ChuMinh Tofu & Veggie Deli

I have finally located the antidote for Maruta's and other vegan un-friendly Asian delis all over Seattle: the ChuMinh deli at 12th and Jackson where the staff is lovely and everything is animal-free!
The vegan deli has a well stocked hot case full of various curries, veggies and tofu dishes. There is also an impressive selection of various deep fried things and both sweet and savory rice flour pastries. The prices were inexpensive and my dining companion and I tried a bunch of different dishes:
In the above picture we have stewed greens and tofu (with two different types of greens- this was my favorite!), some kind of fresh, lightly steamed veggie and tofu, an egg roll, an interesting and delicious shishkabob with grilled pineapple and various savory sweet and sour flavors, and a coconut bamboo shoot curry.

We also ordered a bahn mi and it was large, fresh and spicy!
It was such a treat to be able to order freely from the plentiful options and not worry too hard about the potential for meat/fish ingredients. My only complaint is that all of the tofu had been fried, while I would have preferred it to have been steamed, and as a result the various dishes all felt a little greasy.

Saigon Deli

I have somehow managed to neglect a rather important food on this blog, the cheap and delicious Vietnamese sandwich the Banh Mi. They are easy to find, fantastically inexpensive (often around $2), and quite frequently come in a vegetarian tofu version.

I recently went to the Saigon Deli in the Little Saigon area of the 12th and Jackson to try their take on this staple, and had an overall pleasant experience. The deli is a work of art, full of tiny packages of brightly colored foods tightly wrapped in cellophane or steaming on a hot tray. I ordered a tofu sandwich, my meat lovin dining companion got a BBQ pork sandwich, and together we got a Styrofoam tray of tofu spring rolls and one of the many mysteriously wrapped packages that lined the shelves. I chose a tight foil wrapped log in blind hopes that it was full of some sort of sweet coconut rice.
I judge a Bahn Mi based upon a few things:

1. Is the bread fresh? The Bahn Mi is made on a full miniloaf of French bread, and when it is stale the sandwich becomes a hard to eat, boring beast that mercilessly nicks the insides of the mouth.
2. Is the tofu fresh? The usual (less desirable) type of tofu used in these sandwiches tends to be dry and deep fried. I prefer it to be freshly cooked and soft instead of chewy and fried.
   
3. Is there too much mayonnaise on the sandwich? A common sauce solution is mayonnaise and Sriracha , and I don't like it when there is too much mayonnaise.
4. What temperature is the sandwich? They most definitely shine when they are warm, and are least interesting cold from a refrigerator.
   
5. The rest of the fillings... these tend to include julienned carrots, fresh cilantro, spears of cucumber, sometimes thin rice noodles, pickled radish, thinly sliced onions, and fresh jalapeno. The lamer versions tend to come with a leaf or two of cilantro and a few wimpy strips of carrot and cucumber, whereas the stellar versions are packed with veggies, pickled and fresh, and a bush of fragrant cilantro.

The tofu sandwich at Saigon Deli broke the mold a bit in that the tofu used had been simmering in a rich red tomato sauce as part of their hot deli items. The tomato sauce took the place of the mayo/sriracha combination. The bread was semi fresh (but was freshly toasted, which added bonus points), and the innards were plentiful. It felt hearty and was definitely tasty, and I enjoyed it very much even though it was a bit of a departure from the standard.

The silver log ended up being a disappointment, as it was packed full of some sort of homogenized light beige meat product. Oh well.

Not sweet coconut rice

The tofu Banh Mi was $2.00, and the pork was $2.50.

Saigon Deli

(206) 322-3700

1237 S Jackson St
Seattle, WA 98144

Long Provincial

I recently went to Long Provincial Vietnamese Restaurant and Jelly Bar, the sister venture of the Tamarind Tree folks. Upon first entrance, it was very clear that the location was meant to be somewhat hip and upscale. The restaurant was dark and ornate and had modern fire pits and an aquarium wall full of jellyfish that divided the bar from the restaurant.

We had a large party and got a reasonable sampling of the menu (most were meat eaters). I think the general consensus was that the food was similar to, exactly the same as, or a little bit less good than Tamarind Tree. And similar to the Tamarind Tree, the huge menu seemed to contain quite a few vegetarian/vegan options (considerately marked with a symbol for easy locating.)

The table started with a couple of orders of the vegetarian spring rolls, and they were really delicious. I tend to really like it when spring rolls include a little bit of something crunchy and deep fried in the roll, and these were a great execution of that. I also really really appreciate a vegan dipping sauce that is savory instead of sweet, and that detail was also well done.
I ordered the Lemongrass Tofu noodle bowl, and it was fine. The fresh tofu had a good grilled flavor, but could have used some time in a marinade given the quantity of tofu (lots). It definitely required more sauce (which was, in a similar way to Tamarind Tree, vegan and really really tasty) than what initially came with it, but the waitress anticipated this and offered before I could ask.
The other vegetarian also ordered a noodle bowl, but he ordered the first class version that included shitake mushrooms, okra, fake shrimp, eggrolls, etc piled on top of the noodles and vegetables. He said the mushrooms were especially delicious, but that the shrimp weren't all that interesting. I wonder if the growing popularity of the somewhat weird but beautiful realistically painted fake shrimp is reinforcing itself based upon flashy restaurant ego rather than on actual deliciousness or customer enjoyment.
Overall, I'd say that the food didn't especially stand out, but it certainly wasn't bad. The meat eaters did comment that their beef dish was really delicious, and I did appreciate the plentiful vegetarian options. The atmosphere was definitely "downtown," which might be a useful attribute in certain company.

Ballet

Had the recent pleasure of lunch out with my mom. She was craving some belly warming soup and we decided to forgo my usual Asian soup standbys (Vegan Garden, Moonlight Cafe, Pho Cyclo and Than Brothers) for a new experience. I had long seen the tempting words "Vegetarian" on the sign for Ballet Restaurant just east of Broadway on Pike, and we decided to give it a try.

Inside was simple and clean, and surprisingly busy in the middle of a weekday. The menu had an assortment of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items, including no less than 4 varieties of vegetarian (meatless broth) pho.

We started with some salad rolls, which were large but otherwise not particularly remarkable.
My mom ordered the vegetarian Sate soup, which was a delicious idea (though a bit over salted for my taste). The soup contained tofu, tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts and roasted peanuts in a savory rich spicy coconut broth.
I ordered the most simple of the veggie pho options, which included broccoli, carrots and tofu. The more elaborate choices had various fake meats.
It was as could be expected. Nothing gross, but also nothing that made me rejoice in pleasure. They use fried tofu, which isn't my preference (but does seem to be the pho standard).

The prices were all very reasonable. My small pho was under $5, and her soup was just a bit more than that. The salad rolls were $1.50 a piece.

Thanks ma!

Ba Bar

There is a certain pleasure in dressing up a little bit and walking into a restaurant where the other patrons are also looking good, and for a frugal Seattle-ite such as myself, this experience comes rarely. For this reason I enjoyed with my general experience recently at Ba Bar, the new Vietnamese restaurant with a pleasingly hip ambiance located on 12th ave in the old Watertown location.

The menu is somewhat limited, and we started with the most substantial vegetarian small plate: Mung Bean dumplings (there are also a couple of salads).

These dumplings were unlike any other I've had: the dough had the slimey, gummy texture of wet mochi, and the insides were the texture of somewhat dry mashed potatoes. Was this the mung bean? I am totally ignorant about what a mung bean dumpling is supposed to be like, so it is hard for me to criticize these. That said, I found the textures to be hard to bite/chew/swallow. The sauce, however, with fried shallots, was fantastic.

There were just a few vegetarian entrees (including make your own spring rolls), and I chose the tofu vermicelli bowl.

Now, there is no shortage of fantastic, inexpensive, vegetarian tofu vermacelli bowls in this city, so I found myself with really high expectations for this $11 primadonna. I am dissapointed to say that it just wasn't very impressive. Granted, I am not a mushroom fan and the bulk of this bowl was savory, delicious (so I was told by my dining companion) shitakes, but apart from that detail, the bowl was too light on my favorite parts of the bun bowl: browned peanuts, fried shallots, fresh herbs, and shredded veggies. The sauce was delicious (it was the same sauce that came with the dumplings), but everything else was sort of ho-hum. Even the distinguishing feature, some strange little smashed burrito type garnish made with tofu skins, was sort of cold, greasy and bland.

I so enjoyed sitting in the warm crowd of lovely patrons, and the ambiance was perfect on a recent cool evening, but still it's hard for me to imagine going back and paying slightly more upscale prices for the dishes I got.

Pho Hoa

4732 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA
(206) 723-1508

Had a bit of an embarrassing experience at the Columbia City Pho Hoa on Rainier Ave. Went to the busy restaurant for lunch. Was seated and given ice water and menus. Looked through the menu once, then twice, for something, anything, vegetarian.

I don't mind eating the occasional boring or nutritionally incomplete meal for a dining experience, but even that wasn't an option. Double checked with the waiter, and he confirmed.

Folded our menus, apologized profusely, and under the amused eye of a restaurant packed with people slurping down noodles strewn with various beef accessories, left.

Thanh Vi

(Back in Seattle!)

Thanh Vi has a couple of locations around town, including one on the Ave in the U. District. I recently went to this location looking for a cheap, fresh and savory dinner, the usual desires that send me to a Vietnamese restaurant.

I was pleased to see that Thanh Vi has a large section of menu dedicated to Vegetarian items, including multiple vegan broth phos and a handful of vermicelli bowls. I chose my usual favorite, the lemongrass tofu vermicelli bowl, aka Bun Dao Hu Xao Xa (can't figure out all the accent marks to really make that right!).

The upsides of the dish were that it had WAY more veggies than usual... bell peppers, celery, carrots, cucumber, green onions, in addition to the regular lettuce and white onion. Down sides were that it was really light on herbs, not at all spicy, and I found the lemongrass paste to be a little mealy and bland. Another downside was that the bowl of sauce that came with it had fish sauce in it (always taste it first!). I was surprised about this because of how generally vegetarian (vegan) friendly their menu looked, and when I asked the waiter if they had a vegan version, he told me that there was already enough sauce on the dish without the bowl, and the bowl was just extra for dipping if I wanted. Hmm.

It's hard to complain about an inexpensive, huge bowl of fresh ingredients, but I can say that I have had much better versions of this dish elsewhere. (And the recent stellar version at King of Pho in Auburn might have seriously spoiled me!)

Jasmine

I had heard good things about Jasmine Provincial Restaurant, which is located next door to Vieng Thong just north of Franklin Highschool. The dining experience started off with some mystery and promise... attention had been given to the atmosphere of the restaurant, starting with a large puppy shaped humidifier spewing a constant stream of steam from the bartop and ending with a very classy grand piano laying in wait on its own special stage.

There were other details, nice tableware, a white paper table cloth whisked on clean before the meal and whisked off embarrassingly splattered after the meal, that reminded me very much of Tamarind Tree. Unlike the Tamarind Tree, however, there was an element of weird in the feel of the place. It was perhaps exacerbated by the brightness of our long spring evenings.

We ordered the lemongrass tofu vermicelli bowl, and an unusual vegetarian soup that was amongst the more expensive items on the menu.

While we waited for our food, listening to the Musak, sitting deep in the laps of our vinyl arm chairs, my dining companion made the note, "I'm not digging the smell of the wall."

I leaned out of my chair and pressed my face against the wall and sniffed... from his seat, he had an overwhelming odor of mildew that his honed detective sense determined as wall-origin. It wasn't so bad from my seat, but the seed had been planted in our impressionable little minds that something smelled off, and our appetites began to wane.

The Lemongrass tofu arrived long before the soup, and its hearty garlicy smell made a good attempt at overtaking the wall.
It was tasty Vermicelli bowl, with all of the usual delicious stuff... grilled tofu in a savory spicy lemongrass sauce, herbs, lettuce, cucumber, peanuts, noodles and a vegetarian sauce to pour over it. No complaints.

Next came my soup. Even though I had been warned by the very nice waitress, it was still a little bit strange to see this in it:
It was a vegetarian shrimp, handmade, according to the waitress, at the restaurant out of tofu. Of course it didn't taste like shrimp, but it had a springy pop when bitten into that my shrimp-eatin' dining companion said was quite remarkably realistic.

The soup had some other unusual stuff in it, including long pieces of spongy Bac Ha, full rounds of pineapples, and whole okra pods. The broth had a sweet tangy pineapple garlic flavour. Given the price and time it took to arrive relative to the rest of the meal, the homemade vegetarian Shrimp are a complex item to create.
We were lucky enough to be present for the music to switch over from the speakers to the Piano, but unfortunately the regular pianist wasn't there. The understudy played a soothing mix that made me feel just a little bit like I was in Nordstrom in the 1980s.

All in all it was an interesting evening, but I'm not quite in the large group of devoted admirers yet. The hesitation probably comes in part from my inability to really get in there and try the (non-vegetarian) specialties, and quite possibly in part from the situation with the wall. Also, I can image that dining when it was dark outside might make the place feel a little bit more pleasing to my aesthetic. On the upside, the staff were notably nice and helpful.

Jasmine Provincial Restaurant

(206) 722-3225

2822 Martin Luther King Jr Way S
Seattle, WA 98144

Vegan Garden, v2

I went back to Vegan Garden to give it another try after a first visit where I had very specific expectations and they weren't quite met (duh), and thus didn't feel a representative assessment.

The second visit was excellent and my tongue is already watering thinking about going back.

I was in the mood for some spicy soup but wasn't quite in the mood for the oral MSG bath of Than Brothers (satisfying as it is), and ordered #53, Spicy Tofu Noodle Soup Bowl. This soup usually come with "various [vegetarian] hams," but it was no problem to special order it with soft tofu instead.
It was just about everything I could have wanted... fat rice noodles and cubes of silky tofu in a spicy and fragrant (but not sweet) broth, garnished with chopped green onion, and served with a plate of shredded cabbage, sprouts, lettuce, mint leaves, basil leaves, limes and jalapenos to add on top. I gave mine one more scoop of chili sauce and a good sprinkle of black pepper and it was incredibly satisfying.
My dining companion ordered a Lemongrass Beef Vermicelli bowl, and it was really good as well. I don't tend to like fake meats all that much, but the texture of the "Beef" was actually quite pleasing... not too tough, but still with a meaty resistance.
This is the kind of place that makes me a little bit nervous, like it is too good to be true and is going to disappear. I'm really eager to go back!

Vegan Garden

1228 S Jackson St
Seattle, WA 98144
(206) 726-8669
http://vegangardenrestaurant.com/

Pho on Broadway

The recent tiny explosion of summer inspired a trip up to Jetty Island in Everett for some kite surfing (him) and beach walking and kayaking around (me). Have you heard of Jetty Island??? Check it out. I don't tend to spend much time in Everett, but am stoked to report that there is at least one cheap, good eating option there with multiple vegetarian choices: Pho on Broadway. Excellent news for after Jetty dining!

Started off with a dip into the dining room fridge stocked with a nice selection of beers, both familiar and not.

The vegetarian part of the menu had a selection of the usual sort of miscellaneous Asian options... stir frys, Vegetarian Pho, etc, and one that stood out more than the others on a Vietnamese menu: curried vegetables and tofu, which I gambled on and was delighted with.

To begin with, the plate was beautiful in a bygone days type of way... there were four garnishes, a radish rose, a tulip carrot, orange slices, and basil leaves (all of which I eventually ate), the silver wear laid across the plate in a careful way, and the soft tofu (you can request it soft instead of fried) was arranged atop a big pile of soft white rice and perfectly steamed vegetables in a delicious, not too salty, not too spicy, not too oily curry sauce with a liberal sprinkling of crushed peanuts crowning the whole thing. I was thrilled at how good this was.

As we wrapped up our dinner, the very friendly waiter (owner?) brought out some unexpected creampuffs to top it all off.
It is always exciting to discover a vegetarian friendly place where you aren't expecting one, and even more exciting to find one with and actively delicious an unexpected dish. Yay!

Pho on Broadway
(425) 304-0879

Everett
1820 Broadway
Everett, WA 98201

Moonlight Cafe

There is an unexpected surprise waiting in the Moonlight cafe: a full second menu that mirrors the regular menu except all of the dishes (Vietnamese, mostly and some chinese) are made with tofu and fake meat counterparts. As a vegetarian, it's fun to be able to order general tso's chick'n, and other standard fare that is usually reserved for meat.

The downside of the place is that it is also a lounge, and smoking seems to be allowed inside. Also, there is a stage and a giant screen set up for kareoke, which could be fun if you're expecting it, or distractingly loud (can't talk to your tablemates) if you're not.

In the future, I think I will carry-out my food.

Vege Restaurant

This little gem is in an unlikely location- right on the main throughfare in Poulsbo, about 10 minutes off of the Seattle-Poulsbo ferry.

They call themselves a vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant, but their menu extends beyond Vietnam and into China. They have a delicious Ma Po tofu that consists of tiny diced carrots and peas and little cubes of tofu in a spicy brown gravy. Their vegetables and fake-chicken in yellow curry is also really delicious.

If you're in the mood for a lighter fare, they have a range of cold rice noodle salads and spring rolls that are really good and refreshing.

The water that they serve comes with a twist of fresh lime juice, and they offer brown rice.

This place is fantastic, and each time i go in there I get the feeling like I want to tell everybdoy I know to go and fill the often sparcely populated restaurant with some soon to be sasified vegetarian hunger!!!

Than Brothers

Than Brothers specialises in Pho, and they have a simple but long menu of all the different (and allegeidly delicious) meat options available.

What brings me to Than Brothers is their vegetarian pho, which is sort of difficult to find and definatly difficult to find a satisfying versian of.

The soup comes in inexpensive and large portions... a bowl of steaming vegetarian broth with lightly friend tofu strips, thin rice noodles, and mushrooms, onions and cilantro. Accompanying this bowl is a large plate of fresh basil, sprouts, lime wedges and jalipenos, meant to be added to the soup at the table. In addition, there is also the requisit Seracha pepper sauce, hoisen sauce, and pepper oil.

The end result is a really tasty body warming experience of a soup.

The kicker is that a delicious homemade creampuff comes with each bowl of pho.

The ambiance is clean and relativly simple, with lots of mirrors and light, and a few plants and alters and a fish tank.

Loving Hut

After a long remodel, my beloved international district mainstay, the Vegan Garden, has been transformed into one of the sensuously named "Loving Hut" chain of vegan (Supreme Master based) restaurants.

Off the bat, I found the menu to be a little bit less appealing than the Vegan Garden's. The Loving Hut menu is composed largely of fake meats shaped like real meat parts, and has lots of deep fried morsels that look delicious but not particularly healthful. I was pleased to see that the lemongrass tofu vermicelli bowl still exists, as does a spicy soup. My dining companion ordered the soup, and was disappointed to find it came with a variety of fake meats instead of tofu. Good to know that a tofu specification needs to be made next time!


I ordered the "Guru's Curry," specially made with with soft tofu instead of vegan meat nuggets (they are willing to do this all over the menu) and found it to be fantastic. The ample plate consisted of cubes of silky custardy tofu, broccoli and cabbage drenched in a most delicious, slightly spicy, very savory yellow curry. I don't know how they make that stuff taste so good but it was addictive. I can imagine going to the Loving Hut with specific cravings for this dish.

There is definitely a "Supreme Master" bend to the place; propaganda videos play on a big TV, there are pamphlets and books to take and buy, and the fortune cookies spread Supreme Master wisdom. None of this bothers me though. I'm not sure if Supreme Master is leader of a cult, a religion, or just a state of mind, but as far as her message is understood to me, it is that being vegan is kind to the planet and fellow life, which is an idea that I generally agree with. If there is a darker or more manipulative side to the videos and messages, I'm not picking up on it (nor am I on the look out for it).

The sweet waitress brought us multiple samples of vegan baked goods through out the meal.

Supreme Master or not, chain restaurant or not, it feels really good to go to a restaurant where the entire ideology is based on veganism, and if the change-over is what needed to occur to keep this location in business, I'm happy that it happened.

King of Pho

I am always interested in restaurants in the outer reaches of our area, especially those that make good post outdoor activity dinner stops. Post outdoor activity dinners hold tremendous amounts of promise: You are hungry, you are tired, and you've likely just used up a zillion calories and thereby feel indulgent. Yet many of the "on the way home" options turn out to be somewhat disappointing.

A recent ski day at Crystal Mountain prompted dinner at King Pho in Auburn, which came highly recommended by my meat eating dining companion.

I was pleased to see that there were indeed vegetarian options, including a tofu vermicelli bowl. I decided to order a little outside of my usual Vietnamese arsenal and got "Green beans and mushrooms with tofu". A quick chat with the waitress about not-frying the tofu revealed that she didn't speak English, and I decided not to engage on the "Is the Pho broth vegan? Does the bun sauce have fish in it? Can I have broccoli instead of mushrooms?" chain of inquiry. Those questions remain a mystery at King of Pho.

My dinner was somewhat blah. The quantity of real food was pretty small, though there was a hefty scoop of rice on the plate. The green beans were cooked nicely, but the sauce was nothing special.
That said, I can understand the carnivorous enthusiasm for the place. For the same price as my meager, boring plate, a duck eater received a giant steaming bowl of fragrant duck noodle soup, a plate covered in a beautiful plentiful pile of some sort of papaya salad , artfully composed with seared duck and caramelized shallots.

After dinner I was still hungry and demanded a sharp turn into a Dairy Queen, dethroned in Seattle but still reigning outside the city. I have childhood memories of the Peanut Buster Parfait as the only junk-food treat my mother ever showed interest in, and it was thus cemented in my mind as really top notch. Sure, the new menu requirements reveal the fact that a single Peanut Buster Parfait contains 700 calories, but I rationalized that I probably needed those calories and enjoyed the heck out of it anyhow.

Green Leaf

The tableware at Green Leaf made our meal look special from the moment the waitress brought out the tea, which came in larger than normal pretty ceramic cups, and no pot. All of the dishes were beautiful Asian pottery, and the chopsticks were attractive dark wood.
We ordered two appetizers: the vegetarian spring rolls, and the Green Papaya salad. The spring rolls were beautifully presented, and we were each given our own peanut dipping sauce. There was something special in the spring rolls that made them stand out... it was some sort of little crispy fried something or other, not enough to make them feel heavy, but just enough crunch to make them taste extra good.
The Green Papaya salad was gorgeous also. It can be ordered with a choice of shrimp or tofu, and we ordered ours with tofu. The salad was a beautiful pile of shredded green papaya and purple cabbage, and it was heavily garnished with crispy browned shallots and chopped peanuts. The sauce was tangy and savory, not sweet, and the fish sauce in it was so light I could barely notice it (I still wasn't quite able to eat my share, but I tend to be especially sensitive to fish sauce)*. It wasn't spicy in the least.
The tofu that came on the salad was wonderful. It was fresh and firm and quickly grilled, then covered with some sort of delicious fried garlicky lime-y bits. A member of our party who doesn't usually like tofu enjoyed it so much he wanted to order it next time for himself.
The vegetarian main dishes exist but represent a small portion of the menu, and I chose the vegetarian soup. They didn't seem to have a vegetarian "pho", but the soup I ordered was similar (minus the tray of sprouts and basil etc). This particular bowl was full of rice noodles, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green onions, basil, fried tofu strips, fake ham pieces and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. It was garnished with the same fried onion pieces that were on the papaya salad, and they added a welcome richness to the soup. I was presented with a small plate of lime wedges and jalapeno to add as I fancied.

As one member of our party put it, these guys really know how to use fried ingredients. Every dish we ordered had a tiny amount of some delicious fried garnish: onions, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, whatever was in the spring rolls... not enough to make it feel greasy or heavy, but enough to add some intrigue to the otherwise very fresh and light feeling fare.

Green Leaf is a small somewhat cramped restaurant, but the ambiance remains pleasant. In addition, the staff was especially friendly and accommodating.

*I don't usually eat fish sauce, but this is the second time I've made a semi-exception for Green Papaya salad. I wonder if Araya's has a vegan version... I bet they do.

Green Papaya
Neighborhood: International District

418 8th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 340-1388