John B.
Yelp
While visiting Berlin, I had no intentions of eating Vietnamese food. Back home, Vietnamese or Thai is often my go to cuisine. So when we were in the Vegan paradise of Berlin, I planned to gorge on all the Vegan things that I don't normally eat.
Passing by Chay Long changed all that. Their menu is fully Vegetarian with nearly all items Vegan. Even if it's labeled as Vegetarian, most things appear to be Veganizable for additional €.
It's a very inviting, almost tranquil space filled with light wood and plenty of character. The waiter was welcoming and helpful in explaining the menu if we needed it.
We ordered Goi Cuon and Ban Xeo to start. Goi Cuon is one of my favorites but it was missing a few key ingredients that make it great. They were skimpy on the mint and there wasn't any cilantro. It tasted fine as is but we used up all the peanut sauce in an attempt to add flavor.
I swear I've had Banh Xeo before. Either I was mistaken or it's prepared much differently here. Or perhaps I was just never given instructions on how to eat it. This Banh Xeo comes as a very thin pancake with well seasoned seitan and tofu on top. We were instructed to cut the pancake and roll it in the lettuce leaves, then dip it in the provided sauce. Thanks to my lovely wife for rolling up my wrap or else I would be deconstructing this bad boy as my wrapping skills aren't existent. This was the highlight of our meal. One of the tastiest things in Berlin.
We ordered Pho since I was feeling soup and they did not have Bun Bo Hue on the menu. Before seasoning it up, I sampled the broth. It wasn't bad but I like my soups very well seasoned. Even though it didn't include any herbs as traditionally it's served, the hoisin and chili sauce provided all the flavor that I needed.
We ended with a dry Pho which was very good. This need no additional spices whatever (although I still had to add that Sriracha) If I wasn't so full, I would've added the rest of this to my broth to finish it up. However I was stuffed so thought it better to leave the broth behind so I could save room in the tank for beer later.
Overall it was a great dining experience. The food was decent to outstanding. Service was top notch, and the place was actually cool inside. A rarity I've found, in Europe. The only disappointing moment was the cost of water. €3.20 for a glass. No wonder the waiter attempted to steer is towards the house mixed drinks instead for only €1 more. Other that that, it was one of the best dining experiences we had in Berlin.