Am Vegetarian & Hideaway

A garden restaurant run by an owner-chef who treats every table personally. The setting does real work here – a pool, roaming cats and dogs, greenery, and a quiet side-street location that makes you want to stay for hours. Come for lunch when the garden light is at its best.

The Vietnamese vegetarian cooking has genuine range. The cha ca la vong (turmeric herb dish, reimagined without fish) is the house specialty, and the veg fish starter with dill gets repeat mentions. Coconut ice cream with sticky rice is made from scratch and finishes things off properly.

This suits anyone who wants a slow, restorative lunch rather than a quick stop. Non-vegetarians eat here happily and leave confused about why they don’t do this more often.