• 4
• Fake meat that will baffle and astound you

So, second vegetarian restaurant on the Monterey Peninsula, bring it! Mon Chay has a classy space on the second floor, with a gigantic gold Buddha watching over the dining room. From your table, you can also make sure that no one is messing with your car in the parking lot. Language barriers with the waiter made it hard for me to ascertain the vegan-ness of the dishes, but maybe my communication skills just need work. We seemed to figure it out eventually. I ended up having the fresh rolls with taro and the roast duck soup. Both tasted good. The soup was interesting, with several kinds of fruits and vegetables that I couldn't identify. It was well-spiced and flavorful, the perfect thing for a cold and foggy evening. Mon Chay is trying hard to make its fake meat actually taste like meat. There were disk-like things in my soup that were eerily reminiscent of animal fat. Those were a bit much for me, although I did like the "duck". Good prices, especially for the area. Wish this place was closer to where I lived, but I think Carmel needs it more than we do. ;)