Location visited: 3272 SE Hawthorne, Portland OR 97214
Website: http://vegethai.com/
To Visit? It's more than just your greens :]
I know the blog hasn't been very vegetarian friendly, because face it, I love food too much to limit myself to anything, and it just so that there are more carnivorous venues out there. However, upon deciding what to have for lunch one day, my co-worker suggested VeGE Thai. It's a a smaller restaurant, simple front with a handful of tables, occupied by patrons eating away, lips smacking.
All of the dishes here are pretty much vegan if not vegetarian. There are no fish sauce, oyster sauce, or shrimp paste. All the Asians are probably cringing about now, but really, their sauces are amazing! Did I mention they were also MSG free, and their dishes all come high in protein, choice of brown or white rice, and spice level to your liking? Yay for options!
Of course, while I was snapping away at pictures, my co-worker had already ripped off the wrapping on his chopsticks and getting anxious to chow down. I was able to try his yakisoba noodles made from wheat flour, and stir fried with soy chicken, soy shrimp, and assorted veggies. Though the sauce on this dish was light and aromatic, the soy shrimp could have used a slightly more chewy texture since it seemed to just break apart within the first two chews. My dish, on the other hand, was the Choo Chee fish. With a name like that, if it wasn't fun and delicious, it wouldn't have done food names justice! The name and the dish delivered. The curry sauce was creamy and seasoned with your taste buds in mind, and the tofu fish was a great consistency, comparable to original pescean form. The bell peppers were cooked just to softness, and the bamboo shoots mixed in with the basil leaves added wonderful texture while soaking up the sauce. *excuse me while I wipe off some drool*
In my attempt to eat more healthy (including but not limited to: healthier but tasty ingredients, expanding cuisine variety, and drinking more water...), I've decided lots of small meals in my day is best to keep metabolism going, and if one of the meals happen to be from Vege Thai, well then, I should get bonus health points.
