The first time I visited Maya Cafe for dinner, I left hungry and feeling severely ripped off, but somehow, I ended up back there again today for lunch. Located on Moon Street in the hip Star Street neighbourhood, Maya Cafe serves vegetarian, gluten-free, raw and vegan dishes and is one of the few healthy places to eat in Wanchai.

The lunch set is priced at HK$128 and includes an appetizer (a rather small bowl of soup, dahl or rainbow salad), a main dish (today’s choices were Mediterranean special of the day, baked ratatouille with goat’s cheese, tofu frittata with salad and potato gratin with salad), and a dessert or coffee/tea.

I ordered the dahl (lentil soup), which was a bit on the congealed side (versus being slightly grainy like I’m used to), and Mediterranean special, a bowl of red rice sitting in a stew of zucchini, tomatoes and chick peas, which was warm, filling and surprisingly tasty with its mix of herbs.

Dessert was quite simple — a light and tangy Mango Delight (coconut cream mixed with mango), and a rich chocolate mousse (coconut cream mixed with cocoa powder).

On a side note, service was quite dismal as the Filipina waitress who served us could hardly speak/understand English to take our orders, which eventually got forgotten while we were on the appetizers, and the other lady there seems to have a permanent scowl on her face (even when she’s being friendly).

So, did I leave hungry? Not this time. My advice: don’t order the raw pasta if you want to feel full. (Raw pasta is usually just some vegetable cut into really thin strips and coated in a nut sauce, so you’ll be hungry again before you know it).