Thanh Son Tofu Do Chay, 2435 Alvin Ave, San Jose, CA 95121
I’ve been to the other Thanh Son Tofu on Senter Road, but I didn’t know they had another location in San Jose called Thanh Son Tofu Do Chay. I thought it was an all-vegetarian deli since do chay means vegetarian food in Vietnamese. I can’t read Vietnamese and the items on the table weren’t labeled anyway. I saw sweet and savory items, room temp and in the refrigerators. The items in the refrigerator did have shelf tags with Vietnamese and English and prices. They had cold appetizers, che/desserts, yogurt, soy milk, tofu pudding, corn, rice sheets with and without fillings, bags of fried tofu, fresh tofu, cha lua chay, pickled vegetables, etc. I also saw shrimp, so I realized that it was not an all-vegetarian deli. The staff spoke limited English.
Plain tofu ($2.50): tasted like Mr. Froyo remembered as a regular customer of Thanh Son Tofu in Seattle, sweet, strong soy bean flavor, creamy in texture, medium firmness
Fried tofu cubes, (½ lb for $3.50): soft and chewy, with lemongrass and chili, very tasty but cold
Noodles ($6): – stir-fried thin rice noodles with carrot, cabbage, wood ear mushrooms, and housemade tofu – it seemed plain but Mr. Froyo enjoyed
Da lu ($3): Vietnamese yogurt with condensed milk, smooth, creamy, tangy sweet, very good
Banh cuon ($9): This was your typical banh cuon with pork and wood ear mushrooms with a cup of nuoc cham and fried shallots on top. The rice sheets sheets were thin and silky. There wasn’t much filling but the nuoc cham was just right – a bit of funk, sweetness, and umami
Portions were generous and prices low. Items are made fresh daily. ig portion, low prices, made fresh daily. We went right before it closed, so they were out of some items. There is no seating. The credit card minimum was 10. Easy street parking.
