Dubai’s favourite Thai street food venue Café Isan offers brand new VEGAN menu

Café Isan, Dubai’s most authentic Thai street food and tea bar restaurant, has launched a bespoke vegan menu, offering all of its beloved, flavourful dishes without meat or dairy.

The JLT Cluster B-based outlet, which recently won Best Thai restaurant in the Time Out Restaurant Awards 2020, has revealed an enticing plant-based menu, enabling everyone to enjoy its special regional Thai cuisine without fear of compromising dietary choices or suffering an allergic reaction.

Partner and co-owner Lisa Knight says: “Chef New has always used the freshest vegetables in our cuisine, but we decided that as veganism grows and grows, we need to ensure we cater to our plant-loving friends with their own menu. We know how tough it can be when you don’t or can’t eat animal products, and you’re confronted with a confusing array of dishes. Our vegan menu means people can choose authentic Thai dishes without having to compromise on the award-winning flavours Chef New is renowned for.”

Some of the dishes can be made gluten free, making the new vegan menu useful for those with allergies and intolerances. As everything is freshly made in a flash, those with allergies can quickly be catered for, and dishes made more or less spicy to order.

While Thai food is often plant-focused, many dishes traditionally contain fish sauce or other hidden non-vegan items.

Guests can order from a choice of four starters or sides; two soups; two salads; six main courses and curries and an array of noodles and rice, as well as desserts.

Begin your plant-based meal with a choice of veggie spring rolls – made fresh each day, or laab cakes crispy deep fried treats – reinterpreted by using papaya instead of the traditional pork and fish sauce. Country style garlic cabbage is a dish which is so much more than the sum of its parts, an irresistible blend of cabbage, charred garlic and soy, while grilled satay tofu and mushroom sticks are sure to be an umami packed menu favourite.

Next up, take a choice of papaya or glass noddle salad, both served in a sweet tangy dressing that leaves you wanting more. Then indulge in classic Thai comfort food with one of Chef News’ famous soups – plant-based Tom Kha coconut or Tom Yum mushroom.

Mains include indulgent, taste-packed tofu and veg dishes including ‘The Hustler’, a regional street-style mix of veg, tofu and Thai basil; tangy sweet and sour tofu, veg and cashew nuts, zingy ginger tofu pad khing or addictive garlic tofu. Grab a side of a choice of rice, (coconut, Jasmine, garlic…) or a classic pad Thai noodle dish.

Of course, Chef New is renowned for her curries, and these aren’t lacking from the vegan line-up. Choose from a classic green or yellow dish, made to your liking (hands up for extra chilli), or a ‘farang’ style Massaman – the dark veggie curry which includes hearty veg and peanuts.

Every Thai meal should be rounded off with mango sticky rice, but if you’re not a fan of this divine concoction, you can opt for a refreshing Tub Thim Krob - water chestnuts in iced coconut milk.

There’s an array of traditional drinks which are also vegan friendly (and alcohol free). Choices on the drinks menu include that powerhouse of goodness, iced lemongrass or why not drink down the natural electrolytes found in a whole fresh coconut?

Every Café Isan delivery now comes with a free immunity-boosting ginger, lime and mint tea kit, a soothing, refreshing treat to accompany the food.

Already a winner of the 'Best Budget' and shortlisted for the 'Best Thai' Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards in 2017, the cosy, friendly restaurant also won a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in both 2017, and was proudly nominated for a BBC Good Food Award in 2018.

The distinctive dishes and memorable flavours come from north eastern Thailand – the Isan region - with Chef New working hard to reflect the renowned warmth of the region’s food, people, and culture.