Thai Vegan: restaurant review

On Tuesday after a long day of school, I walked over to Thai Vegan and surprisingly, the long lines that my friend had promised were nonexistent, but maybe that’s because it was only 4 p.m. Right as I walked through the glass doors, the first things I noticed was their squeaky clean chalkboard menu and an enormous picture of their tofu veggie rolls right above the cashier. After ordering a pad thai, chow mein, a chai tea and, of course, a tofu veggie roll, I had the chance to look around. The place reeked of supposed Thai-Buddhist vibes, but also had a bit of modern furniture mixed in here and there: Buddha statues and a bright red Coca-Cola drink refrigerator; bamboo shoots and a neon “OPEN” sign; carved wooden door frames and potato chip bags. After only a couple of minutes, I was called to pick up my order. The pad thai and chow mein at 8.50 dollars each was a bargain due to their large portions. Both were stir fried noodles but after a few bites, it was evident that the pad thai was the winner. It was more rich in flavor: sweet, salty, and had just a hint of sour if you chose to squeeze the lime juice onto it. The addition of an assortment of stir fried vegetables added a variety of texture to the noodles, giving the otherwise simple dish a new dimension. The chow mein on the other hand was less of a hoot. Although it, like the pad thai, had stir fried vegetables, its taste was a little too light for my palette, but if you’re on the lookout for something light and fresh, this is the dish for you. The tofu veggie wraps are a great to-go dish. The veggies and tofu all wrapped in a thin rice paper membrane paired with their special Thai peanut sauce was a divine combo. All in all, Thai Vegan is a great place to go for a quick dinner or lunch, but it may not be the most suitable place if you are looking for something more sophisticated.