Forbidden City - Virginia Beach, VA

Forbidden City in Virginia Beach is by no way forbidden for Vegetarians.  They have a nice selection of vegetarian dim sum and vegetarian entrees such as General’s Tofu, Ma Po Tofu, and Sesame Tofu. 

We came during lunchtime on a Saturday and it wasn’t very busy at all.  The atmosphere is nice and the booths are very private with curtains draped at the ends.  I ended up ordering Sesame Tofu with Vegetable Gao on the side.  The Sesame Tofu was delicious while the Vegetable Gao (for me) wasn’t as tasty.  I don’t really like mushrooms and the Vegetable Gao had a very strong mushroom taste.  I didn’t try this but my friend had the Curry Samosas (which the waitress assured us had no meat) and they said it was delicious.

Prices are fairly reasonable with $6.75 for a lunch entrée.  I would definitely recommend Forbidden City for vegetarian Chinese food.

Forbidden City Booths

Ah. Thai food. Pattaya, located on George Washington Memorial Hwy in Yorktown, is one of many local restaurants offering Thai Cuisine.

Pattaya Thai Cuisine

The first thing you notice when you walk in, is their modern and elegant atmosphere.  We came during lunchtime, around 11:30, and were sat down right away.  As soon as we sat down, the glasses in front of us were filled with water.  Looking at their menu, they had a “vegetarian” section with plenty of options.  They had Veggie Pad Thai, Tofu or Eggplant delight, Veggie Fried Rice, and more.  We decided to order Pad Se Eew with Tofu replacing the usual chicken, beef, or pork.  We also ordered Thai Tea as our drinks.  As is customary in most Thai restaurants, our lunch meal was preceded by a small salad.  This salad was very good.  The only thing missing was a spring roll.  Quite a few Thai restaurants serve the salad with a spring roll.  While waiting for our food to arrive, we sipped on the sweet Thai Tea.  It was perfect. There are some restaurants who put too much or too little of the cream/milk and sugar but this was not one of them.  When the food arrived, the portions were smaller when compared to other Thai restaurants but the taste was excellent!  It is, to this day, one of the best Pad Se Eew w/Tofu that I have ever tried.  Not at a bad price either at $7.95 (lunch price).

We decided to skip dessert since its lunch (vs. dinner) and I had to get back to work.  Paying went quickly and we were in and out within 40 minutes (probably would have been faster but I was taking my time enjoying every bite!)  The waitress was very friendly, silverware was clean, and food was excellent.  All-in-all, it was a great dining experience.

I would recommend Pattaya as one of, if not my favorite, Thai restaurants on the Peninsula.  Now, Southside is another matter but that will be on a later review.  ;)