“‘Lay down your sharp sword of conceptual thinking.’ To my everlasting discredit,

October 29, 2012 12:00 am
Plump puff pastries—folded into twisty-edged crescents stuffed with mushrooms, tofu, peas and carrots—are each exactly the same size as the next.
Plump puff pastries—folded into twisty-edged crescents stuffed with mushrooms, tofu, peas and carrots—are each exactly the same size as the next.

“‘Lay down your sharp sword of conceptual thinking.’ To my everlasting discredit, I wielded that sword like a ninja at Blossom Vegetarian, Renton’s year-old Vietnamese restaurant specializing in the Buddhist tradition of mock meat. Instead of admiring chef Hue Phan’s startlingly gorgeous vegetal copies of beef shank and shredded pork, I busied my Western mind with a slew of urgent questions: Is that a mushroom? Is this seitan? Could I actually prefer seaweed chicken to the real bird? AndaE”most pressinglyaE”who is the intended audience for caramelized prawns made from rolled bean-curd skins and silken tofu?”Read the rest of Hanna Raskin’s review of Blossom Vegetarian.Photos by Joshua Huston.Published on July 30, 2012

Roasted Pork (tofu) served with sticky rice.

Roasted Pork (tofu) served with sticky rice.

Blossom's pumpkin and lotus seed soup—one of the few dishes on the lengthy menu that doesn't feature any meat wannabes—is a velvety shortcut to serenity. The lulling soup is almost translucent, but has a heft that honors the roly-poly pumpkin. Seasoned liberally with ginger and crowded with silken tofu flotsam, this is the soup to remember when you learn at the very last minute that a Thanksgiving guest has gone vegetarian.

Blossom’s pumpkin and lotus seed soup—one of the few dishes on the lengthy menu that doesn’t feature any meat wannabes—is a velvety shortcut to serenity. The lulling soup is almost translucent, but has a heft that honors the roly-poly pumpkin. Seasoned liberally with ginger and crowded with silken tofu flotsam, this is the soup to remember when you learn at the very last minute that a Thanksgiving guest has gone vegetarian.

If the looks of the beef are intentionally deceiving, there's no misdirection in the broth bowl. The adobe-red soup looks primed to claw the tongue with peppery spice, and it pounces on first spoonful. The heat has subtle tropical fruit accents, but they'll only be noticed by eaters who regularly plead with servers to let them go beyond five-star heat. Not counting the dishes I've destroyed with chili oil and Sriracha, Blossom's bun was one of the hottest dishes I've had in Seattle.

If the looks of the beef are intentionally deceiving, there’s no misdirection in the broth bowl. The adobe-red soup looks primed to claw the tongue with peppery spice, and it pounces on first spoonful. The heat has subtle tropical fruit accents, but they’ll only be noticed by eaters who regularly plead with servers to let them go beyond five-star heat. Not counting the dishes I’ve destroyed with chili oil and Sriracha, Blossom’s bun was one of the hottest dishes I’ve had in Seattle.

Fried Mackerel

Fried Mackerel

Carrots, interspersed with a sesame beef so convincing that someone ought to say aEœabracadabraaE when it's served, are trimmed into darling little ziggurats.

Carrots, interspersed with a sesame beef so convincing that someone ought to say aEœabracadabraaE when it’s served, are trimmed into darling little ziggurats.

For earth-loving eaters who can reach Renton without leaving a giant carbon footprint, it surely makes sense to swap one meaty weeknight dinner for Blossom's extraordinary bun bo hue.

For earth-loving eaters who can reach Renton without leaving a giant carbon footprint, it surely makes sense to swap one meaty weeknight dinner for Blossom’s extraordinary bun bo hue.

A large statue of Guanyin looks over the dinning room. Guanyin is the bodhisattva (enlightenment-being) associated with compassion. In English she is commonly known as the Mercy Goddess or Goddess of Mercy.

A large statue of Guanyin looks over the dinning room. Guanyin is the bodhisattva (enlightenment-being) associated with compassion. In English she is commonly known as the Mercy Goddess or Goddess of Mercy.

Chef Phan refuses to reveal the ingredients in her mock meats, and it's almost impossible to reverse engineer them. aEœOur food is not fatty or heavy!aE Phan chastised me when I asked if she deliberately tried to recreate meat's inherent flaws or correct them. aEœWe try to make good healthy dishes.aE Some of those dishes are harder than others to perfect, she adds.

Chef Phan refuses to reveal the ingredients in her mock meats, and it’s almost impossible to reverse engineer them. aEœOur food is not fatty or heavy!aE Phan chastised me when I asked if she deliberately tried to recreate meat’s inherent flaws or correct them. aEœWe try to make good healthy dishes.aE Some of those dishes are harder than others to perfect, she adds.

Blossom Vegetarian Restaurant, 305 Burnett Ave. South, Renton, (425)430-1610, blossomvegetarian.com.

Blossom Vegetarian Restaurant, 305 Burnett Ave. South, Renton, (425)430-1610, blossomvegetarian.com.