The Sun Vegan — Restaurant in Fountain Valley

I brought my family food from here and they told me never to get them food from here again. I didn’t hear the end of how overly salty, sugary and heavy or oily the dishes are (I got them different plates). So to me it’s not necessarily healthy. The sauces can be sickly sweet and the meat on a few plates is carmelized so you know it’s loaded with sugar. We are not the type to waste food but a few family members started to feel unwell from all the salt and/or sugar so they just stopped eating. Many of the the entrees, and I’ve tried them all, are not light and perfectly seasoned anymore and seem to cater to people with a more standard American palate now. I used to eat here in the past then check my blood sugar and it was fine but now it goes up and stays up from all the sugar and white rice in the “multigrain” rice. To each their own since everyone is different. I hope your sugar stays level.

Strangely and on the opposite spectrum, when I’ve added protein to a dish as a side it’s almost flavorless and looks like whatever was leftover that day (small uneven odds and ends not strips or larger pieces like in the plates) and it was a smaller amount so cheap move in their part. They literally used just salt once and another time a small amount of soy sauce. It costs $3 extra to add protein so does that sound fair to serve that slop to customers?

Ever since Ann left, things have gone downhill not just with the food but also how things are run. A lot of the new employees can’t answer basic questions about the menu and will say they’ll do something then not do it. The weird part is my request is something they offered before but sometimes on a whim will change it without letting customers know so I’m just making sure it’s still available. It’s like talking to an airhead a lot of the time and not an issue I ever have at the dozens of other restaurants I go to. Its a simple yes or no but they make it so complicated. It’s also a question not a demand so they are free to say no which would be totally fine. In fact, I’d prefer they be truthful upfront and say “I’m sorry we can’t do that” instead of misleading me and lying to our face that they did what I asked when they know they didn’t. It gives the impression they’re cutting corners and also not understanding I ask things for a reason to make sure I’ll get and eat something I actually enjoy. Otherwise what’s the point? Sure they might fix the problem but it wastes both our time. I also don’t like having to regularly correct my order so often I don’t and you can imagine what it’s like to eat something you don’t want. Because of them saying they’ll do something but not doing it in the end (it’s happened more than once) I’ve had some meals here I truly hated eating.

Haha and what’s up with the $1 upcharge for their multi-grain rice when a significant part of it contains white rice (see the photo from 8/3/2023 on their Yelp it’s 2/3 white rice) and the $1 upcharge for a small container of chili oil that is usually free on the table at other Vietnamese restaurants?

I agree with my family that most of the entrees are way too salty, sweet and/or heavy but for me it’s ok every once in a while. They’re also convenient but I’m going to re-evaluate how much money I’m willing to spend here. I hope Ann trains the new...

One afternoon, my daughter and I were taking care of important comic business with Jeff at JnJ Comics. She saw a vegan food place in the same complex. She is vegan. She was hungry. We walked over to The Sun Vegan.

Immediately inside the entrance was a huge rack of the Supreme Master books and bumper stickers and dvds and.. there she was - on a big screen tv.

My family has been periodically enjoying the vegan fare of The Loving Hut since the City of Orange franchise opened years ago. Each time we have gone, the Supreme Master has been on the huge TV. Out of a morbid-sort of curiosity I watched the show for a few visits. I found it incoherent and difficult to follow, very non-sequitor. I must not be the audience for which the show is intended.

The curiosity quickly became annoyance as time wore on. Were we ordering vegan food or supporting a cult?

I did my research. I understand better exactly what is going on behind the scenes and for the most part, from a customer's POV, it can all be ignored.

Back to out visit to Sun Vegan: We were greeted and served by a gregarious overly-enthusiastic not-at-all cult-y lady who was gregarious, overly-enthusiastic and not-at-all cult-y. We got my daughter's grub to go since I was wore out by the lady's energy just by ordering. I couldn't do that for a whole meal.

Once we had left my daughter told me that she sees the Supreme Master all over - Loving Hut, this place, Vegan Pizza, etcetcetc.. The S.M.'s continues to grow. Whether that is good or bad for those involved is not relevant to this review, but for the vegans out there it is great!

Any food shop S.M. is attached to seems to put a lot of care into their food. The meals are always tasty and the prices are decent.

This recent rise in veganism is in part thanks to places like this. Saving the planet and all that is a good thing. So then,...

Decided to find some vegan food on an early Saturday afternoon in the OC area. After dining here I can definitely see why they are rated so highly.

ITEM'S ORDERED:

Chef's Plate Royal Noodle Soup

TASTE:

Chef's Plate is basically a veggie stir fry with "beef" strips along with rice. They usually have a multi grain rice but the server apologeticically let me know they were out & only had white. The stir fry is seasoned well & pairs nicely with the plain rice. It's that savory, soy saucey (maybe oyster sauce), slightly sweet flavor "Asian" flavor. Veggies were very fresh & cooked well. I very much appreciated the asparagus since it's less common than other veggies.

Royal Noodle Soup is closer to a combo of bun rieu & maybe slightly tom yum. Good savory flavor, not overly salty & very comforting broth. Theirs rice noodles & sliced "beef". Comes with like, cilantro & bean sprouts on the side. I enjoyed adding in Sriracha & a squeeze of lime halfway through as a way to have a different flavor.

SERVICE, LOCATION & PARKING:

Service was extremely friendly, welcoming & accomodating. Staff seemed very grateful for our business which was nice.

They are located in Golden Triangle Center along with several other businesses and plenty of easy access parking. I was a little confused at first where the restaurant was since it's the furthest in/located in the back of the shopping center.

Interior was actually much nicer than I thought it would be. Mainly because this whole shopping center appears quite run down. Moderate amount of seating & there's outside seating that looks like the backyard of a home in a nice way.

I'd definitely return back here & would probably be a frequent customer if they were local to me. Good flavored, fresh vegan food at fair prices & fantastic service is...