I'VE SAID IT before, and I'll say it again: animated animal movies will make all of our kids vegetarian someday.

We just took in the new Martin Scorsese film, Shark Tale. The second lead is a shark named Lenny (voiced by Jack Black) who just doesn't have the killer instinct necessary to devour live fish. His father is the capo di tutti capi of the other sharks, so Lenny's vegetarianism is of the somewhat abashed sort. Still, the movie does have its veg-positive message and moments, such as when a batch of shrimp that were slated for appetizer-hood take their revenge on Lenny's father. Who wouldn't want to see some cute little shrimp wreaking havoc on someone who was about to dip 'em in cocktail sauce?

It remains to be seen, of course, whether Lenny's vegetarianism will end up converting anyone, but if you're trying to bolster your kids' commitment to vegetarianism, taking them to a matinee and afterward asking them a few leading questions couldn't hurt. Shark Tale is a lot less overstated than some of the vegetarian comics for kids we picked up at this year's superfun World Vegetarian Day event in Golden Gate Park; one of these, illustrated by Jim Woodring, is a graphic depiction of elephants being mistreated at the circus. On the other hand, these People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals-inspired comics will never sell their marketing rights to Burger King.

In the movie, Lenny, it seems, eats mostly kelp, and while I have nothing against seaweed in particular, if Lenny had lived in San Francisco, he could have feasted on all manner of guilt-free vegetarian fish.

On Clement Street, a trip to the New May Wah Supermarket (547 Clement, S.F. 415-668-2583) turns up several varieties of vegetarian fish, from "whole" fish made of wheat gluten and covered in mushroom "scales" to filets and even vegetarian fish nuggets.

But if you'd prefer someone else to cook your veggie fish – you know how fish cookery can smell up the whole house – you could always head to the Hulu House.

Vegetarian restaurant Hulu House features vegetarian versions of Singapore favorites and other Asian dishes. Located a few blocks from the tumult of Ninth and Irving, it's the ultimate unpretentious neighborhood restaurant. Brightly colored plastic tablecloths, Singapore travel posters, and tacked-up postcards make up the decor, but the food is great, and the people are welcoming, and that's what's important in a place like this.

We started with an appetizer of vegetarian fried fish. Crisp, thickly breaded, and oil-rich from the deep fryer, the fish needed only a batch of fries and a Bass ale to move seamlessly from a Singaporean restaurant in the Sunset District to an English-style pub. The pseudo-fish encased in the batter was chewy rather than flaky, but it acquired the perfect briny note with the judicious addition of seaweed.

We also sampled the spring rolls. Wrapped in rice paper, these were the uncooked kind. They were stuffed with mushrooms, sprouts, Thai basil, and a crunchy jicama-like vegetable we couldn't quite identify. The fresh flavors were a great counterbalance to the fried appetizer.

Our favorite dish was the spicy noodle soup laksa. Laksa means "10,000," which refers to the number of condiments that are added to this rich treat. But I think 10,000 refers to the number of flavors you can detect in one bowl of this soup. It starts with a base of spice paste and coconut milk. Swimming inside that delicious broth are tangles of noodles and bean sprouts, hunks of tofu, tofu skin rolls, vegetarian fish balls, and sliced vegetarian fish, all topped with chopped herbs and small sheets of nori. I couldn't believe two of us polished off a whole deep bowl of this spicy, comforting soup.

We also decided to go for what is, at $12.95, the most expensive dish on the menu: vegetarian black pepper beef broccoli. The rounds of peppery wheat gluten were chewy and savory, bathed in a nice, ungloppy brown sauce. The bright green steamed broccoli was very welcome at this dinner that was, for a vegetarian Asian meal, a little short on green vegetables.

Hulu House is a great destination for dinner, but it's an even better place for lunch, when you can try 1 of 15 dishes (including the laksa) for $4.59 to $5.50.

Hulu House. 754 Kirkham (at 12th Ave.), S.F. (415) 682-0826. Wed.-Mon., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. No alcohol. No credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. E-mail Miriam Wolf at miriam@coolcopy.com.

Go to Miriam Wolf's Meatless archives.

E-mail Miriam Wolf at miriam@coolcopy.com.