Went to a birthday celebration last night at an Vietnamese restaurant called Huynh which is located in Oakland. The neighborhood was full of businesses/offices, but right smack in the middle of all that capitalist world is this oasis of food, color and exciting flavors. I give Huynh 5 out of 5 oxtails. It is definitely a place that I would visit over and over again.

The birthday celebrant is a vegetarian. Normally, this would signal that I load up on animal protein before going, but this time I did not. The first remarkable thing I noticed is that vegetarian food does not have to be bland. The lotus salad was both sour and tasty. As I bit into the lotus stems, the crunch would release some of the vinegar taste that was balanced with something else, probably some fish sauce derived concoction. I have to review that taste more.

Next up is the Curry Tofu. Now, why can't people make tofu like this? With TASTE!!! It was a good curry, but I can't compare it to Indian curry or Chinese curry because it is not exactly the same. The #114 Eggplant Tofu is also a five oxtail choice. Mind you, the eggplant is probably soaked in hydrogenated oil to get it so soft and tasty, but who cares? There was just the right balance of HoiSin sauce to make the eggplant and the tofu explode with flavor.

The Vietnamese egg rolls were a good standby. I find that these are pretty much the same from each restaurant. The only difference is that the size at Huynh's was a little too big for the chopsticks. It was a game to try and eat the eggroll when it was covered with the peanut sauce which caused it to be slick as ice.

The stuffed squid with chichen was another excellent choice, although the portions were not as generous as I would have liked. Jack up the price so long as people can have more portions I say. Again, a nice balance of the sauce, squid and chicken could be experienced in this dish.

The spicy vegetarian soup was excellent. The setup came in its own little stove which allowed the soup to bubble and simmer. The ingredients were probably just placed in the vegetable broth because after simmering for five to ten minutes, you can still feel the consistency of the tomatoe and the mushrooms.

So if you are visiting the Bay Area, go to Oakland and sample a taste of Huynh's.