We had just finished a spa treatment and were looking for a bite to eat. After a heating sauna and cooling cold plunge we wanted to keep things lean and in the neighbourhood, so walked to Do Chay. This would be both of our first time at this plant based Vietnamese restaurant, and we were impressed.
This is a smaller shop in all wood furnishings. Its home spun nature is depicted through the family photos framed on the wall separating the kitchen from the narrow dining area.
The menu is fairly concise, we decided to order our favourites that we would from any other Vietnamese restaurant.
These Truffle Dumplings were stuffed with mushroom and jicama and topped with a black truffle and ginger scallion sauce. The flavour was light and interesting, reminding me of pesto and truffle oil. The wrapper delicate yet firm. This was a lovely bite.
The Coconut Rice Cakes were not missing any meat. Savoury cast iron seared coconut milk rice cakes, veggie ground, vegan prawns, jicama, onion, and “ish sauce” (their vegan take on tangy fish sauce). Each round was creamy at its centre with a lovely crisp. This I found similar to the classic version.
I couldn’t miss out on trying their vegan Bun Bo Hue. Spicy lemongrass broth and round rice noodles, with marinated soy protein, vegan ham, konjac tripe, tofu, and shiitake. The broth didn’t miss a beat without meat, it was like the spicy soup I expected. Had I not ordered it I would not have known that this isn’t an animal protein based stock. I was happy that there was enough plant based meats to have with the vermicelli bowl below.
Their Spring Roll Vermicelli didn’t have enough spring rolls to go around. A single fried roll for all this rice noodle seemed disproportionate. I was found it bland, despite all the toppings. I wanted punchier flavours from the shredded tofu, root veggies, bean sprouts, fresh herbs, onion, coconut milk, and peanuts. Most of the character was from the crispy Spring Roll and the ish sauce for dipping into.
In short, this is a great place for a vegan diet and clean eating. If they were closer to me, I would be frequenting more often. Can recommend.
Do Chay
1392 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5V 3E4
(604) 225-8349
dochay.ca
