In January 2020, one of my most sought-after dreams came true. I quit my corporate job and moved to Asia with no specific plans or worries, except for my desire to enjoy life, travel and explore this beautiful continent as thoroughly as possible. My idea at the time was to experience a bunch of different countries, from India to Japan, absorb all the different cultures, visit the most renowned monuments, and indulge in the local cuisine as much as my vegan diet allowed me to.
Well, needless to say that I did not get that far. The pandemic has limited the countries I visited during this period – but that’s another story!
When I was planning my trip I had already been eating vegan for a year and I had some concerns about how easy or difficult it would be to find suitable vegan food. Will they have vegan food at all? Do they know what vegan is? How do I make sure they understand what vegan is? These are some of the questions I asked myself.
This post is all about my experiences in terms of vegan food in Asia, what to look out for and what to avoid. Due to the pandemic, I have been spending most of my time in Cambodia and therefore I will explore the vegan food scene of Cambodia’s vibrant capital city Phnom Penh, which for consecutive years has been enjoying booming growth as one of the most upcoming capitals in South East Asia.
I’ll start with some not-so-good news. During my first months traveling through Asia in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia I came to the conclusion that vegan food is generally unknown – especially in small cities, local restaurants or street food. It is either completely unknown or it is being confused with vegetarian food. Hence, it certainly requires some preparation if you are planning to explore the local food scene. I have found it very useful to have some phrases written down in local language which explain the food that needs to be avoided. In South East Asian cuisine, some of the pitfalls are fish or milk powders, which are used for flavoring in what seem to be very innocent vegan dishes like fried rice with vegetables. These can easily be avoided if you show the restaurant a list or description in their local language (i.e. image search for “Vegan in Thai”).
On the other hand, the very good news is that many of the most traditional dishes in South East Asia come in some sort of a vegan alternative. This has allowed me to taste extraordinary food from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia – all guilt-free. In Thai cuisine, the remarkable Pad Thai can be easily adapted by omitting shrimps and fish sauce. In Vietnam, multiple places offer the famous street food sandwich Bánh mì (especially in bigger cities like Hanoi) in a vegan version and in Cambodia, many local curries are already based on vegetables and therefore need little adaptation to become vegan.
After all, I was pleasantly surprised that indulging in the local food scene is still possible in those meat and fish-centered cultures. In addition, the HappyCow app will be your closest companion. I have found vegan food recommendations in the most remote little villages in Cambodia and the quality and quantity of the listings on the app are quite remarkable.
After spending more than one year in Cambodia, I have found that the capital city of Phnom Penh offers some very unique vegan experiences. While the city is booming, so is the vegan restaurant scene, and many restaurants have specialized themselves in serving only plant-based food. I have had the pleasure to interview some of the owners and to find out more about their vegan mission and cuisine. In no particular order, the following places deserve a shout-out, and should be on your radar when you are in town.
Sacred Lotus Café
Sacred Lotus Café is located near the Russian Market in Phnom Penh, one of the most vibrant and evolving neighborhoods in the city. This vegan restaurant is renowned because of its relaxed and friendly vibe and atmosphere. The laid-back rooftop lounge offers unique views over the local area and customers love to spend hours working from here, enjoying coffees, eating lovely comfort food and socializing with other regulars.
Krishan and Neth are the co-owners of the place and truly the face of Sacred Lotus Café. Their ambition to create this restaurant came from Krishan’s early adulthood in London. He had experienced severe health problems when he was a student, and struggled to find a cure. After several attempts and visiting many doctors, he came across a plant-based diet, which revealed itself to be the relief for his health issues. Ever since, Krishan has been eating vegan-only, and for more than 4 years no more symptoms have emerged. With his plant-based diet at heart, he came to Cambodia as a volunteer and found it difficult to adapt to the local culture, which is heavily based on meat and fish. He met his future partner Neth, and in 2019 and together they decided to bring vegan food to Cambodia by replicating and “veganizing” some of the most delicious and famous dishes from both Western and local Cambodian cuisine.
Today, Sacred Lotus Café is a family-run restaurant in which you can both be comforted by classics from Western cuisine like vegan pizzas and burgers, and at the same time immerse yourself in local delicacies like curries or noodles – all animal-cruelty free. If you struggle to decide, go for their signature dish: Green Curry with Tofu. This is a local classic that customers have been loving and ordering over and over again.
It is needless to say that if you are spending time in Phnom Penh, visiting Sacred Lotus is an absolute must. By visiting this restaurant and enjoying top-notch vegan food, you are also supporting the owners’ efforts to give back to local families in rural provinces in Cambodia. Krishan and Neth have been involved in several activities aiming to financially support those in need, and your visit will directly help those efforts.
Masala Dosa Street Kitchen
Masala Dosa Street Kitchen (MDSK) is a unique Indian vegan restaurant in the heart of Phnom Penh, not too far from the famous Royal Palace in town.
As the name suggests, Masala Dosa Street Kitchen marries the most traditional and loved flavors from Indian cuisine with the most sophisticated plant-based alternatives and modern food techniques. Dharma, who is the owner of the place, calls himself a real “foodie,” who has been born as a vegetarian in India and has been eating vegan since he was thirteen years old.
During his travels in far east Asia, he became frustrated with the limited vegan choices that he encountered in many countries. When he arrived in Cambodia in 2018, his love for vegan food and passion for cruelty-free living made him decide to open the first fully vegan Indian restaurant in Phnom Penh in less than a week. It started with only five different dosa dishes, and has since evolved to over four thousand possible flavor combinations.
Today, MDSK is one of the most successful restaurants in town attracting vegan and vegetarian but also non-vegan customers from all over the world. They love the design and atmosphere in the restaurant, which resembles Indian street food culture and allows them to taste unique and punchy recipes that go back to many thousands of years ago in India. Dharma proudly calls his kitchen a “science lab,” in that the menu is constantly evolving and improving, trying to bring more and more vegan dishes to his customers. It is his mission to distribute the vegan message and to showcase that meat and fish do not need to be missed. His cuisine is based on animal- and plant-cruelty-free food as Dharma is a strong believer in living constructively in line with animals and the environment. All leftovers are distributed to local kids in town while as little food as possible is wasted.
The restaurant has been called out by its modern menu ordering system, which is paper-free and based on QR codes – especially useful in times of pandemics. From Indian classics like Chana Masala to vegan kebabs, Masala Dosa Street Kitchen should be one of your favorite picks in Phnom Penh. Struggling on what to order considering all those beautiful options is challenging, especially with a hungry belly. Hence, we recommend Masala Dosa’s signature dish that customers have been loving: the Mushroom Dosa with Coconut Creme – a classic with a twist:
Bong Bonlai
Bong Bonlai – literally means “older brother/sister vegetable” and is another one of the greatest vegan restaurants in town, located close to the famous Independence Monument.
While being very centrally located, it is hidden between two busy streets away from the chaotic and loud routines of the capital city. When you walk in, you are welcomed by a beautiful setting of trees and plants and it allows you to connect to nature much more than you could imagine in busy city life.
Irina, the owner, started YK Art House four years ago as a guesthouse with free breakfast and in 2019 slowly and steadily turned it into the restaurant we now know as Bong Bonlai. Before opening the restaurant, she had already been vegan for two years and had a strong desire to support vegan food, to create a restaurant that is guilt-free and that supports local communities and environmental efforts.
Thanks to her cooperation with Gulcan, the restaurant manager, the place has greatly evolved since then and now offers beautiful vegan food from all over the world, ranging from Latin American to European and Asian cuisine. You can enjoy scrambled tofu on toast or pancakes for breakfast, or indulge yourself in local cuisine with the Cambodian amok or the ginger tofu. But one of the most loved dishes by their customers is the Tempeh Skewers. This one is a great example of how Gulcan and Irina are succeeding in bringing flavors from all over the world together. It is a fusion between Indonesian tempeh accompanied by pita and hummus which is so typical in Middle Eastern cuisine.
With the idea to offer vegan food that brings all the greatest dishes around the world into one single menu, Bong Bonlai has attracted vegan and non-vegan customers who love this variety, the service, and the quality of the ingredients. The restaurant staff goes the extra mile in pleasing the client’s requests and makes a great effort in understanding the specific needs of each one of them. In normal times, Irina and Gulcan regularly organize free events and gatherings to support eco-friendly initiatives and local communities like flea markets, music classes, waste-free markets, fund-raising events, gardening workshops, and many more. Bong Bonlai offers those delicacies that you should not miss out on when visiting Phnom Penh.
Element Vegetarian
Element Vegetarian is one of the newest vegan restaurants that recently opened in the highly regarded district of BKK1 in Phnom Penh.
The founders of this restaurant chose this name to honor the beautiful ingredients and basic elements that the Earth offers to turn them into gorgeous and sublime vegan dishes. Audric, Laurent and chef Nicolas are the proud owners who believe that veganism is the most respectful and environmentally sustainable diet. It is their mission to convince customers about the flavorsome and appetizing taste of vegan cuisine by pleasing them with healthy and comforting food. This is why they have already been drawing attention to not only vegan but also non-vegan customers from many different corners of the world.
The uniqueness of this place comes from the attention to detail and the sophistication of the flavors in the dishes. It is certainly placed on the higher end of fine dining which makes it one of Phnom Penh’s first elevated vegan dining experiences. While the menu is constantly in development, the owners’ vision is to utilize as many local products as possible in order to limit the amount of exported ingredients and eventually to reduce their carbon footprint. It is because of this ambition that you will enjoy international cuisine combined with a very local touch centered around fruits and vegetables like jackfruit and wild aubergine that both are truly unique to this part of the world. One example of the chef’s creativity is expressed through their current signature dish which is a replication of the traditional fish and chips in a vegan version:
Customers have been amazed not only by how this simple dish has been “veganized” by substituting fish with the local fresh jackfruit, but also by the added sophistication and attention to detail. For a special vegan experience in town, Element Vegetarian should be your first pick when visiting Phnom Penh.
Marco Iacovino is a guest contributor on the HappyCow blog. He has been living in Cambodia since 2020, and shares more of his journey on Instagram.
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Please note that as of publication (May 2021), restrictions from Covid-19 have caused international changes to restaurant opening hours and service. Please call the restaurant in advance to confirm.
