Yay! Thai

It’s a pleasure to walk into a vegan/vegetarian restaurant and be able to order absolutely anything on the menu – no more being confined to one or two token vegetarian options. Yay! Thai at 152 2nd Avenue South is Saskatoon’s newest vegetarian restaurant. It’s a bright, colourful space. I particularly appreciated the tropical mural and the children’s area with small tables and chairs.

Dishes on the menu range from green curry and pad thai to appetizers, soups and tac’o bao – Asian steamed bun tacos. A Thai chef helped them establish their menu items. Asian cuisine incorporates lots of mushrooms, mostly fresh, so you’ll find vegan calamari made with oyster mushrooms and a bun taco with stir-fried wild mushrooms. They also plan to serve chaga mushroom latte made with mushroom powder (no caffeine).

I had the Bangkok Pad Thai with rice noodles, bean sprouts, crispy tofu, garlic chives, preserved radish and fried onion, topped with roasted almonds, tamarind sauce, and a squeeze of lime and really enjoyed it.

Extra sauces are available at a side counter. They serve a variety of soft drinks, including locally-brewed Parkerview kombucha.

Many of the dishes incorporate meat substitutes, which can also be purchased to take home. A freezer section includes various products from Happy Veggie World including Bac’n, Imitation Shrimp, Lemongrass Chik’n, Citrus Spare Ribs, and Kung Pao Chik’n Bites.

The restaurant’s owners are Vivek and Roshni Patawari who also operate The Karma Conscious Café and Eatery. Vivek explained they were not originally planning to open a second restaurant. Instead, they were looking for a commercial kitchen where they could develop a couple of food products. But when they saw the space on 2nd Avenue, they realized it would be foolish not to take advantage of its location for a restaurant as well as kitchen.

Samples of their first commercial food product – flavoured popped lotus seeds* – are available at Yay! Thai. They are also planning to commercialize Boomerang (currently available as a drink at both Yay! Thai and Karma) as a syrup that can be used in coffee or chai, and it will include lots of essential oils.

I really admire food entrepreneurs’ creativity, energy, and willingness to try new things. I wish Roshni and Vivek Patawari the best of luck with their new ventures.

*Lotus seeds are common in Asian cuisine and often eaten as a snack. They’re high in protein and fibre.

See also: The Karma Conscious Café and Eatery