by Thanh Hà

A vegetarian diet is not something I had ever contemplated before. The lack of nutrition and more importantly delicious meat really didn’t float my boat.

But when I heard why some people had decided to go vegetarian, I changed my mind. Now I think it is my humble contribution to make the world a safer and more peaceful place.

But I still worry that vegetarian food is not as good as meat. 

On my path to veginess, my plan was to ignore meat twice a month, and Thanh Phúc Chay Restaurant in Gia Lâm District was the place to go.

Why this restaurant? Because it is near my home and offers a cheap buffet with a variety of dishes for just VNĐ69,000 per person.

A friend came with me, after some convincing.

The restaurant is on the ground floor of a small villa in the Việt Hưng Urban Area in which we could enjoy the atmosphere of the city and rural environment.

It offers 50 different dishes, but the waitress told us there were hundreds of dishes that the cooks could make to order.

"We’ve only been open for six months but the owner has been cooking vegetarian food for more than 20 years. She can cook many things and we can also serve big parties. Our focus is on fresh and local food cooked with minimal oil, so you can be sure of a healthy and tasty meal," she said.

Roasted pork with crispy skin looks like real meat. — VNS Photo Thanh Hà

I was a little confused how to start my meal as there were no labels next to the dishes so I didn’t know what they were.

The staff were friendly and recognised I needed help.

I chose some bamboo shoots, roasted pork with crispy skin, grilled chopped squid, crispy fried spring rolls and bánh cuốn (steamed pancakes) for the first round.

When I went back for seconds I chose green vegetables, a little xôi xéo (sticky rice with mung bean and dried onion), crispy fried small crab and bún cá (noodles with fish).

I really loved the steamed pancakes, which have been a lifelong favourite that I have never refused at any time. I guess the pancakes were not made on site because they tasted different from what I’m used to, but having them with some crispy fried shallots in sweet and sour sauce was great.

The bún cá would be my strongest recommendation. In every kind of soup I think the broth is important. It can make up to 80 per cent of the success of the dish. And here the bún cá was really nice with zingy tamarind and tomato broth, added with green chopped onion, a little red chili paste, and vinegar for a sour note. It would be perfect with fresh herbs and lettuce.