CLOSED: White Lotus

Had lunch yesterday at White Lotus, and it was a mixed bag. The place is sparkling clean and the staff friendly. Having been to Vietnam twice, I must say that it has the decor, smells and sounds down just right, and it was great coming inside. The food was really a mixed bag. First the good: the Pho was phenomenal, and worth coming back for. This was probably the best veggie Pho (I had it with the veggie chicken option) I've ever had. The broth flavouring was sublime, and though the noodles used were not my favourite, I loved the overall effect. The rice paper rolls with mock shrimp were also very good and came with a yummy sauce.

Unfortunately, the rest was not so good. My dining companion had a noodle soup with odd flavouring, and the fake meat contained inside was squishy and not particularly appetizing. Our one non-soup dish, a spare rib and chicken combo, was really poor by "fake meat" standards. The sauces were overwhelming and not particularly tasty; the meat did not have a "meaty" quality, and did not match up to the offerings of other restos.

Overall, a mixed bag. So as the title says, Go for the Pho, have a rice paper appetizer, and you'll probably give this place five cows.

This restaurant is great but never get the delivery because i waited almost an hour and a half for it and i live down the street

I was there with a friend today for the first time. We were both very pleasantly surprised particularly with the food and how clean the place is! The food is not overly salty or sweet either, which is a sign of the owner being conscious of health concern associated with high sodium/sugar food. The bathroom is also spotlessly clean. I highly recommend this place to all vegetarians and vegans alike, without any reservation!

I've eaten at White Lotus twice in the last few months. I'm not a big fan of Asian faux meat and fish dishes in general and they make up 95% of the menu there, unfortunately. There's only one pho with just "veggies and tofu" (#35 I think), which is tasty but bland until you jazz it up with chili paste and soy sauce. All the other soups and mains have imitation shrimp, crab, eel, pork, sausage, chicken, beef, etc. The seafood stuff is especially gross-sounding and specific. I've brought omnivorous friends who've ordered those dishes and haven't been impressed. My (veg) sister enjoyed the beef pho, though. And I really liked the durian milkshake, which they can do with soy milk if you like. I think their menu could be greatly improved. How about a fresh roll without "shredded pork", for example?

I was thrilled to find a new delicious vegan Vietnamese restaurant to take the place of Lotus Garden Restaurant which closed down in 2006 (I think).

The flavours are quite different from the Chinese-Buddhist cooking the style is closest to. I had an eggy pancake appetizer that was fabulous and a congee that was aromatic and soothing. Definitely comfort food. My girlfriend was overjoyed to find pho soup after years without it, too.

Cons? They had a bunch of fish in a small tank in the entranceway, and though I was bothered by their harsh confinement when I walked in, I didn't say anything at the time. The restaurant is in an old, dingy building and the atmosphere suffers for it. The family staff was friendly and really made up for this, though!

Will definitely go back.