My vegan guy and I went on a double date to Bulan Thai Vegetarian. We know how good this place is, but wanted to show some omnivorous friends what good vegan food tastes like. The four of us ate every last bit of what we ordered and we proved to our friends how wonderful this place is.
Our first appetizer was the Summer Rolls ($8): baked tofu and vegetables wrapped in clear wrappers and served with a Vietnamese dip. I love summer rolls. I get so sick of the fried egg rolls (sometimes you just want something fresh!).
Our second appetizer was the Grilled Dumplings ($6): stuffed with mixed vegetables and bean curd and served with spicy soy vinaigrette sauce. I’m not a huge fan of dumplings, but my vegan guy loves them. He also thinks that Bulan makes them really well.
The Pineapple Fried Rice ($9) was very simple but so good! Made with pineapple, cashews, raisins, onions, bell peppers, and curry powder. We got it with pepper steak, which is chewier than the other protein options. I normally don’t get fried rice, but maybe I should. I was craving this for weeks after I had it. Although, next time, I think I’ll get it with a different protein option.
I am also always craving the sweet stuff, so we got some Orange Chicken ($11): crispy battered veggie chicken tossed in an orange sauce. This was nice and crispy on the outside and sweet in the sauce.
And how can one go to a thai restaurant and not get some Pad Thai ($8)? This normally comes with egg, so request it vegan. Nothing like some rice noodles in a peanut sauce.
Even after everything we ate above, three of us were still a bit hungry, so we got one more entree. Crisp Fish with Green Apple ($12) is crispy veggie fish served with fresh green apple, cashew nuts, red onions, chili, cilantro, and special dressing. They certainly named this correctly – it was super crispy. The lack of sauce is both good and bad. It’s good, because the fish won’t get soggy. The bad is that it was kind of plain.
Bulan Thai Vegetarian has two locations. I’ve only gone to the one on Melrose, but I’m sure Silver Lake folks will be happy to have one closer to them.