On third August mum and I went to the Van Gogh Alive exhibition in Munich (which was STUNNING!, but that’s another story) and on our way to there we by chance passed by a vegan restaurant I had been wanting to visit for quite some time. What caught my eye was that the words „VEGAN RESTAURANT“ written largely in capital letters on the wall. When I inspected it closer, I realized that it was „SOY“, which I had been hoping to go anyways if it was close by but I hadn’t actually looked up the location yet. As it was still morning we decided to come back after the exhibition to eat an early lunch.
„Soy Vegan“ is a 100% vegan restaurant specializing in Vietnamese food. Not only do they offer a relatively cheap lunch menu with LOTS of mouthwatering options (It was so had to decide what to order), you can also choose from a huge variety of Vietnamese tapas and delicious drinks.
About the Restaurant
SOY Munich is a branch form SOY Berlin. The name „soy“ literally means the soy beans from which tofu is made. With their food the restaurant wants people who previously had bad experiences with tofu to know how tasty it can actually be if prepared properly and they incorporate it together with seitan, an other alternative to meat made from wheat protein.
On the official website it is written about how the Buddha taught that no living being should be harmed, but apparently he never prescribed his followers a vegan diet. That is because they ought to realize it naturally by following the path of Buddhism.
I imagine SOY might want to achieve exactly that: by showing people how tasty vegan food can be and that it is a delicious alternative to animal products, people might be more open about thinking about how their food choices impact other beings as well as the environment.
When we arrived at SOY around 11:30, just when they had opened, there was only one other outside table taken and the inside of the restaurant was completely empty. It surprised me that SOY is actually really spacious as I am used to vegan restaurants being relatively small with not too many customers. However, SOY is different. Until we received our food, all the outside tables (and there are a LOT of tables) were taken. I didn´t see that coming. I am very glad we arrived so early. So, if you plan to arrive there during the prime lunch and dinner times, it might me a great idea to reserve a table beforehand.
About the Food
We chose the lunch menu for 8,90€ which is available from Monday to Friday from 11:30 till 14:30 and includes a starter, plus a drink for only 2,90€ additionally. For the starter you can choose between a summer roll with peanut dip or a sweet and sour soup. I had the summer roll and my main dish was Bun Sa Ot, which is luke-warm rice noodles on a colorful bed of salad with herbs, grilled tofu, seitan, peanuts, roast onion and a delicious dressing. As for the drink, I went for their raspberry lemonade.
Summer Roll
The summer roll was filled with lots of raw veggies, noodles and fried tofu. As expected it was cold and quite large and delicious! I especially loved the savory peanut dip.
Bun Sa Ot
I believe this dish is the perfect choice for a hot summer day as it is cold and thanks to the raw veggies and herbs really refreshing. The dressing I believe was soy sauce based and full of umami flavor. It went perfectly with the noodles and the salad. What I loved most were the crisp and flavorful seitan, the fried tofu and the fresh and refreshing herbs. The peanuts added some crunch and the roast onions additional flavor to the dish.
The portion was pretty big and I felt really full afterwards, but at the same time it was quite a light dish which did not leave me feel heavy at all despite the large portion.
Raspberry Lemonade
The raspberry lemonade was amazing! It actually tasted like raspberry jelly and the added chia seeds really made it feel like there were little pieces of jelly inside. It had the perfect sweetness and was very refreshing. I liked that it was made with no gas.
All in all, eating at SOY was a great experience. The food is fresh, pretty healthy, extremely delicious and the staff friendly. If you like Vietnamese food, this is a must-go restaurant, even of you are not vegan!
Important to note: You can only pay with cash or EC cards, NOT with credit cards, master cards, visa cards, American Express etc.
Price Span:
5,80€ - 44,90€ (The lunch menu is 8,90€ plus 2,90€ for a drink)
Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday: 11:30 - 14:30, 17:00 - 23:30
Saturday: 17:00 - 23:30
Sunday and holidays: 14:00 - 23:30
Address:
Theresienstraße 93, 80333 München
Homepage:
Tel.: +498954540886