I consider any day in which I get to taste something new a pretty good day. Today was great. Look at that warm soy custard flavored with pandan leaf and swimming in slightly salty coconut milk and sweet, pungent ginger syrup. Such an exotically comforting dish, which is, apart from being a new taste, even a new sensation. We just returned from our first long anticipated trip to Vinh Loi Tofu in Reseda, and I understand now why that small pudding is so freakin' big. I can't stop eating it. At first bite, I wasn't smitten, but it kept sneaking up on me until I was polishing off my third little dish.
My fire to visit this Vietnamese Tofu Factory/ Vegan Cafe was rekindled by the frequent postings on To Live and Eat in L.A. And here's a funny story (not laugh-out-loud funny, more hunh funny, so don't be disappointed)- there was another hungry vegan lurking around the beautifully photographed plates of that enticingly fresh and spicy fare. As we both left comments, we discovered that we knew each other from a decade ago. So we arranged to meet up for lunch today to become reacquainted over plates of fried tofu and spring rolls.
Here my old friend, the Toulousaine, models our partially eaten lunch. So pretty. I'm so embarrassed to take pictures of food in public, hence the frequent pictures of the baby.
That fried tofu. It comes in three varieties: chili-lemongrass, mushroom-noodle, or plain. I loved the spicy triangles of firm tofu spiked with lemongrass and chili. We dipped them in both peanut sauce kicked up with a bit of sriracha and coconut sauce which is akin to a light sweet and sour. We didn't try the fresh tofu which was a major reason for our visit because I was distracted, hungry and grouchy from fighting our way through traffic from the Hollywood Farmers' Market. Next time.
But we did try a fairly sizeable portion of the menu. We had two different kinds of spring rolls, a rice noodle salad with sliced "beef" called bun bi thit nuong or number #5 if you prefer, two different "chicken", rice, and vege combos in addition to the fried tofu and pudding for dessert. We were a bit divided over which chicken dish was best. I found the ginger chicken to be a bit salty, while I loved the flavor of the lemongrass chicken. Paul liked the sauciness of the ginger chicken, and felt the lemongrass chicken was a bit dry (he was wrong however), and Toulousaine, what did you think? We were united on the perfection of the beef noodle salad though. It's one of those huge bowls of crisp lettuce and fresh herbs, shredded carrot and cool noodles, and crispy sliced beef drizzled with that light coconut sauce...a perfect summer meal.
I'm going back for the soup, obviously the fresh tofu, and maybe a sandwich to take to the park, oh, and the cake, how did we neglect to try the cake? Thank you for an enjoyable afternoon Toulousaine (would you prefer another moniker?) and To Live and Eat in L.A. for making it possible. I love this crazy world wide web. Here, I leave you with the Lemongrass Chicken.
