Chasing that high

The server placed a trough-sized bowl of pho on the table, steaming hot. Inhaling those little white wisps wafting upward was like one of those vintage Folgers Coffee commercials, where a sniff pleasurably jolts the sleepy sipper’s eyes open. However, the taste of the delicately herbaceous and mushroomy broth in the soup served by Bodhi Bowl was infinitely more satisfying than freeze-dried instant coffee.

The south Sac Vietnamese eatery has been open since the beginning of 2013, and the fare is all vegetarian and mostly vegan. Not that the lack of meat seems to have made a difference in enthusiasm or the variety of its diners—young, curious foodies and families with toddlers and senior citizens alike always seem to be at ease in the bright, window-lit dining room like they’re regulars.

That musically fragrant pho was enough to make a repeat diner out of anyone. And it did. But on a second taste another day, the flavor was not as complex and magical as that initial bowl, which raised the question: Was the kitchen inconsistent, or is this what an addict feels like, chasing that incredible first high?

Fortunately, there are plenty of other high notes on the menu to pursue. The Heavenly Noodle is a bún chay dish, a can’t-go-wrong salad made of snow-white vermicelli noodles with cooling mint, cucumber slices and bean sprouts, romaine lettuce and jagged pieces of faux beef, with house-roasted peanuts sprinkled on top. The “beef” actually was slightly sweet, plenty umami and pleasantly inoffensive, as far as fake meat goes.

That is one thing to expect in most of Bodhi’s bowls and plates, though: While there’s no actual animal flesh on the menu, nearly everything has a fake-meat product or tofu element. So diners with soy allergies, sorry dudes. It can’t even be escaped in the papaya salad. It’s wonderfully refreshing, crunchy, shockingly filling and mercifully fish-sauce free, but not soy-sauce free.

So if soy isn’t an issue, soldier on by taking the Hot & Sour soup for a test drive—um, in your mouth. The not-too spicy sunset-orange broth teemed with a tomatoey and citrus flavor, with chunks of pineapple, semicircles of trumpet mushrooms, cubes of fried tofu and slices of, in this writer’s opinion, unnecessary faux crab among other vegetables, which, like the imitation shrimp in some of the other dishes, is easy enough to eat around.

For diners who don’t want to slurp their meals, go down the stir-fry road. The plain Jane-looking Eight Fold Path, with al dente celery, red bell pepper and triangles of the most savory, salty, dense tofu perhaps ever, is one of those plates that has a diner planning her next visit when she simply must order it again before she’s even eaten half of her current serving. Chasing that high.

While the staff was very friendly and courteous, there were a few hurdles during ordering, mostly in regards to the smoothies. For example, one server didn’t know if the whipped cream on the jackfruit smoothie was dairy or soy-based, and another didn’t quite understand an inquiry about whether the avocado shake can be made without dairy, due to a language barrier. Those seem like important things for the waitstaff to be aware of in an all-vegetarian restaurant that’s bound to attract thirsty lactose-intolerant types. Requesting “no milk or whipped cream” vs. “no dairy” for the avocado shake seemed to do the trick, though, and the result was almost embarrassingly decadent yet wonderfully light.

The best surprise about Bodhi Bowl is that while every dish was solidly sating, a taste of your dining companion’s order may make you vow to have what she’s having next time. Like, every time. No wonder there always seem to be regulars here.