Buddha Feast

It was pouring rain Saturday morning when I headed over to Chinatown to buy some groceries. I've been eyeing the new vegan Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Lotus. So I decided to stop by for lunch. It had a bit of a combination vibe between your typical no-frills Asian diner and something more hipster-friendly. I picked 2 dishes that most vegetarians could not order in a regular Vietnamese restaurant.

First up was mushroom rice roll or banh cuon nam ($5). The dish came in appetizer size here instead of a full entree. It was quite a nice take. The chopped up mushroom was an excellent substitute for the ground pork and their version of vegan fish sauce was good. For the main course, I ordered the hu tieu my tho ($7.50). The regular version would be a hodge-podge of meat including pork, liver, shrimp and so on. This version was quite nice, rich and vagrant. I actually did not like all the soy protein substitutes. After a while, they all taste the same. I understand they're trying to replicate the "assorted meat" essence of this noodle soup but I think one would have been sufficient. The rich vegetarian broth, tasty noodles, and various greens was more than enough.