Au Lac-Fountain Valley, CA. I have heard of this place for years but never really went out of my way to try it since I am of carnivorous nature. But I was with a friend who is pescatarian so thought this would be the perfect time to try a Vegan/Raw foods restaurant. Service is great, staff is very knowledgable and the restaurant is nice with a calming interior and mood. But let’s get to important part, the food. We had the BBQ Pork Spring rolls (nem noung), Risotto, Pho Noodle soup and Coconut Water. Nem Noung was good but I still prefer Brodards. Risotto was on the raw foods menu side so the wild rice was soaked with mushrooms, coconut and topped with avocados nothing being cooked. It was very hearty and very interesting in flavor and texture. I had coconut water because I was slightly hungover. What blew my mind was the Pho. Now I have had Pho many times and it is usually after a long night of drinking. Pho is considered a hangover cure by many. This Pho with a Coconut water is my new ultimate hangover cure. The anise broth was so flavorful yet so clean and wasn’t overpowered with sodium like a lot of Pho broths. The soy chicken and soy beef were both pretty good. What was very interesting was they had a vegetable that emulated the tripe/tendon in pho and it was uncanny and I actually preferred it over real tripe. It was the same color and had a slight soft crunch when biting into it. This was one of those enlightening moments you have very rarely. When eating pho I have never been to a place that really stood out. I have only had pho that was good or bad, never extraordinary. I thought it was funny that the best pho I might have ever had could be Vegan pho. Am I going to become vegan…hell no! But I will keep trying out some vegan foods every now and then for sure. Love, Peace and Soy protein Grease.