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A quiet dinner with friends

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My friend Jenny and I catch up semi-regularly for dinner and it was her turn to select a restaurant.  She found a new Asian restaurant in Canberra and told me it had vegan dishes as well as some meat and chicken dishes which would suit her…great I said as I had never been there.Image 22My other friend Jane was also invited so the three of us all met at the restaurant.  The menu was extensive but after initial perusal Jenny and Jane  became rather disappointed as they realised the restaurant was total vegan (great for me though) and the chicken and beef were mock!!!  I thought this was hilarious as the restaurant actually has the word ‘vegan’ in its name!!

Everything in the restaurant is prepared based on purely plant based ingredients and inspired but the traditional cuisine of Vietnam.  It has a basic interior and service was good.

We ordered quite a few entrees consisting of mushroom fritters with a sweet sauce (delicious)…Image 28then pan fried vegetable dumplings – also very good, with a soy based sauce…Image 27And lastly vegetable curry puffs; these with a sweet sauce also…just too good as well!!Image 29The main meals we chose were eggplant hotpot…pretty good I must say [but I still prefer the same dish at my local Chinese dumpling restaurant], however if I did return to this restaurant, I would order the dish again but not with all the other food we ordered – way too much!!  Everyone who has made a review of this restaurant on-line mentions how good the eggplant hotpot is…Image 32We also ordered the sweet and sour ‘fish’ with peppers and vegetables.  I didn’t mind it but I don’t think the girls loved it. Not the real thing!!Image 33And lastly a mixed vegetable dish; this was also fresh and tasty but by the time it came out we were rather full so only ate a little.
Image 30The restaurant is BYO so Jane and I brought a bottle of South Australian Sauvignon Blanc and Jenny brought a bottle of Aussie chardonnay.Image 31The meals are huge in this restaurant and clearly we ordered way too much and whilst Jenny and Jane didn’t ‘love’ the food, they ate it.  I enjoyed the dishes and would like to return. A great evening though to catch up with my friends!!