Vietnam House
3 Grove Street
Edinburgh
EH3 8AF
Overall score: ★★★★☆
This hidden gem in the West End is often full of locals. Word has spread that the food at Vietnam House is incredible, and I was delighted to discover that many of their dishes are naturally safe for vegans.
Vegan food available at Vietnam House
While it’s not clearly marked on the menu, many of Vietnam House’s vegetarian dishes are suitable for vegans. This is because dairy is very rarely used in their cooking. At the time of writing, the options are:
Starters
- Vegetarian fried spring rolls (ask for the fish sauce to be replaced with the peanut sauce)
- Tofu fresh spring rolls
- Vietnam House’s special salad with tofu
Main courses
- Vegetarian pho noodle soup Vietnam’s signature dish, flavourful, full of fragrance and especially good for your health due to the medicinal properties of the ingredients
- Vegetarian spicy vermicelli noodle soup hue style Vermicelli noodles with mixed herbs and a spicy homemade soup
- Vegetarian sunset spicy curry Lemongrass, sweet potato, peanut, coconut cream and extra spice. Served with steamed rice or vermicelli
- Braised vegetables with lemongrass Very tenderly braised in lemongrass, chilli and coconut cream. Served with steamed rice
- Vietnam House special fried rice with mixed vegetables and fried in a rich homemade sauce
- Vietnam House special fried noodles with mixed vegetables and fried in a rich homemade sauce
- Stir-fried pakchoi with garlic served with rice or vermicelli
- Stir-fried pakchoi with tofu served with rice or vermicelli
- Stir-fried broccoli with garlic served with rice or vermicelli
- Stir-fried broccoli with tofu served with rice or vermicelli
Desserts
- Vietnamese rainbow drink Mung beans, kidney beans, gelatinous seaweed, coconut milk and ice
- Vietnamese dessert with lotus seeds, lychee and mint
If anyone thinks that a vegan diet is dull or boring, they clearly haven’t had a meal at Vietnam House. As the food is naturally free from meat and dairy, it doesn’t feel like the dishes are missing anything at all. In fact, the braised vegetable curry with coconut cream was so thick and filling, I struggled to finish it!
The spring rolls were delicious too. Again, there’s no fish sauce or dairy used in these but the peanut dipping sauce they come with is absolute heaven! My dining partner Michelle had a big bowl of pho soup, which was full of thick noodles and looked oh-so-comforting.
It’s great that this small hidden gem caters for vegans – even though their menu labelling could be a bit clearer. Get your server to help you out, and enjoy all the wonderful flavours of Vietnam completely guilt-free.
Choice: ★★★★☆
Menu info: ★★☆☆☆
Deliciousness: ★★★★★
Value for money: ★★★☆☆