It’s always a delight to find vegan food, even more so when it pops up in the most unexpected of places. Veggie Land is a Vietnamese vegetarian spot (more like an oasis) in the food court at the Vallco Shopping Mall in Cupertino.
The mall’s food court is over by JC Penney, and on Friday mornings, there’s a farmer’s market conveniently located just outside in the parking lot. You can shop for fresh fruit and veggies and then go in for a quick bite to eat.
I asked the counter person if everything was vegetarian. “Yes.” Anything vegan? “Yes, everything. No egg and no onion.” As usual, when presented with an entire menu of options, I’m racked with indecision. Should I get one of the noodle soups or the jackfruit salad? I settled on the BBQ plate with vermicelli.
The BBQ is the Asian type of veggie mock meat with a very nice flavor and a chewy, meaty texture. Comes with vermicelli noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts, mint, cucumbers, peanuts, cilantro and a separate container of sauce. I think the pile in the right upper corner is shredded tofu and vegetables.
Everything was very fresh and delicious, and it’s a good sized portion for $6.50. Plus it only took about 5 minutes or so to get my order, pretty darn good for fast food, vegan or not.
india says
that doesn’t look like fast food! looks delicious…SALIVATING!
jojo says
Awesome, I’m going to be at a loose end in Cupertino for a while this September and now I know where I’m gonna be eating!
LittleMonsterx14 says
i am so jealous, i wish this was near me!
luminousvegans says
Dang, that looks so good.
Andrea says
Oh yes, I love to find a place like that in an unlikely spot. I hope lots of people get to taste delicious vegan food and not be scared off by the “vegetarian” label.
Joey says
You can’t say no to that! it’s always handy when you come across an expected vegan option. Did they have any dessert options?
chow says
Joey – I don’t actually remember if they have desserts or not, I don’t usually order desserts so I wasn’t looking for it – I was quite distracted by all the entrees. :-)
Hannah says
This place sounds like a dream come true. I can’t believe they’re giving away such a feast for that kind of a price! I would eat here every day if it was nearby, no joke.
trina says
That looks wonderful! (And we have a farmers market in our JCPenny parking lot too. Sadly no immediately adjacent vegan vietnamese food though.)
Camille says
I’m curious why they said no onions when you asked if anything was vegan?
chow says
Camille – Some Buddhist vegetarians don’t eat onions or garlic.
Camille says
Oh, I didn’t know that, thanks for the info! :)
Peter says
Does anyone know where they have moved now that vallco is closing?
chow says
No idea, I didn’t even know Vallco was closing. :-(