I am a vegetarian, and eating out has always meant making choices carefully. There are cuisines where the vegetarian options seem to have been added almost as an afterthought, the meat removed, the rest of the dish left behind. Vietnamese food feels different. Vegetables do not seem to be substitutes, they are the food.

Vietnamese food is very uncomplicated.  Assemble fresh vegetables, herbs, noodles, rice paper and a good dipping sauce, and a very tasty food is ready. Their fresh rolls are my favourite. Wrapped in delicate rice paper, they are are very good to look at. Inside, the rolls is a quiet crunch of vegetables and the softness of noodles. You pick one up, dip it into sauce and suddenly all the flavours burst in your mouth. There is freshness, sweetness, saltiness and a little sharpness, all in one bite. There is the mound of shredded vegetables and noodles resting on a lettuce leaf.  Textures play an important role in Vietnamese cooking. Nothing is merely soft, there is crunch and a slippery feel. 

There is a sense of freshness in Vietnamese vegetarian food. Fresh vegetable are an integral part of the meal. Herbs are not sprinkled decoratively on top; they are part of the flavour. Lettuce becomes a wrap. Carrots become ribbons. Cucumber becomes crunch. Noodles bring softness. Rice paper holds all of them together. And then there is that little bowl of sauce sitting quietly in the corner. The plate is colourful without being loud, filling without looking heavy.

Pictures and text are by Prerna Jain.