• Phat Truong Tho

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  • White Vegan
Vegan
Vietnamese
Tibetan, Buddhist

Managed by the local Buddhists. Large choice of mock meat dishes including vege shrimp. The staff speaks English. The interior is ornate and decorated in the Tibetan Buddhist style, complete with two large gold statues of Buddha. The entire restaurant is run for charity, so all profits are put back into the community. A taxi ride from central Hanoi to this location costs around 72,000 VND (4 US). Please update HappyCow with the correct map marker. Second phone: 04-22132388.


Venue map for Phat Truong Tho
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6 Reviews

First Review by brettwertz

Billerie

Points +20

Vegan
09 Oct 2016

Very disappointing!

We had dinner there today. Unfortunately! There seem to be a lot of nice restaurants around (although a bit expensive) but this is none of those. From the outside it looked very nice and it has a sign on the door, that it has excellent happy cow reviews. Well, don't know from where...
Inside the restaurant was fairly decorated with some buddist images and books, but not cosy at all. There where two waitresses laying on the sofa, playing with their mobile phones. When we stepped in, one came to us, the other just stayed on the sofa.
The menu was so extensive that we had our doubts how they could store so many (fresh) food there, but we gave it a try.
It turned out that most dishes seem to be the same. We had two different vegetable dishes, wich were exactly the same, except mine came in a bowl and the other one on a plate and it had some cashews. Those dishes were basically warmed up frozen vegetable cubes from the supermarked.
I had a tofu dish, wich was uneatable. It was a sauce with soya granulat pieces and pieces of tofu (unseasoned, unsalted, not prepared at all). My boyfriend had some fake chicken with chilli and lemon grass. He found it ok, because the lemon grass put some flavour in it. However, it was half cold and not crunchy at all. Surprisingly the rice was ok. My water and the Coke also tasted as normal, although we got no glasses.
When our meals where served, the two waitresses layed down on the sofa next to us and started playing with their mobile phones again. There was no music and no atmosphere at all.

My recomendation for the restaurant would be, instead of offering 100 dishes, to just offer 5-10 and cook them freshly and delicously. Also put some efforts in the service...

Cons: warmed up frozen supermarket vegetables, neither fresh nor tasty

veganvirtues

Points +2748

Raw
01 Oct 2016

Phat Truong today

Dined here 1st Oct. Reading the previous comments made 4 years ago, seems they lifted their act since. We had mushroom cooked in claypot, tofu cooked in claypot, mixed vegetables, spring rolls, and stir fried rice with veggies. Passion fruit juice and grapefruit juice. total bills 250,000d about $12.00. Service was excellent, food was good, atmosphere was pleasant. Only comment the huge statue of Buddha in the restaurant is a bit daunting.

Pros: 100% vegan, Staff speak English well., food was well made

Jazzfish

Points +32

Non Veg
21 Apr 2012

Good, but could improve

I recently went to this place, twice. I wanted to give it a fair chance. The restaurant is very nicely decorated and has large Buddhist displays in the entrance and the back dining area. The young woman who waits tables there is friendly, while the older woman is quite impersonal. The mainstay is faux meat cooked in traditional recipes. It is tasty, but the "meat" is simply different colored textured protein bits. Each "meat" essentially tastes the same with the same slightly chewy texture - of course; the additional ingredients change the overall taste. The first time I ordered the "chicken" with chili and lemon grass. The second time I ordered the "beef" with pepper sauce and also the young corn soup. Again, it was tasty, but nothing special. It is supposedly a charity, so I wanted to like it, but it isn't worth the quality of the food. They also have some strange chant music playing which, frankly, added a creepy feel to the experience. It wasn't bad, but I have definitely had much better and more creative vegetarian food.

Pros: Vegetarian, Buddhist, Variety

Cons: Impersonal service, Nothing special, Creepy music

vfixmeroraiz

Points +24

Vegan
19 Mar 2012

Excellent experience

This is a lovely place in a district I only wish we had had more time to explore! We shared a bowl of their hot and sour soup to start, which was plenty for two and delicious. And the mock lemongrass chicken was crunchy and flavorful. The real treat was the tea that they served us- we ended up buying a large bag to take home with us and now we only wish we had more of it!

This place is definitely worth the trip, especially since it is charity driven and the spiritual and compassionate practice of buddhism is a welcomed respite to the animal meat-heavy restaurants that populate the city. The only downside was the overhead lighting which was flourescent and didn't lend itself to any sort of 'mood lighting'!

But we only wish we could have had more time to return, so enjoy :)

Pros: Charity, Delicious food, The tea!!

Cons: Overhead lighting

Thelonghairedsucla

Points +35

Mostly Veg
27 Nov 2011

Excited but disappointed

Went here with positive expectations based on the previous review. The resto is clean and friendly. We showed up and they had no mock beef, and surprisingly, out of tofu and no hot pots. Not sure how that happens, but it did.

At any rate, the mock chicken was flavourful (lemongrass and chilli was a nice combo), so were the veggies and rolls, but the mock seafood was skipped over.

Overall a decent meal, but doubtful we'd go back. Happy to have paid the price we did (dinner for two was 180,000) knowing it was going to charity.

Pros: Interesting menu, Clean, Friendly staff

Cons: Slow service, Missing key menu items, Diatance from cbd

brettwertz

Points +20

Vegan
18 Oct 2010

Best of the best for veg dining in Hanoi

Phat Truong Tho is the Hanoi vegetarian dream. The restaurant is decorated in traditional Tibetan Buddhist style, with large gold statues of Buddha and amazing colors throughout. It is family run, and the youngest of the family (in her 20s) speaks excellent English. There are many vegan options, the service is quick and attentive, and everything I have ate here is delicious. I always come here when I am in Hanoi on business.

Also, all proceeds from the restaurant go to charity--it is a non-profit restaurant and spiritual center. They serve "Lau," the famous hot pot that is so popular in Vietnam (but here, you can have it made vegan!) It seems that many Americans have overlooked this restaurant, so be sure to stop in if you come to Hanoi. It is located near West Lake so it is about a 72,000 VND ($3-$4 USD) taxi ride from the center of the city, but WELL WORTH IT. Also, they have a little cat that roams around the restaurant sometimes.

If you want the best veg dining that Hanoi has to offer, you simply must head to Phat Truong Tho.




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