Do Chay

I’ve seen Do Chay in the making since it’s inception. Everything on the menu is vegetarian. They’re sister restaurant to Green Lemongrass (further west on Kingsway), Broken Rice (Richmond) and a second Do Chay (Yaletown). They’re next door to Pallet Coffee Roasters.

Neon sign outside.

We’ve been twice, both on weekday evenings and it’s always busy. Modern and hip inside with exposed brick and hipster light bulbs. Service is decent but you’ll likely have to flag them down for refills.

The menu is split into street food, share plates, rice plate and noodle bowls. Their happy hour (3:00pm to 6:00pm, 8:30pm to close) only has a couple of drink options. Sad that there’s no HH food offerings.

Trip #1
Banh khot ($12.00)
Coconut rice cakes made from coconut milk, rice cakes, mung bean, jicama, onion and ish sauce. You don’t see these too often. These had a compelling bite but the flavours were very one dimensional.

Found all their street snacks to be pricey. Would be reasonable if you’re sharing with a group but not if you’re a couple.

Pho dac biet chay ($16.00)
Avocado, yuba, yo choy, daikon and lotus root. The avocado (you get a whole one!) went surprisingly well with the vegan pho. Adds some creaminess to the dish. Broth was light and clean.

The broccoli tempura was odd; it came on its own but was cold and not deep fried to order. Looks like they don’t offer this anymore.

Banh tam bi chay ($16.00)
Desert island noodles. Basically, thick noodles, coconut milk, vegan meatball, tomato, shredded tofu mix, peanut, ish sauce, greens and herbs.

I found this to be a small portion but at least the coconut milk sauce was tasty. It won’t blow you away.

Trip #2

Persephone coast life lager ($6.00) and Sobieski turmeric soda ($6.00)

Daikon cakes ($11.00)
Crispy daikon cake, egg, salted radish, green onion and papaya slaw. These are essentially lo bak go with an egg underneath. Worth $11? Not particularly.

Satay noodles ($15.00)
Seitan, king oyster mushroom and tomato in a peanut and sesame satay broth. The noodles were slightly clumpy but the flavours were good. Seitan (aka. wheat gluten) had a good texture.

Bun bo hue ($15.00)
Shitake mushrooms, soy protein and greens in a spicy lemongrass broth. Broth isn’t spicy and lacks in complexity compared to other BBH’s in town. However, the soy protein was very umami and the mushrooms had a great bite.

Vegan pho ($15.00)
Yuba, yo choy, brocolli, cauliflower, mushroom and rice noodles.

They ran out of avocado but doubled up on the vegetables. Broth is light.

Coconut dessert

They brought out a a complimentary dessert to end our meal. Nice unexpected touch.

Hope they do something with the rooftop patio. While DC doesn’t beat out my top Vietnamese spots in town, I’d be happy to bring my vegetarian friends here.

Do Chay
http://www.dochay.ca/
1392 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC
(604) 225-8349

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