Com Chay, Dalat

COM Chay, in Vietnamese, means vegetarian food.

We’re talking mock meat heaven to rival even Sanitarium’s line of “Not (insert meat here)”.

Since the duck fiasco, going vego has become even more appealing, though I’m sad to say too much tofu is not a good thing. Eat it every day for a week and you’ll know what I mean.

That aside, Vietnamese make excellent Com Chay and so long as you don’t gorge yourself – and skip a few days here and there – you’re in for a real treat. The variety really is astounding.

This little hideaway in Dalat, a gorgeous town in the highlands north of Saigon, serves up some excellent vego nosh though it’s a little salty.
I like that with vegetarian you’re not too worried if it’s been sitting on a plate unrefrigerated; plus it’s usually all pre-made so it’s fun to pick and choose.

Here we had a gammut of mock meats to choose from. There was fake chicken roll, salami, pork crackling, chicken, beef, fish, pickled vegetables, something that looked like meatloaf baked in individual containers, spring rolls and fresh rice paper rolls.

Then there was the a la carte menu from which Rachelle chose a “miscellaneous soup,” usually a VERY (capital letters, bold font) bad choice when meat is involved, but not so here. There was lots of fresh coriander, a nice stock and bits of fake meat. Tasty, she said.

Okay, so they don't serve coffee. I won't hold that against them.

For salty but tasty Com Chay, with no coffee afterwards, head to An Lac eatery, Dalat.

Edit: If anyone has noticed, you're quite right. I'm not being editorially correct with my Vietnamese spelling as I'm unsure how to type the "five diacritical marks" (according to the LP) under/over letters on the computer. Sorry about that. I will also have to get over it, being a grammar fiend and all...