Ẩm Thực Chay Tuệ - Trần Hưng Đạo — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

Follow @bredgyeats for more food posts!

Mindblowing. That’s how I would describe my elevated dining experience at this beautiful vegetarian restaurant, reserved for the finale. The star of the show and the source of my wet dreams: Durian Curry. My newfound love that borders on yandere obsession, where creamy coconut milk meets durian in a swirl of sweetness, funk and richness that lingers on your tongue. Thai basil lifts it with an herbaceous perfume, cauliflower and dense mushrooms give chew and bounce, while slices of crusty yet fluffy baguette beg to be dragged through every last drop. Backtracking, the mushroom salad brings a riot of textures all in one: bouncy oyster mushrooms and meaty lion's mane play against the crunch of peanuts and carrots, while starfruit and Thai basil cut in with brightness. The fried mushrooms add a nutty depth, and the whole thing feels alive once dressed with the tangy-sweet umami-filled fish sauce. How they achieve such delicious meatballs without meat is beyond me, when such convincing golden-crumbed spheres deliver a fragrant crunch, giving way to a moist legume filling that mimics ground meat. The fermented soybean sauce layers on a funky depth, and the mango salads bring a fruity spark. Finally, it's decorated with a glint of edible gold leaf and a fog of dry ice to drive...

It's very rare that I give negative reviews but this was the worst experience I've had in a restaurant in Vietnam. As my flight was the same day, I was in a bit of a hurry and was very happy I found a vegetarian place near my hotel.

My husband and I were greeted at the door, given the menu and then...nothing. All the employees were just walking around, it seemed like they pretended we were not there. We thought that maybe they were busy, so we patiently waited to place an order. The employees saw us waiting but no one approached. We could have called them but decided that if taking an order takes so long, preparing the meals would probably take even longer.

We left after a long waiting time. No one said anything when we were leaving.

I am far from a fussy customer. I can understand a longer waiting time if the employees are busy. Communication is key here. I would understand if someone told us the waiting time will be longer.

However, we were the only ones in the restaurants and the employees were just walking around. Not looking...

Depending on what you order, it is a hit or miss. However, it is average compared to other vegetarian places. They only sell water, no free glasses of water were offered to diners despite huge amount of food ordered. When asked for just water to wash down the spiciness, they said they only sell water. Water does not cost much but it helps not only completing the dining experience, as well as preventing any potential allergic or choking events. It seems that the business tried to position itself as a fine dining experience, but failed miserably by being cheap on water, wasabi and other condiments. For the high price, the restaurant made the dining experience feel like we were haggling with Spirit Airline. Vegetarian is being commercialised too much too raw and too fast they lost the true purpose of being a vegetarian. Personally, we will visit other vegertarian restaurant as this is a very competitive market, and recommend you to...