Do Chay opens up in the Kingsway corridor with vegetarian and vegan fare

PLANT-BASED VIETNAMESE
Do Chay opens up in the Kingsway corridor with vegetarian and vegan fare

Do Chay Saigon Vegetarian (1392 Kingsway) quietly opened its doors last month in Vancouver, and word quickly spread about this 32-seat, plant-based Vietnamese restaurant located in the middle of the Kingsway corridor.

With street food dishes such as its popular Coconut Rice Cakes, XO Potstickers, to a Seitan Calamari Lotus Salad, and Vegan Pho with avocado, Vancouverites are curious and hungry for this modern take on Vietnamese.

“I’ve always wanted to open a Vietnamese restaurant that was both approachable and yet still stays close to my family’s roots,” says Patrick Do, who opened Do Chay last month with his partner Amanda Clark and mom Yen Do. “Our name literally means vegetarian stuff. Plant-based is not only delicious, but it can be interesting. It has been incredibly fun and fulfilling to experiment with all the vegan flavours and to see our guests embrace and enjoy our dishes thus far.”

The Do Chay menu is broken down into three categories: street food, noodle bowls, and rice bowls. Most items are vegan and even gluten-free, with only a few that are vegetarian, such as the Pan Fried Daikon Cakes made with egg, salted radish, papaya slaw, and green onions. Other menu items of note include:

Do Chay Dumplings (vegan)
Snow pea and jicama steamed dumplings, coconut milk, and nuoc cham

Vegetarian Banh Xeo Crepe
Tumeric crepe, sprouts, jicama, mushroom, fresh herbs, greens, and nuoc cham chay

Satay Noodles (vegan, GF)
Peanut and sesame spicy satay broth, broccoli, yuba, tomato, and rice noodles

Lemongrass Tofu (vegan, GF)
Wok-tossed house made tofu, green beans, and side salad

New items launching this month include: banana leaf Tapioca Glass Dumplings filled with mung bean and carrot, crushed peanut, caramelized onion, and paired with Do Chay’s “ish” sauce; Bird’s Nest features egg tofu, choy sum, straw mushroom, quail eggs, and enoki mushrooms all on an egg noodle nest with pho reduction gravy; Sticky Rice Squash Blossoms with a seasonal morel mushroom sticky rice stuffing topped with black mushroom soya sauce, green onion drizzle, and caramelized onion; and a Pandan Crème Brûlée with fresh BC berries, mint, and calamansi.

The 1,200 square-feet space was designed by Tom Do and is modeled after a Chinese herbal medicine shop, which used to occupy the space. From a water wall treatment, ingredients displayed large glass containers, to a large, wooden door at the entrance, the space evokes a zen and calm feeling.

“Do Chay has been two plus years in the making,” adds Patrick. “The building burnt down, and it was an uphill battle to get to where we are today, but everything has been worth it so far. The positive reception we’ve received has been humbling.”

Do Chay is licensed with a full beverage menu. It is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Seating is first come, first serve but the large round table can be reserved for groups. For more information, please visit www.dochay.ca

About Do Chay Saigon Vietnamese
Opened by Patrick Do and Amanda Clark, Do Chay Saigon Vietnamese (1392 Kingsway) is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant located in the heart of the Kingsway corridor. Its menu features approachable Vietnamese fare with a focus on planted-based or vegetable-forward dishes. Guests will find a variety of “street food” items, perfect for sharing, as well as noodle and rice bowls.