Cliff face cafe

Written by @PerGron, menu by @AceAstro

Exterior

The Cliff Face Cafe is situated on the side of the mountain overlooking the Yěshān Báshè Walking Trail. The restaurant itself is situated inside of a quake-resistant building, a style of building in the Himalayas made to withstand earthquakes and avalanches by building the house itself on a giant shock absorbing pillar.

The restaurant is situated in the building portion with the waiting area being situated in the pillar, as well as a window out over the walking trails. Here, guests can get a good look at the yak exhibit and the takin exhibit, as well as glimpses at the rest of the trail.

Waiting Area

The interior of the waiting area is themed to a traditional Buddhist monestary, adorned with gold and jewels and bowls as well as treasures, the whole indoors painted red. While no official Buddhism symbols appear in an attempt to remove actual religion from the discussion, the waiting area is certainly inspired by these temples.

Guests can sit on the benches and wait, or look over the animal exhibits while awaiting their party to be called. Once they are summoned, they enter a large elevator that will bring them to the top floor.

Restaurant interior

The interior of this restaurant is far more modern than the rest of the land and is generally pretty upscale for theme park standards. This is because the concept of this restaurant is the peacemakers have invited you to dine in their great hall, a large ceremonial center where they celebrated having won the first war against the warmongers.

Symbols of this victorious occasion are sprinkled throughout the restaurant, most notably a large mural upon entering depicting the ferocious battle in all of its glory. We see peacemakers riding spirit dragons duelling warmongers riding their dark spirit dragons while soldiers fight monks on the ground. This mural greets you into the restaurant.

Guests that eat at the restaurant can learn a little bit of history about the monks and the city by reading blurbs written throughout the menu and looking at artwork that adorns the walls. However, guests not interested in learning this history need not worry as the restaurant stands on its own without it.

One of the most popular sections of the restaurant is a large glass window that looks directly into the snow leopard enclosure. The snow leopards can climb right up against the window and interact with guests at the closest viewing for the species in the park. Of course, for the animals' safety, the tables nearby this window are heavily monitored so that nobody bangs on the window to startle the animals.

Guests lucky enough to get this table get to share an incredibly unique meal with a gorgeous and elusive big cat. However, there are also viewing windows accessible to guests who don't get the highly coveted seats so that they don't miss out on seeing the cats as well. It's also never guaranteed if the cats will be by the window, but at certain times, especially after the animal trails close at night, the heated rocks by the windows are turned on and the animals generally make their way up there.

The menu

Because you are being hosted by the peacemakers, you abide by their menu, and what that means is that there will be no meat on this menu. The monks are entirely vegetarian (in keeping with the cultures of many Tibetan and Nepali monks) and so the menu is also kept entirely vegetarian. This makes for a unique restaurant that may be a turn off for some. To counteract that, the restaurant plays with their dishes and does their best to make everything on their menu irresistable to eat.

While you may not find meat, the menu still attempts to be creative and delicious, even more so than you would at a restaurant featuring steak and chicken dishes. With the caveat that all dishes are vegetarian (with some vegan dishes as well), cooks and chefs are challenged with taking the preconcieved notions about these dietary choices and making a dish that anyone, vegetarian or omnivore alike, will be clamoring for more.

Menu:


Appetizers:

Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce on the side

Edamame Hummus

Blistered Shishito Peppers

Vegetable Hot and Sour Soup

Mains:

Crunchy Thai Peanut and Quinoa Salad

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Crispy Baked Tofu with Honey-Sesame Glaze

Thai Panang Curry with Vegetables

Peanut Slaw with Soba Noodles

Desserts:

Sesame Balls

Vegan Coconut Mango Sago

Black Sesame Pudding


Drinks:

Minty Iced Matcha Latte

Vegan Thai Iced Tea

Dairy-Free Bubble Tea