By Lucía Rivera, VRG Intern

Nestled among blocks of storefronts in the Hillcrest section of San Diego, CA, Veganic Thai Café awaits visitors with warm lights and an abundance of vegan Thai food. I visited one Sunday afternoon while hungry for a delicious midday meal, which I happily received by the end of my stay.

     The restaurant has an elegantly designed interior, with a unique mural covering one wall of the restaurant. After entering, the waitress quickly sat me and my party of three near the kitchen and filled our glasses with water.

     When reviewing the menu, I noted the statements on the front page describing the key aspects of their menu. Their vegan menu products “contain no meat, dairy products, honey, eggs, and animal products,” although they did mention when asked that they do not pay attention to whether their sugar is vegan or not. Additionally, as noted in their name, this café likes to incorporate organic tofu and vegetables into their recipes. Their extensive menu was broken up into appetizers, salads, soups, curries, specialties, noodles and fried rice, stir-fried, desserts, and beverages.

     My table decided to order two appetizers of summer rolls and soy chicken satay. The summer rolls were fresh and served with plum sauce and peanut sauce. Their tofu was not fried, so I would recommend this order specifically for people who prefer soft textures. Additionally, the satay “chicken” (fried soy protein coated with curry on a kabob stick) was a very nice mix of great flavors and textures, and a good start to the meal.

     For the main course, I ordered the green apple salad with soy “chicken.” While this is usually prepared with a spicy lime dressing, I asked for the dressing on the side. I truly enjoyed my salad, which had carrots, red onions, cashews, lettuce, tomato, soy chicken, green onions, and of course green apple slices. It was a light meal that still provided protein and nutrients through the fresh vegetables. With every crunch of crisp green apple, I became more pleased with the dish. I was also pleased with the size of the plate and the relative amount of soy chicken to vegetables.

     While I stuck to soy chicken, Veganic Thai Café offers several other forms of soy “meats,” such as faux shrimp, beef, duck, and tofu. This variety is perfect for a family like mine where some members are used to non-vegan foods because the replacement proteins very closely resemble the food they imitate. Veganic Thai Café also caters to a wide range of spice tolerance, offering a mix of non-spicy and spicy menu items, with a 1-10 range for the latter.

     Overall, my meal at Veganic Thai Café was satisfying and I would recommend for vegans, vegetarians, or omnivores in San Diego to stop by and get a taste of their own.