Non Viet Vegan Restaurant — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

SO disappointed with this place! I've been dying to visit for ages after seeing/hearing all the amazing reviews, but I really don't understand the hype after visiting. My husband and I came for dinner. There was no one else in the restaurant apart from a waiter who showed us to our table. We got pick of the window seat which was nice. Immediate impression was that the restaurant had no ambience and we were ready to leave at this point as I've found that as a red flag in the past - the place was absolutely silent, it was like trying to have a nice dinner/night out in a library. Big overhead lights on and no music. The waiting staff could overhear everything you were saying. We also felt it was a bit rough around the edges, quite dirty and sticky tables. We ordered mains and then about 20 minutes later once another couple had arrived, another staff member came over to take our order again as something had gone wrong when the original member of staff had put it into the till. Fine, we were happy to wait and they even gave us a free starter while we waited which was a kind gesture (they were described as spring rolls and we were served summer rolls which we probably wouldn't have taken as we aren't keen on them). However this oversight caused a sort of ruckus between the staff and the two staff members involved ended up outside the front of the restaurant arguing and shouting at each other, which we could plainly see from our window seat. This made the already quite rubbish atmosphere even worse and we'd planned to leave just as our mains were brought out. I had the tofu coconut curry which was fine. I found it to be a bit lacking in flavour and tofu, which was meant to be the star ingredient. My husband was happy with his dish. I think the staff need to be a bit more confident in their approach with customers - they felt a bit stilted, nervous and servile when asking how things were, plus they were constantly hovering to see if anything needed cleared. More than a few times I looked up to see them watching us from the bar. When it came to pay, you could only pay by cash which always smacks of avoiding the tax man to me in professional settings. It causes an inconvenience as a customer as you have to go down the street to an ATM - we ended up having to go to two different spots as the first machine wasn't working. Overall a very lacklustre experience and I felt gutted that we'd wasted time and money here on a very rare night out for dinner without our...

TL;DR: mid price, good portions, very flavorful, friendly staff, uses south east asian ingredients ; desserts could use some work. If not for the desert I

The starter platter(?) was great and deserves 5 stars on it's own. The vegan fish/cakes(?) were the highlight, but there was also papaya salad with actual papaya (even though as a Thai person I'd argue we do it better; they had actual papaya - which is a step up from the Thai restaurants in Edinburgh who use carrots instead). The platter(?) came with 3 sauces which was really nice touch; it would have been nice to have a small spoon or three to help apply the sauce when it runs low and isn't dippable anymore. Overall a very flavorful and well executed dish.

My partner and I ordered 2 mains, which were 12-15 GBP each which is a bit more pricey though what's unique is that the ones we chose each came with a choice of noodles or rice which I think is very nice compared to other restaurants where we have to order it separately.

I really enjoyed my potato(?) and coconut curry, It had a variety of veggies but I especially enjoyed the pumpkin which was very rich and the daikon(?) which I really missed having from home - The portions were perfect for finishing both the curry and the rice at the same time (though I did share some of the cool vegetatbles because I was really excited about them). My partner did find the sizzling tofu and mushroom a bit spicy/oily and full of mushroom - but it was true to it's name as when it arrived it really was sizzling.

For dessert we had both the mango spring rolls and fried ice cream which both came in a large wine glass. The former had an interesting filling that neither of us could describe though I thought it was a bit oily. I've only had fried ice cream a few times in my life but I remembered it being cold on the inside and warm on the outside (which was really nice) - ours sat out for a bit as we tried the spring rolls which could've been why both ended up lukewarm, the bigger problem was that they were both served in wine glasses which made it difficult to take cuts of them.

Overall the staff were really nice and knowledgeable and service was quite fast

Would have been 5 stars if not for the desert and a few minor things. I'd totally recommend...

I've eaten here twice, and it's now my top spot and will be my first recommendation of a meal out to anyone coming to see me in Edinburgh, even if they're not vegan (I'm not!). The food is some of the best I've ever had – I think everyone should try the salt and pepper tofu at least – and the staff and service make it even better. Connor did us so many favours and made us feel so welcomed and looked after. He lit up the place with his kindness, his enthusiasm for vietnamese cuisine, and he taught me the methods to best enjoy some of the more unique items (like the drip coffee) when I needed it.

I want to eventually make my way through the whole menu. At the moment my favourite dishes here are the salt and pepper tofu, which I think is the kind of dish you should absolutely try at least once because it's a unique trademark flavour of vietnamese food I've never had elsewhere, and at this restaurant the dish is especially one-of-a-kind; it's got a similar flavour to the Sen in Newington's Salt and Pepper squid (which is also incredible), but the deep fried tofu chunks they use here instead of squid are simply sublime. They're gorgeously golden crispy on the outside and silky smooth on the inside, and delicious. China also has a deepfried tofu tradition, and my girlfriend was convinced that she'd never be able to find anything as good as it outside of China, but apparently this was even better, the winner of its category, because of how the tofu practically melts in your mouth after you've bitten through the delicately crunchy fried outer layers.

I also really like the seagrass chilli tofu main course dish, which has a light vibrant flavour profile, and at the opposite end of the spectrum (of all the meals I've tried so far) is another stand-out: the banana caramel dish, which is also pretty exotic; it's salty and sweet, and has darker powerful flavours. I like the texture of the banana in this dish a lot, a bit firm and potatoey like plantain, but seems smaller and more flavourful than plantain normally would be.

So far the restaurant's never missed! I've had a great time here each time, especially because the staff are so...