Dharma Garden

On Monday night, Yam and I went to dinner at Dharma Garden in Irving Park of Chicago.



Google told me that this place was vegan and vegetarian friendly so I had really high hopes for this place. And it delivered.

The menu was neatly marked with "V"s for their vegan and vegetarian options and the waitress was super knowledgeable about the dishes and what went in them. She accommodated our diets flawlessly.

We started out with Thai tea with coconut milk.



Shortly after, they brought out complimentary veggie spring rolls with a tamarind sauce.



These spring rolls were so different. To begin with, the presentation was more like sushi than spring rolls. The texture were also quite different. The rice paper wrapping was a lot thicker and tougher. The tamarind sauce was great but a little strong for my taste.

We had also ordered some dumplings.



I really wish we had gotten these steamed. They were really great but would have been better steamed. Also, check out that carved carrot.

The food came out quickly. We barely got in a conversation between all the food. This was perfect because we were starving!

Next up, my personal favorite-- yellow curry.



This curry was fantastic. Spicy and creamy and filled with bell peppers, peas, sweet potato and tofu. It was perfect for the chilly weather.

We also ordered a noodle dish called Life Long Noodle-- white rice noodles with carrots, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms and ginger.



This was overly spicy for me. It was so spicy that I couldn't taste much of anything else. I ate a small helping and then quickly went back to the curry.

We chatted for a while before ordering dessert-- pearls in coconut milk.



This is a completely new-to-me Thai dessert. The pearls are like tapioca but a little softer/gummier. The milk is lightly sweetened and there are chunks of real coconut floating around too. The dessert was served warm which is where I lost interest. If this was cold, I would have been all over it. But warm coconut milk just doesn't do it for me.

Overall, Yam and I had a fantastic dinner.



The food and service were both great. The food was fresh and authentic (although, I think we may have ordered poorly). The staff was attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend this place!