Stopping by Vinh Loi Tofu for lunch on a chilly day, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to try out one of their many soups. I couldn’t help but notice their incoming delivery of soybeans at the front door. What makes this a beautiful sight is that Vinh Loi uses only certified non-GMO soybeans. I knew this already (it’s printed on their menu), but seeing the bags stacked up like that at the entrance just made me feel even that much better about having a Vinh Loi addiction. It’s little things like this (well, being dedicated to using only non-GMO foods is not a little thing at all really) that make all the difference.
Of course I had to take a picture, and once I told owner Kevin what a nice thing it was to see that, he got in on the action as well and struck a pose… check out Kevin and his beans!
Now back to the soup, which I know is what you’re really here for. I ordered the #2, “Cari Chay”, which involves: rice noodles in curry broth with soy chicken. Sounds simple but don’t be deceived… this soup is rich, complex and magically delicious. You can’t really see it all in the photo, but there was all kinds of action going on inside the soup. Along with the expected soy chicken there were also some darker faux-meaty bits floating around which I think was the soy-beef. There was also chunks of tofu, carrots and other veggies and the topping of fresh cilantro.
Served on the side were the rice noodles, bean sprouts and lime to put in the soup. The curried soup flavor was thick and pungent and amazing. Not too spicy but not too mild. All the many flavors and spices were soaked up nicely by the noodles. This is one of those two-fisted meals where you’ll want to go at it with a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other. You see, we take eating seriously around here. Proper tools are essential.
