YI KE SHU 一棵树 Tanjung Bungah: A Vegan Kitchen That Takes Mushrooms Seriously
There are vegetarian restaurants that make you feel as though you have been sentenced to a lifetime of brown rice and steamed broccoli.
Then there is YI KE SHU 一棵树.
Tucked along Jalan Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah, this plant-based kitchen takes a rather more cheerful approach to meat-free eating. The menu wanders confidently between Chinese-inspired comfort food, Japanese noodles, curry, burgers, pasta, rice bowls and an impressive parade of mushrooms. Lion’s mane, king oyster, shimeji, enoki and shiitake are not supporting actors here. They are the cast.
And that is perhaps the most interesting thing about Yi Ke Shu: it doesn’t seem particularly interested in convincing you that vegetables can pretend to be meat. Instead, it builds a meal around vegetables, mushrooms, grains, tofu, herbs, nuts and sauces that are supposed to taste good on their own.
The result is a restaurant that makes sense for vegans, vegetarians, curious omnivores and anyone who has spent enough time eating Penang’s famous hawker food to occasionally crave something that doesn’t arrive swimming in oil.
In Tanjung Bungah, where the traffic along the northern corridor can be wonderfully chaotic, Yi Ke Shu offers a quieter proposition: take off your shoes, slow down, and eat something green.
The Environment: A Little Pocket of Calm in Tanjung Bungah
Tanjung Bungah has a particular rhythm.
It is neither the old-world theatre of George Town nor the full tourist machinery of Batu Ferringhi. It sits somewhere in between — residential roads, apartment blocks, older neighbourhoods, cafés, roadside businesses and the occasional glimpse of the sea reminding you that you are still very much on Penang Island.
Yi Ke Shu fits that middle ground nicely.
The restaurant at 113, Jalan Lembah Permai has a modest, homey personality rather than the polished look of a fashionable café. There is no need for velvet banquettes or enormous neon signs announcing that you have discovered the latest “concept”.
The atmosphere is much simpler.
Plants, warm lighting and an uncluttered interior give the place a comfortable, almost living-room quality. One of the little rituals that immediately changes the mood is the no-shoes arrangement. You leave the footwear outside and step into a space that feels noticeably more domestic than restaurant-like.
I actually like that.
Penang has enough restaurants where the objective seems to be taking the perfect photograph before eating. Yi Ke Shu feels more interested in feeding you.
That distinction matters.
Especially after walking around in Tanjung Bungah’s heat, the idea of sitting somewhere quiet with a bowl of noodles or a rice dish is more appealing than another aggressively air-conditioned dining room pretending to be Copenhagen.
What Should You Order?
This is where Yi Ke Shu gets interesting.
The menu is broad enough that ordering can become a small problem.
There are small plates, salads, rice bowls, noodles, pasta, burgers, soups, desserts and drinks. Most of the menu is vegan, and the kitchen leans heavily on mushrooms, tofu, vegetables and brown rice.
Prices are generally approachable, with many main dishes landing around RM18–RM25.
If I were building a first meal here, I would start with something crunchy, move into one of the mushroom-heavy rice dishes and then choose a noodle or curry option depending on my mood.
1. The Farmers Mushroom Don
This is one of the dishes that best explains what Yi Ke Shu is trying to do.
The bowl combines brown rice with black fungus, shiitake, king oyster mushroom, pea sprouts, sweet corn, wakame and avocado.
Read that list again.
There is a lot happening.
The brown rice gives the dish its earthy, nutty foundation. Mushrooms bring the savoury depth. Wakame contributes a little marine character, while avocado softens everything with its rich, creamy texture.
It is not the sort of bowl that needs a slab of fake meat sitting on top shouting, “LOOK, I’M A STEAK.”
Instead, it works through contrast.
Crunchy.
Creamy.
Earthy.
Fresh.
Slightly sweet.
A little briny.
This is the sort of dish I would recommend to someone who tells me they are not vegetarian but would happily eat vegetarian food if it actually tasted interesting.
2. Organic Soy Curry Katsudon
Now we’re getting into comfort-food territory.
The dish uses a crispy king oyster mushroom with potato, carrot and coriander, alongside an organic soy curry. Crucially, the restaurant describes the curry as being made without coconut milk.
That gives it a different character from the richer Malaysian curries many Penang diners grow up with.
The king oyster mushroom is doing the heavy lifting here.
When cooked properly, it has that wonderful mushroom elasticity — substantial enough to give your teeth something to work against without becoming rubbery.
The curry itself is designed to provide the warmth and savouriness that make a katsudon-style dish satisfying.
It is also a good example of Yi Ke Shu’s general philosophy: familiar formats, but rebuilt with plants.
3. Organic Soy Curry Ramen
If you are the sort of person who believes soup noodles are appropriate at virtually any hour, this is worth considering.
The ramen comes with lion’s mane mushroom, sesame, spices, bean sprouts and peppermint.
That last ingredient caught my attention.
Peppermint in a curry ramen sounds slightly eccentric — until you consider what it contributes. A fresh herbal note can stop a spice-heavy broth from becoming flat and monotonous.
The lion’s mane mushroom is particularly well suited to this kind of dish because of its meaty, fibrous texture.
This isn’t a bowl designed for delicate sipping.
It wants you to dig in.
4. Mala Organic Pan Mee
For anyone who likes a little punishment with their lunch, there is the Mala Organic Pan Mee.
Lotus root, king oyster mushroom, lion’s mane mushroom, carrot, black fungus and broccoli meet Sichuan pepper, chilli and a homemade mala sauce.
This is where the restaurant moves away from gentle wellness-café territory.
Mala has a way of announcing itself.
First comes the chilli.
Then the Sichuan pepper.
Then that familiar numbing sensation begins to spread across the tongue.
The mushrooms and vegetables give the bowl plenty of texture, while lotus root provides a particularly satisfying crunch.
If you normally associate vegetarian food with restraint, this is the dish that tells you to sit down and reconsider your assumptions.
The Small Plates: Don’t Skip Them
The small-plate section is surprisingly fun.
The Battered Oyster Mushroom comes with capsicum, cucumber and cashews.
Then there is Fried Mushroom, using shimeji and enoki mushrooms with homemade herb seasoning and basil.
The Signature Tofu and Homemade Tofu, making them particularly easy additions to a shared meal.
And then there is the slightly more unusual Hericium Satay Stick, served with cashew nut sauce.
Lion’s mane mushroom is one of the restaurant’s recurring ingredients, and I understand why. Its texture gives cooks considerably more to work with than many softer mushrooms.
The satay format is clever because it gives the mushroom a familiar Malaysian-style presentation without pretending that it is chicken.
That is the sweet spot for good vegetarian cooking.
You recognise the format.
But the ingredient gets to remain itself.
The Noodles: Comfort Food Without the Meat
Yi Ke Shu’s noodle section is extensive enough to keep you coming back.
There is Japanese Udon Noodle Soup with tofu, shimeji mushrooms, tomato, wakame, daikon and coriander.
The Yaki Udon, built around cabbage, carrot, shiitake, capsicum and vegetables with dry chilli.
There is Kitsune Udon, with daikon, wakame and bean-curd skin.
For something gentler, the Dumpling Noodle Soup brings together spinach dumplings, shiitake and black fungus.
And then there is the Herbal Dragon Beard Noodle Soup.
The menu doesn’t simply throw vegetables into noodles and call it dinner. There is an obvious attempt to give each bowl its own personality.
That variety is important for a vegetarian restaurant.
Because the biggest danger with meat-free cooking isn’t necessarily blandness.
It’s repetition.
Yi Ke Shu largely avoids that trap.
Rice Bowls: Probably the Safest Starting Point
If you have never eaten here before, rice is probably the easiest entry point.
The Rainbow Pinenuts Fried Rice combines brown rice, pine nuts, capsicum, siew pak choy, carrot, cabbage and cherry tomato.
The Original Veggie Rice adds avocado, grilled mushroom, capsicum, potato, bean curd, cucumber and mixed salad.
There is also Red Sauce Rice, a simple Homemade Braised Rice.
These dishes make sense for Penang’s climate.
They are filling without necessarily feeling punishingly heavy.
And brown rice provides enough chew and nuttiness to keep the meal from becoming a pile of soft vegetables.
Pasta and Burgers? Absolutely.
This is the section where someone might look at the menu and say:
“Wait. Vegan pasta?”
Yes.
There is Baked Pasta with mushrooms, cheddar, mozzarella and homemade tomato sauce.
The Aglio Olio with white button and shimeji mushrooms plus dry chilli.
There is also a Neapolitan Pasta, and the Almond Butter Pasta.
Then come the burgers.
The Lion Mane Mushroom Burger uses an artisan bun, lion’s mane mushroom and white-button mushroom sauce.
The Homemade Burger combining king oyster mushroom, tempeh, vegan mayonnaise, fresh fruit, greens and fries.
This is not traditional Penang cooking.
And that is precisely the point.
Yi Ke Shu isn’t trying to be another nasi kandar shop with vegetarian gravy.
It is a plant-based kitchen with its own vocabulary.
The Good
The strongest thing about Yi Ke Shu is variety.
A vegetarian restaurant can easily become a one-note affair.
Here, you can have curry one day, ramen the next, a mushroom burger after that, and then return for dumpling soup.
The mushroom selection is another major strength.
Lion’s mane, king oyster, shiitake, enoki and shimeji appear throughout the menu, giving dishes different textures instead of simply different sauces.
The pricing is also relatively friendly.
Most mains sit in the RM18–RM25 range, while tofu, soups and sides provide cheaper options.
For a restaurant focused on plant-based food, that makes it possible to eat here regularly rather than treating it as an occasional splurge.
The Not-So-Good
The menu’s sheer breadth can also be its weakness.
When a restaurant offers everything from ramen to pasta to burgers to curry rice, the obvious question is whether every category receives the same attention.
My instinct would be to focus on the dishes where Yi Ke Shu has a clear identity: mushrooms, rice bowls, noodles, tofu and curry.
If you are coming specifically for classic Italian pasta, don’t expect an Italian trattoria.
If you want a burger indistinguishable from a beef burger, this probably isn’t the point either.
Yi Ke Shu is better approached as a creative vegetarian kitchen rather than a restaurant dedicated to perfectly reproducing meat-based classics.
That mindset makes the menu considerably more rewarding.
Who Is Yi Ke Shu For?
Vegetarians and vegans
Obviously.
The menu is overwhelmingly plant-based, and there is enough variety to make repeat visits interesting.
Curious meat-eaters
Actually, this may be the most important group.
If your idea of vegetarian food begins and ends with tofu, order the mala pan mee or a mushroom dish and reconsider.
Families
The broad menu works well when everyone wants something different.
One person can order noodles, another curry rice, another a burger.
Couples
It is a relaxed setting for a quiet meal rather than a formal date-night restaurant.
Solo diners
Very suitable.
There are plenty of complete single-person meals, and you don’t need to assemble a complicated banquet to get a satisfying lunch.
Pro Tips
1. Come hungry but don’t over-order.
The menu is extensive and the temptation to order five different mushroom dishes is real.
Two mains plus one shared side is probably a sensible starting point.
2. Mushroom fans should go all in.
This is one restaurant where ordering multiple mushroom-based dishes isn’t redundant.
The different varieties have noticeably different textures.
3. Try something spicy.
The mala dishes provide a useful counterpoint to the restaurant’s healthier image.
Plant-based doesn’t have to mean mild.
4. Leave room for dessert.
The restaurant lists homemade soy jelly, coral jelly and organic soy yogurt, while its pastry selection can vary.
5. Parking requires the usual Penang patience.
Don’t arrive assuming you will simply pull up and magically find a perfect space.
That sort of optimism is how Penang parking turns otherwise peaceful people into philosophers.
Overview Cheat Sheet
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Restaurant | YI KE SHU 一棵树 |
| Area | Tanjung Bungah |
| Cuisine | Vegetarian / vegan / plant-based |
| Price range | Roughly RM10–RM25 for most dishes |
| Signature direction | Mushroom dishes, rice bowls, noodles, curry |
| Must-try | Farmers Mushroom Don |
| For spice lovers | Mala Organic Pan Mee |
| Comfort-food pick | Organic Soy Curry Katsudon |
| Noodle pick | Organic Soy Curry Ramen |
| Small-plate pick | Hericium Satay Stick / Fried Mushrooms |
| Atmosphere | Cozy, simple, relaxed |
| Best for | Vegans, vegetarians, health-conscious diners and curious omnivores |
How to Get There
The restaurant is at:
113, Jalan Lembah Permai,
11200 Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia
From George Town, head north along the coastal corridor towards Tanjung Tokong and Tanjung Bungah, then make your way inland toward Jalan Lembah Permai.
By Grab, the easiest approach is simply to enter YI KE SHU 一棵树 Tanjung Bungah as the destination.
Driving yourself is possible, but parking around neighbourhood restaurants in Penang is always a game of timing, luck and occasionally creative geometry.
If you are staying around Tanjung Bungah, this is much easier as a short Grab ride than attempting to make a complicated pilgrimage from the centre of George Town.
Google Maps
Address & Contact
YI KE SHU 一棵树 Tanjung Bungah
113, Jalan Lembah Permai
11200 Tanjung Bungah
Penang, Malaysia
Telephone: +60 4-890 0129
The Verdict
Yi Ke Shu isn’t trying to compete with Penang’s char kway teow stalls, nasi kandar counters or hawker centres.
It shouldn’t.
That would miss the point entirely.
Instead, it occupies a useful little corner of the island’s food scene: a plant-based restaurant where mushrooms get the starring role, brown rice is treated as something more interesting than punishment, tofu can be crispy and spicy, and a bowl of noodles can leave you full without sending you into an afternoon food coma.
What I like most about the concept is that the restaurant doesn’t seem to depend entirely on mock meat.
The food has its own identity.
A lion’s mane mushroom is allowed to taste like lion’s mane mushroom. A bowl of vegetables can be colourful and texturally interesting. Curry can be satisfying without coconut milk. Mala can still make your lips tingle even when there isn’t a piece of meat anywhere in sight.
And that is exactly where good vegetarian cooking should be heading.
Not imitation.
Not deprivation.
Just good food that happens to be made from plants.
For committed vegans and vegetarians, Yi Ke Shu is an easy recommendation. For everyone else, I would suggest approaching it with an open mind and ordering something that leans into the kitchen’s strengths — particularly the mushrooms, curry and noodle dishes.
Would I make it a weekly staple?
If I lived around Tanjung Bungah, probably yes.
There is enough variety to keep the menu from becoming boring, the prices are reasonable enough for repeat visits, and the atmosphere is the sort of low-key place where you can eat without feeling as though you have booked yourself into an “experience”.
Sometimes that is exactly what you want.
Take off your shoes.
Order the mushrooms.
Get the mala if you’re feeling brave.
And let the vegetables do the talking.
#YiKeShu
#一棵树
#TanjungBungah
#PenangFood
#PenangVegetarian
#PenangVegan
#VeganPenang
#VegetarianFood
#TanjungBungahFood
#PenangEats
