![]() ![]() ![]() When it was time to give the waitress my order, I mockingly raised my fingers and put up air quotes as I requested the “duck.” Both my date and the waitress were visibly unamused by my mockery, and as a result, there were no more dates after that. I distinctly recall being invited by a young lady who practiced veganism to a vegan Asian restaurant in Garden Grove. Zero stars is not worth writing about.There was a time when I firmly believed that vegetarians and vegans with their mock meats were themselves a mockery to the culinary world. 1 star is a place to go if you’re hungry and it’s nearby. 2 stars is a good place to go for a meal (visit if you’re in the neighborhood). 3 stars is most excellent, even exceptional (worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California). 4 stars is world-class (worth a trip from anywhere). What the stars mean: Ratings range from 4 stars to zero. ![]() When: Lunch and dinner, Wednesday through Mondayĭetails: Healthy soft drinks reservations acceptedĪtmosphere: What began in Reseda as an off-the-beaten path Vietnamese vegan shop, expands to Cerritos, with a chain link in one of South Street’s many culinary malls, with a minimalist menu that informs what they serve, is “A Better Way of Life.” Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. For me, it defines, “A Better Way of Life.” A vegetable that’s just…a vegetable. But I put it on the side, and stuck with the salad. ![]() Though you do have a choice of various vegan meats to go in the salads. Dining out these days can be so tricky!Īnd for those on an old-fashioned diet, there are salads as well, where the vegetables are clearly vegetables. And the concern continues into the “Dry Noodles,” where we find that those with a wheat/gluten allergy can substitute gluten-free noodles, clear mung bean noodles, rice noodles or shredded zucchini, along with a gluten-free sauce. So many dietary hoops to jump through there - vegan and peanut-free and gluten-free. Which is why there’s a section on the menu headed “Peanut Allergies,” detailing the availability of coconut sauce, sesame soy sauce, gluten free soy, or something called VL Dressing, for those who can’t eat peanuts. Peanut sauce is happily vegan, though it does open up a world of allergies. It’s improved by the good peanut sauce that comes with all the rolls. The appetizers lean towards the rolls, also five of them, one of which made with “ham,” another with “beef,” and a third with “chicken,” that’s got a kind of spongy texture. It’s one of five soups on the menu, a very busy section - a lemongrass and chili soup called Kevin #1, a Curry Soup (my personal favorite), a noodle-less vegetable soup, and a wheat noodle ramen soup, which comes with fried shallots, an unexpectedly elegant touch. Rather than dozens of pho noodle soup variations, each with a different combination of meat, there’s just one - the Ironman Pho (love the name!), a vegetable broth, with rice noodles, tofu and “beef” slices, topped with onions (both white and green), cilantro, beansprouts, basil, lime and jalapeno. The menu is about as minimalist as a Vietnamese menu ever is. Putting aside my mixed opinions on tofu in particular, and vegan meat substitutes in general, this is fine chow - a small selection of dishes, drawn from the extensive world of Vietnamese (and to a lesser degree, Thai) cooking. Tofu…and a meal that represents, as the menu says, “A Better Way of Life.” What I prefer to focus on is the line found on the website, encouraging us to “Indulge in authentic, flavorful Southeast Asian Cuisine prepared from fresh ingredients and bold spices.” Which is what Vinh Loi is very good at. And since the cooking is decidedly subtle, the tofu isn’t hidden.Īnd so…tofu is what we go here for. Often in one of those palate-destroying Szechuan dishes, flavored with fiery peppers and sautéed pork, where the tofu is hidden under a mountain of extreme flavors. But it’s been transformed from soy beans (our much-loved edamame) to soy milk to soy curds to prepared tofu in dishes. Is tofu a vegetable? Well, of course it is. ![]()
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