Many dishes at Andy Nguyen's are vivid interpretations of typical Vietnamese dishes -- noodle bowls, soup, rice-paper rolls --but without meat. In most cases, the art of soy texture makes mock meat, mock shrimp, soy ham and even mock drumsticks.
One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes is chao tom. Shrimp mousse is wrapped around a stick of sugar cane, then flash-fried. As you eat, you work your way down to the cane and end up sucking its sweetness. At Andy Nguyen's, Andy Jr., takes this idea but wraps soy-textured "chicken" around sugar cane, for the same satisfying effect.
The clay pot heaving with organic shiitake mushrooms, seen here, is an example of a typical Vietnamese clay pot usually topped with some form of pork or seafood. Andy first takes care of removing the meat. For anyone familiar with Vietnamese cuisine, the background flavors feel right -- vegan oyster sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame and spicy basil, lemongrass broth. You won't miss meat here.
The following terms taken from the menu all point to some soy artistry.
Here is a list of meat-sounding offerings:
1. Crab puff
2. Soy beef
3. Soy shrimp
4. Chicken drumstick
5. Saigon patty
6. Soy pork chop
7. Bistro "burger"
8. Soy fish
9. Tofu salmon
10. Mongolian beef.
The rest of the menu is a literary paradise of creative phrases taken from Buddhism. Jennine wrote the menu in this way to deliberately put customers in the mood the words describe. Repeat them enough, you might grow to believe them and act as they suggest.
Purified Heart Rolls
Enlightened Mind Rolls
Wish Fulfilling Jewel Soup
Loving Kindness Mustard Green Soup
Wisdom Fire Pot
Keeping with strict Buddhist dietary law, the restaurant also stopped making use of its beer and wine license. No alcohol is served at Andy Nguyen's. Vietnamese coffee uses sweetened condensed milk -- cow's milk -- or soy milk.