go one last time before it shut its doors for good. I'm not a vegetarian myself, so I hadn't heard of this place before. I looked it up online and found out that "Fruitful Food" has six branches, and the one closing down is their original store. So, it's just the original store closing; if you want to try their food, you can still visit their other locations. I couldn't quite understand why my friend suddenly felt so sentimental and wanted us all to go for one last meal. Nevertheless, I decided to join in and check out this place.
In recent years, more and more people have been choosing to eat vegetarian for health, environmental, and animal welfare reasons. Many celebrities, like Andy Lau, Faye Wong, and Jacky Cheung, have also gone vegetarian. This trend has led to the rise of all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet restaurants, and "Fruitful Food" is one of the best-known ones. It even got featured on CNN as representing Taipei's vegetarian dining scene.
On the day we went, the place was packed with people, perhaps because everyone wanted to have one last meal before the restaurant closed. Luckily, we had made a reservation, so we were seated promptly once everyone arrived. The restaurant had a Japanese Zen-inspired design with lots of wooden elements and lattice display walls, creating a comfortable and natural dining atmosphere. The menu was divided into various sections like salad and sushi, fruit beverages, ice cream, hot drinks, desserts, fried foods, grilled dishes, stir-fried dishes, steamed dishes, soups, and European-style dishes. The variety of dishes was impressive, and some looked so appetizing that you wouldn't even guess they were vegetarian, like the sizzling pan-fried mushrooms or the vegetarian "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall".
The Japanese-style sushi, such as salmon, squid, and tuna sushi, were likely made from processed beans, but they managed to replicate the textures quite well. The spicy tofu hot pot was prepared healthily but packed a flavorful punch. The crispy taco shells were served with a DIY station where you could fill them with toppings like edamame, cauliflower, and various fresh veggies, along with a tangy salsa sauce—definitely one of my favorites. But the real star for me at "Fruitful Food" was the lion's mane mushroom, which is dubbed the "vegetarian steak" in the vegetarian world. It didn't taste like meat, of course, but it had a hearty and satisfying texture, and it's incredibly nutritious.
There were also plenty of creative vegetarian dishes to try, and it was fun guessing the ingredients while savoring the flavors. For example, they had a coffee machine that used soy milk instead of regular milk, producing a unique coffee taste. The freshly squeezed fruit juices were delicious and refreshing. And the ice cream flavors like sesame, pink guava, strawberry, red bean, and passion fruit were quite unusual but delightful.
Honestly, vegetarian food might not be as tasty as meat dishes for everyone, and that might be because "Fruitful Food" focuses on healthy cooking methods and using fresh fruits and vegetables to bring out the natural flavors of the ingredients. Compared to the heavily seasoned and flavored foods we're used to, it might seem a bit bland. But ultimately, it comes down to personal preference—would you choose to eat healthily or indulgently?