Pei Wei Asian Dining-Three Tasty and Very Different Vegan Meals
According to Vegan Xpress, my iphone app that tells me where I can eat and what I can eat there, Pei Wei has four vegan meals. However, one of those meals, Thai Blazing Noodles, is apparently no longer offered. The three left are all good choices and I’ve tried them all.
The sweet and sour entrée was very good. I found out that the tofu used is purchased from the Asian Mkt in Cary. It’s Five Spice firm tofu sliced thin and it goes very well with the pineapple, onions, and peppers in this meal. The second vegan meal is the Thai Dynamite which has a “hot” icon next to it’s description, but I didn’t think it was hot at all. Instead I would describe it as slightly spicy. More of a 4/10 than any real heat. It was still quite flavorful.
Pei Wei- Thai Dynamite
While the sweet and sour dish is basic with a few ingredients, the Thai dynamite has sriracha chile sauce, soy, fresh lime, scallions, garlic, red bell peppers, carrots and Thai basil. More than enough to keep my mouth interested. Finally, we had the Spicy Korean with Korean hot pepper sauce, garlic, white mushrooms, onions, carrots, long beans, toasted sesame seeds. The key flavors in this dish were the garlic and long beans. The garlic worked well with the tofu, but I think the long beans overwhelmed the tofu and made it taste too bland to enjoy. I would recommend leaving the tofu off. Pei Wei serves good food in large servings. I’ve yet to eat my plate in one sitting so it’s a deal to have two meals. All the dishes ran abut $8.
Pei Wei- Spicy Korean
I’ve been to the Pei Wei on Falls of Neuse Rd., and it’s nice but I prefer the Brier Creek location. It seems to run more like a restaurant than the fast food feel that the Falls of Neuse location has. While both have table service, Brier Creek seems to do a better job assisting you with seating, and checking in on you to make sure all is going well. Brier Creek seems smaller and that may have something to do with the cozier and more personal feel.
I’d also add that the menu has an icon for 4 meals that can be made vegetarian. I’ve reviewed 3 that are fully vegan. The fourth, the Honey Seared entrée, is not vegan because of the honey garlic sauce.
For more of my reviews of vegan grub spots click (here).
2 Comments
where can i buy the tofu used at Pei Wei?
Hi Brandie, The tofu they use is Five Spice Tofu. I get mine at the local Asian market. You can check a place like that near you. If not try Whole Foods or Fresh Market. They sell “Five Spice” which is what it sounds like…a dry spice package that has a mix of five spices. Then you can use it to marinate firm tofu you have at home.