Vietnamese Buddhists eat vegetarian for ‘ram’ (the full and half moon cycles), which is roughly every fortnight. This regular demand explains why there are at least six vegetarian establishments in Cabramatta. The Vietnamese love their food, so care is taken to make the food taste good as well as look good.
Today, we’re at Thien Truc (heavenly bamboo) on Hughes street and we start off with bo bia (below), it’s a different type of Vietnamese fresh rolls, made with pork skin rather than pork and prawns. Of course, this is the vegetarian version.
Vegetarian bo bia is delicious, made with plenty of tofu, mint, mushroom and sliced vegetables.
I have the veg version of bun rieu (above), the vermicelli soup here is red not from chili but tomato base, so this dish is ideal for those who prefer a milder soup. Of course, if you want it hot, fresh chili comes on the side. The floating bits on top would normally be crab meat mince, here, we have a tofu based interpretation. It’s an excellent rendition of vegetarian bun rieu.
Noodlies Sydney food blog introduced readers to bun bo hue earlier in our review of Dong Ba. There’s no fear of encountering congealed blood or pig trotters here.
There’s a few tips to eating bun bo hue, and Walter demonstrates in the video below.
It’s a competitive market for restaurants in Cabramatta, even vegetarian ones. Thien Truc isn’t the best, that title goes to Duy Linh, but overall all the food here is still pretty good.
Thien Truc Vegetarian Vietnamese
Shop 1, 4 Hughes St
Cabramatta NSW 2166
(02) 9755 0988
