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V Rating: VVVVV At a time when vegetarian restaurants like Vegal Kitchen and Celestial Palace are closing down, it’s great to discover a new kid on the block. Thien is a Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant just down the road from @newtown RSL and the Enmore Theatre. Tres convenient! I think its origins are Buddhist, but it allows BYO. I ate there a couple of weeks ago when Andy took part in the 20th anniversary performance of his old gospel choir, Cafe of the Gate of Salvation (COTGOS). Unfortunately we were running late for the performance, so didn’t have time to relax and appreciate Thien. However, I liked what I saw (and ate) and will definitely head back there next time go to see a performance on Enmore Road.
Thien’s menu offers a good choice of food, much of which uses fake meat and (quite imaginative) seafood. There are 12 entrees and 48 mains. We tried the soy prawn rice paper rolls, the tofu lemongrass and a stir-fry. The huge spring rolls were lovely and fresh. The rice paper skin was cool, setting off the fresh herbs in the filling. I haven’t tried fake prawns before, but they added slightly firmer texture to the filling without overpowering the other ingredients.
The tofu lemongrass was spicy and juicy, and gave off a beautiful lemongrass aroma. We chose the stiry-fry to get a dose of green vegetables, and to compensate for the oiliness of the tofu lemongrass dish. As you can see in the photo, the vegetables in the stir-fry were cooked just right, so that they didn’t lose their colour or flavour. We ended up over-ordering (especially seeing as we were in rush) and had to take a couple of rice paper rolls away in a doggie bag. Fortunately, they survived the trip and still tasted good the next day! While we didn’t have time to try them, Thien also seemed to have a delicious range of desserts with some cakes supplied by a local bakery. I gather Thien is only a few months old. The staff were lovely and very eager to assist, despite the small restaurants quickly filling up with walk-ins. While occasionally the staff were a little flustered, I have my fingers crossed that in a couple of months they’ll be accustomed to success and Thien will have a long future. (Just for the record, COTGOS were amazing. I was blown away by the power of the voices, the beautiful arrangements, and the strong sense of love and community emanating from the choir. Happy 20th anniversary!)
Comments:
3 Comments posted on "Thien - Vegetarian Vietanamese, Newtown, VVVVV"
kathryn on November 15th, 2006 at 6:36 am #
Kate, thanks for the recommendation, we went to Thien on the weekend. It’s a great little place and was packed, with people waiting for tables by the time we left. I’ve never really been in to vegetarian meat substitutes and found the menu a bit overwhelming - can’t quite get my head around eating “beef”, “chicken”, “lobster”, even if it is made from tofu. In the end we had soy “duck” with greens and tofu with ginger. Both were fab, but especially the tofu with ginger - one of the best versions I’ve had of this dish in a long time. Two gripes. Firstly the lighting - no romantic, dimmed, subtletly here, just full on glaring LIGHT. And secondly the tables, while the wooden sculpture bases look amazing they’re bloody uncomfortable. I just couldn’t work out where to put my legs and ended up perching side-saddle, which is not the most comfortable position. However, it seems to me that they’re new to restaurant-ing (the staff were a little hesitant and unsure of themselves). I’m hoping that these things wil be sorted out over time. And the food was fabulous.
kpounder on November 15th, 2006 at 7:16 am #
Cheers Kathryn. Good to see that Thien is keeping busy. I know what you mean about fake meat dishes. I’ve come around a bit in the last couple of years, but on balance I still prefer just tofu / tempeh / vegetable dishes. I think the key is to ensuring that the fake meat has some flavour, or else can absorb the flavours in the rest of the dish. I agree with you about the tables. We had a two person side table, and while I didn’t have to sit side saddle I do remember having some trouble squeezing my legs in to sit down. You’re right that the lighting is bright. I didn’t notice it at the time (probably because a lot of inexpensive Asian restaurants have cafeteria style lighting so didn’t seem out of place). However, not ideal for a romantic dinner (but good for food photography - this blog is ruining all my priorities!) Anyhow, I’m glad that you
kathryn on November 15th, 2006 at 9:50 pm #
After our recent fake meat experience, I actually looked at the Vegie Delights meals in the freezer cabinet at the supermarket today. Still couldn’t bring myself to buy any - the list of ingredients is just a little too long for me. Despite my fake-meat reticence, I have to say that the not-duck was actually beautiful and full of flavour. And I know what you mean, about having a blog changing your priorities - we never rarely eat anything hot in our house anymore - it always has to be photographed first. Post a comment
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