CHAU VeggiExpress- Healthy Yet Delicious

Long ago, Misu raved about this one restaurant she was in love with. I was intrigued and totally up for trying it out but when she said it was a vegetarian pho place, I stopped. I couldn’t imagine what vegetarian pho would taste like! Wasn’t all pho broth made with meat and bones? And what would replace the oh so delicious tripe, beef balls, and raw beef slices?



All my worries washed away when I saw the incredibly high rating on Urbanspoon. Surely, if 96% of 200

people liked CHAU, it must be pretty damn good.

The interior is quite small with only a large communal table and seats along the wall. Albeit kind of small, the place was reminiscent of a family style setting where everyone sits together to enjoy a beautiful meal.

They have extremely creative (and long) names for their items such as “Candlelit Lantern Down the River” and “Soft Tropical Rainstorm”. 

Misu ordered the Night Market Stroll ($7) which is a papaya salad with shredded apple, carrots, herbs, peanuts, tofu, and a lemongrass citrus dressing. 

Golden Temple Prayers ($9.25) comes with either noodles, rice, or baked bread and consists of a light yellow coconut curry broth with seasonal vegetables. The curry was definitely more soupy than I imagined but I liked it. If I were to get this next time, I’d get it with noodles because the curry can be more of a broth.

I ordered Diving for Pearls ($9.25) because I wanted to try vegetarian pho. In place of the typical meaty broth was a light, savoury, and absolutely mouthwatering broth made with lychee and dates. There were ample amounts of veggies and rice noodles so this was not only delicious, but very satisfying. I HIGHLY recommend trying this one out.

A less impressive vegetarian pho choice was the Sliding Down the Sand Dunes ($8.25). The broth was made with lemongrass, ginger, and pineapples and it also comes with a side of beansprouts. R thought the broth was a bit too spicy and her lips were on fire by the end of it. Plus, she would have preferred more seasonable veggies over beansprouts similar to what I had.

Based on these reasons:

• vegetarian food never tasted so good
• definitely try “Diving For Pearls”
• you will never leave feeling like you’re in a food coma
• healthy and delicious food