Jillian K.
Yelp
I will be a repeat vegan customer for life!!
Banh Mi Sandwiches:
**The baguette that they make here is soft and chewy (not hard and crusty), so it won't tear up the roof of your mouth :) I've seen many elderly ladies carrying armfuls of just these plain baguettes, so this bakery must be doing something right.
**Remember to ask for no jalapeno if you don't like spicy food.
*Vegan Grilled Pork: This one was my favorite out of the four banh mi that I have tried so far. The "pork" is sweet and savory. There is a moderate amount of pork inside.
*Vegan Grilled Chicken: The "chicken" is spicy and sweet/savory. The texture of the "chicken" might be leaner/tougher compared to the grilled pork. The flavor of the sauce is tasty though.
*Vegan Lemongrass Steak: The marinade on the "steak" is stronger in flavor than on the pork (maybe due to more soy sauce?). The "meat" also has a stringy texture compared to the pork. This was tasty, but I prefer the texture of the pork.
*Vegan Special Combination: All the mock meats are fun and flavorsome, but the sandwich is a bit dry because the meats aren't saucy like in the other sandwiches. This sandwich might be nice with a little hoisin or vegan mayo. I would order this again if I had some vegan mayo at home.
In general, I enjoyed all of these sandwiches, and look forward to trying the other ones!
Savory items:
*Vegan Chicken Sticky Rice: I really loved this fried rice because the taste is so nostalgic. Love the texture of the chewy sticky rice. The "char siu", "Chinese sausage", and fried onions are the standout flavors. This tastes very Asian, and I will definitely be getting this again.
*Vegan Ham Cheese Croissant: I love that the ham is char siu! The "cheese" is imitation bologna (not melty American cheese) I think, which gives this a nice funk. I love Vietnamese imitation bologna. It reminds me of flavored yuba. The inside of the croissant is more bread-like than flaky, but the outside is flaky. Will get again.
*Vegan Steamed Bun: Will be buying this bao bun again and again! It tastes very Asian with the mock char siu. The bread is nice and fluffy if re-steamed at home.
*Vegan Quai Vac: This was like a mushroom tofu empanada. The flavor was subtle but delicious. It is sweet and savory. The pastry dough makes this a decadent luxury. Would get again.
*Vegan Pate Chaud: The pastry dough is really delicate and flaky. The inside kinda reminds me of seafood pate, but without the fishy flavor. It's very oily, so it's decadent. I could only eat half at a time. I would probably only get this once in a while because it is so rich.
Sweet Items:
*Vegan Coconut Croissant: Controversial opinion, but I think this is just ok. It's flaky, but very oily. There's something about this item that is one note in the flavor department and falls flat for me. Maybe I would like this if there was pandan mixed in? It just doesn't sparkle with multiple flavor notes like an almond croissant does. I would choose an almond croissant from a Western bakery over this if I am going to indulge.
*Vegan Soft Cake Taro: This is filled to the brim with taro paste! It is medium sweet on the Asian sweetness scale. Would probably be the perfect sweetness with tea. The bread part reminds me of raw dough after heating it in the microwave. I wish this were a tad less sweet, but I will still get this again and again because I love taro.
*Vegan Soft Cake Coconut: I like the taro one better. The inside filling is custard-like/mushy with coconut shreds. I wonder if it's the same filling as in the croissant. If so, it would explain why this also fell flat for me.
*Vegan Soft Cake Durian: I wanted to give durian another try after not liking the fruit years ago. The durian is mixed with mung beans, so the flavor is not as strong, but was still plenty strong for me. After getting over the initial unpleasantness of the flavor, it reminded me of juicy fruit gum. If you like juicy fruit gum, I'd say give it a try. But I'll be skipping this one.
*Vegan Cassava Cake: I enjoyed this! This is not actually a flour cake. It's cubes of cassava with coconut milk, coconut shreds, sesame, and sugar. It's lightly sweet and more of a natural dessert. I found myself reaching for this again and again. Get this if you need some fiber to slow that blood sugar spike.
*Vegan Banh Chao Nut Cookies: These are more savory than sweet. They might be good as a crunchy salad topper? I was able to enjoy these with apple slices, but they weren't my favorite.
One item that was confusing was the Cha Lua Chay Vegan Sausage. I was told that this came with egg?? So I decided to skip on this. If you are vegan, ask for clarification about the egg before buying. I appreciate that I was warned about the egg by the cashier though.
The plaza that this bakery is located in is a bit sketchy, but the food is worth the risk!