We have been to Do Chay before but a long time ago. We were at this location in January of 2020 and the now-closed Yaletown location in July of the same year. While Vietnamese seems to be the most common and best cuisine for plant-based eats, it may just be that Do Chay is the most creative of all these locally and is certainly one of our favourites. Once again, we arrived here with our This is Plant Curious offer in tow!
Located at the corner of Kingsway and Knight, someone called this Little Saigon. The menu is completely new to us this time around which means some creative minds are running the show here. The reason that I mention Vegetarian instead of just a vegan restaurant is that one item on the menu has egg in it. I'll admit that confuses me.
We started with Uncle Hings Wings which of all the deep-fried oyster mushroom dishes that we have had is almost certainly the best. The wings remained crispy despite a generous quantity of sweet and spicy sauce. This is something not to be missed!
Southern Style Dry Noodles were the first of our two entrees. This included a very nice mix of vegan deep fried shrimp, shrimp, ground meat, veggies and vegan crackling. All this served over the noodles underneath. The soup on the side, which was a very mild concoction, could be poured over the noodles or serve as a separate soup. We tried a little each way but did find that the broth on the noodles tended to bring it all together. Very nice!
The Sweet and Spicy Filets were another spectacular dish. We never did quite figure out how they made the filets but the were small slices made from soy that were both chewy and soaked up the delicious sauce. We've never quite had anything like it. They added in some tofu, broccoli and a side of rice to make a complete impressive vegan meal.
Dessert is always a treat as non vegan restaurants almost never have vegan options even if they have vegan main courses. This is Fried Banana Sticky Rice and it was very enjoyable. The banana was wrapped in the sticky rice. It was served over coconut tapioca and topped with peanuts.
The room is comfortable and chic with very friendly staff. We assume the plexiglass dividers are a remnant of the pandemic but still not a bad idea. If you are new to vegan this might be a good place to start or even if you are an avowed omnivore. It you are a food and restaurant blogger, maybe it is time to expand your reviews from the meat-centric places and bring some purpose to your writing. Give the animals and the planet a break and try this....and don't order the dish with egg!
Food 5 out of 5
Vegan Options 4.9 out of 5 (still confused by the egg)
Comfort 4 1/2 out of 5 (it was a little chilly)
Service 5 out of 5
Value 5 out of 5
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