Ok, so I’ve been trying to eat well and not go off the deep end with foods I shouldn’t be eating right now, but I do on occasion slip up and dive in head first despite my best interest. Here’s an example:

I hadn’t intended on eating at Sanamluang. Really. I had only planned to visit the awesome Thai market, Bangluck, which is located next door for some imported supplies that I can’t find anywhere else. However, by the time I was done with my shopping, my senses thoroughly teased by all the Thai yumminess in the market, I was starving. When I used to live near the Sanamluang Cafe in Hollywood, they had this amazing dish made with radish cakes that I loved even before I was a vegetarian. I figured that surely their North Hollywood location would have these, and sure enough they were on the menu!

I sat down and checked out the whole menu, realizing that other than the radish dish there weren’t many other vegetarian/vegan options (there were about four other items listed on their vegetarian page, all of which sounded really boring, such as, a plate of sauteed bean sprouts). Time comes to place my order, lo and behold, they are out of the radish cakes today… damn! What to do? I am so hungry! Another quick look through the menu and I decide that despite the fact that I’m supposed to be dieting, I’ll order a noodle dish as it’s one of the only things I can have them make for me without meat or seafood. So I ordered the Pad-See-You, a common Thai dish of noodles, veggies (and usually eggs and shrimp) flavored with soy sauce. I made sure they made it for me without eggs or shrimp, and I asked for tofu to be added.

When it arrived it looked pretty good. Lots of green and red bell peppers, shitake mushrooms and fried tofu. Unfortunately I didn’t like it very much, which is actually somewhat fortunate considering I shouldn’t have been eating it in the first place. Everything tasted burned, especially the tofu. You can actually see the burned bits in the picture, which upon first glance might lead you to believe would add a nice smokey flavor to the meal, but no, you would be wrong, it tasted more like the caked on stuff you’d scrape off the bottom of the pan. I don’t know if everything really was burned, or if it was more so that the oil they used was not clean (yuck). The noodles were just ok, kinda bland while at the same time way too salty for my taste, and pretty greasy too.

Overall, a disappointing meal (I ate only a few bites and left hungry, though at the same time, having lost my appetite). Perhaps I’m just spoiled at this point considering there’s a number of amazing and way more healthy vegan places around that I would usually get my Thai food fix at (just read through the blog to find ‘em!). Even many of the non-exclusively vegetarian Thai places come up with stuff for vegetarians that is way better than this (like at Toi for example). I used to love Sanamluang back in the days when I’d eat just about anything, but if burned tofu and greasy salt noodles is all they have to offer vegetarians at this point… I’m thinking I won’t be back again any time soon (despite the fact that they are open until 4 in the morning). Frankly, I’m just glad this didn’t make me sick.

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