Review: Tamarind Tree Vietnamese Restaurant, Seattle, WA

Vegetarian Coconut Rice Cake at Tamarind Tree

Hidden in the back of a business complex in the Little Saigon neighborhood, tucked into an impossibly overstuffed parking lot, Tamarind Tree serves up the most sophisticated and tasty Vietnamese food in Seattle, and is very vegetarian friendly.

From the moment you walk in the door, you know you've stepped up a level from most of the (often wonderful) neighborhood restaurants. The decor is sleek and modern down to the slick cast concrete bathroom sinks. The outdoor patio features a waterfall, and indoors there is a fire pit surrounded by three tables.

The menu offers many dishes you won't find at any other restaurant I'm aware of, and makes an effort to preserve regional flavors instead of turning everything into either a rice plate, a vermicelli bowl (bun), hot pot, or soup (usually pho).

The steamed coconut rice cake (banh man cu cai chay) you see above is a perfect example. The rice cake itself is soothingly warm and tender, delicately scented with coconut and topped with faux shrimp. Ignore that they are supposed to be shrimp, the resemblance ends at the visual. But they are wonderfully tasty little charcoal grilled morsels, with a pleasant chewy bite. The dish is served with vegetarian dipping sauce (like nuoc mam, but without the fish sauce), and a little shredded carrot salad. At most restaurants the salad would be an afterthought, but here is has been doused with coconut water or vinegar, providing an exciting, different coconut taste paired with the rice cake.

Vegetarians are well treated at Tamarind Tree. There are probably a dozen dishes clearly marked as vegetarian, and they are conscientious about making sure there really is no little bit of meat or fish in them. And many of the staff speak excellent English, so you can clarify any questions you might have. One small nitpick: several of the vegetarian dishes include a grilled lemongrass tofu. It is good, but it is the same in all of the dishes so if you pick more than one of them, it can feel redundant.

Today I also had the excellent Tamarind Tree Rolls, pictured below, which are the soft rice paper rolls wrapped around green leaf lettuce, mint, fried tofu, peanuts, and little crispy packets of fried wonton skin for a crunch factor, served with the same vegetarian dipping sauce.

The total for a very satisfying lunch was only $9.25. Generally speaking, dinners will run maybe 20% more than at competing Vietnamese eateries, but that is easily justifiable for the more sophisticated cuisine. At dinnertime and especially on weekends, Tamarind Tree does a roaring business, so arrive early, make a reservation, or be prepared to hang out for awhile!

Recipe: Warm Winter Greens and Bread Salad

Warm Winter Greens and Bread Salad

This morning I had leftover braised greens in the fridge, from a dish I tested last week at Cafe Flora. They became one of those delicious breakfasts that kind of get composed while the frying pan is already heating, and you don't really know what you are going to eat until you stick a fork in it.

Although I had it for breakfast, in retrospect I think it would be really nice served as a warm salad for a wintry meal. A winter panzanella if you will. Add a soup and you would really be in business.

You can put this salad together in just a few minutes of active time, and of course it is amenable to any number of flavor variations - different greens, different bread, lemon zest, caraway seeds, whatever suits your mood and pantry. Here's today's version:

Warm Winter Greens and Bread Salad
Serves 1 as a main course or 2-3 as a side salad
Vegetarian, vegan if you omit the parmesan

• 2 big handfuls of winter braising green mix (or a single green of your choice)
• 2 slices rustic white bread
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. lemon juice (or 1 T. olive oil and 1 T. any good vinaigrette)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/2 t. chili flakes
• parmesan for grating

1. Remove coarsest stems from the greens, rinse, and put in a large covered pot with 1/4 c. of water and a pinch of salt. Cook over high heat for a few minutes and then reduce to a simmer. Check occasionally to make sure there is still a bit of water, you don't want them to scorch. Cook until they are thoroughly tender.
2. Carefully (don't burn yourself) squeeze most of the water out of the greens and chop them to bite-size.
3. Put the bread on to toast, rather darkly for maximum flavor.
4. In a skillet, heat 1 T. of the olive oil over a high flame. Add the garlic and chili flakes and sizzle for a few seconds. Add the greens and toss to coat with the oil. Season lightly with salt.
5. To serve, tear the bread into bite size chunks and put in a bowl. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and lemon juice (or vinaigrette). Top with the greens and toss lightly. Garnish with grated parmesan, a grind of black pepper, and a nice finishing salt (such as Maldon).
6. Eat right away, before the bread gets soggy.

Product Review: Vitasoy Peppermint Chocolate Soymilk

Occasionally folks send me products that they think would be of interest to Herbivoracious readers. My standard for reviewing them is the same as if I tripped across them myself in the store: if it is so good that I would want to tell a friend to go out of their way to get it, then I'll mention it.

This VitaSoy winter seasonal treat easily rises to that level. I'm a sucker for anything chocolate and peppermint, and this is a fine entry in that genre! It is very tasty either cold or hot. Of course you could make this yourself from plain soymilk, but this is so good I don't think you need to bother.

There is also an eggnog version, with a lot of nutmeg flavor, if that suits your fancy. Either one is a great option for vegans or anyone looking for a healthier alternative for the holidays.