Restaurant review: Tyepyedong, noodle bar, Exeter [Vegan options]

Where: Tyepyedong, Sidwell st, Exeter

Between Healthy Pulses (great shop!) & Timpsons.

Style:

Small independently owned noodle bar (Chinese/Asian fusion in style) tucked inbetween the shops of Exeter’s main thoroughfare – quite easy to miss if you don’t know it!

Service:

Always polite, friendly and efficient – a young service team & the owner on duty keeping an eye on things.

Clean simple seating inside.

Food choices:

So easy for Vegans as all Vegan options are labeled V+ (vegetarian are V). Chose from starters, filling noodle soups, strifries with rice and stirfries with noodles. They are also happy to accommodate preferences if you need to change a dish slightly.

Crispy vegetable tempura with sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Nom factor:

I love this style of food and I’ve yet to have a dish here that wasn’t good. They don’t use MSG, everything is cooked fresh to order and it arrives steaming to the table in the order it’s cooked. The tempura are crisp, the Hungry monk (garlic/black bean sauce) is very tasty, I love the Yasai Yakisoba noodles and the Sweet and sour is a sticky sweet indulgence. Rice and noodle dishes alike are always perfect and the veg crisp and fresh. I even like their soups which are far better and contain far more ingredients than those served at Wagamamas (for example). [ nb the soups are a very healthy filling option if you’re watching kcals – or want to have tempura as well;) ]

Delicious veg noodle tofu soup.

How much:

The lunchtime special is fabulous value at just £6 for a very filling main stirfry dish and a drink (I always have sparkling water).

Miso soup £1.70

Tempura £4.10

Edamame (soya) beans £4.20

Main dishes and large noodle soups approx £7

Other stuff:

The tiny kitchen is open so you can see in – which is always reassuring. They are open to creating dishes to your specific requirements and have a great understanding of Veganism. Seating is bench style and some small tables for 2 in the window. They will always endeavour to seat you away from other people unless they are very busy, which is lovely. It’s clean, tables always cleared and wiped down quickly and there is one toilet which is clean and spacious.

Other comments:

This is fast becoming my favourite pitstop in Exeter because it’s such good value and consistently good. It can get extremely busy 12-2, but lunch goes on til 3 which is great and the turnover of people having a quick working lunch means that you never need to wait long for a table. You can reserve a table if you need to and people often do. Many Chinese people eat there which is always a good sign in my opinion.

Handy if you’re going to a matinee at the Vue Cinema nearby – for a meal before or a bite to eat after.

Tyepyedong means ‘a place to eat without the fuss’ – and that’s exactly what this fabulous little place offers Vegans!

If you visit Tyepyedong - please let me know what you think!

Much love

Chantal xx

Recipe - My Malaysian Laksa-style Soup (for the Soul).

Everyone has their own way of making this wonderful soup. 

This is mine.

I love the aromatics, the colours and the textures in my version of it.

See what you think - lets compare Laksas [she said]... 

my lovely Laksa

Vegetable variations you can use include: fine green beans, broccoli, mangetout, beansprouts, leaf spinach, bok choi (Chinese cabbage), cucumber, you could also add some firm tofu pieces and garnish with deep fried shallots, finely sliced red peppers and/or lime wedges. p.s. I do not recommend adding onions or shallots to the broth - for me they spoil the delicate flavours.

Serves 4 (heartily) but is best eaten the same day.

Gather

150g rice noodles (usually about 3 'nests')

2-3 tbsp sesame oil

1 heaped tbsp Vegan Thai red curry paste (*warning - Laksa paste often contains shrimp)

1 red chilli - cut in half, deseeded and finely sliced

200g assorted mushrooms - thinly sliced (shiitake are traditional but I'm not so keen on these so I tend to use white, chestnut and forestiere, for example)

400ml can coconut milk

600ml water (you can fill the coconut milk can with water 1 and a half times)

1 aubergine - sliced into 1cm thick rounds

150g baby sweetcorn - cut in half or thirds on a diagonal slant

2 pak choi - leaves separated and halved if large (leave small ones whole)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

salt to taste (I use about half a teaspoon - which seems a lot, but does bring the flavours alive)

garnish - small bunch of fresh coriander leaves (no stalks) - finely chopped

Create

1.  Put your grill on to warm and add 1 tbsp of sesame oil to a large pan on a medium heat.

2.  Add the curry paste and fresh chilli to the pan and stir to sizzle and release aromas.

3.  Next add the mushrooms and coat in the sauce. Then add the coconut milk and the water - bring to the boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.

4.  Brush the aubergine rounds with the remaining sesame oil and place on a baking tray under the now warm grill for 5 minutes.

5.  Wash and slice the sweetcorn. Wash and slice the pak choi (pak choi can be a little dirty lower down the stems, so this is important.) Chop your coriander ready to use.

6.  Turn the aubergine slices over, add the sweetcorn to the soup pot and turn up the heat a little to simmer more vigorously. Put a full kettle on to boil.

7.  Add the pak choi leaves to the soup and pour enough boiling water over your rice noodles to cover them.

8.  Taste your soup for seasoning and add black pepper and salt to your preference.

9.  Your aubergine will have grilled on the other side for another 5 minutes now and should be golden - so remove it from the grill and chop each round into 4 pieces.

10.  Stir the rice noodles with a fork to separate and drain in a large sieve.

11.  Add the aubergine to the soup, add the noodles to the soup, give it all a good stir to combine and re-test for seasoning if you want to double check.

Enjoy!

Serve into hot bowls using tongs to make sure everybody gets a share of noodles and veg and then a ladle to top up with the coconut broth. Sprinkle with just a little of the coriander. Serve with a soup spoon and a fork!

Cooks tip: If you have the time and the inclination, you can make your own curry paste by blending this list of ingredients. [recipe by Yotam Otolengi]

100g peeled baby shallots
8 garlic cloves
25g peeled ginger, sliced
15g lemongrass (soft white stem only), sliced
2 tsp ground coriander
3 large dried red chillies
2 tbsp sambal oelek (or other savoury chilli paste) 

2 tbsp vegetable oil 

25 g fresh coriander(stalks and all)