Tasty and Meatless | Restaurant Features

Open for one year, Fresh Mint sits on the main drag of Paia town, known for its art and colorful inhabitants, at the same spot that the old Vegan Restaurant used to be. Fresh Mint is keeping up the location’s vegetarian tradition with an entirely vegan menu of Vietnamese dishes.

We tried the Fried Imperial Rolls as an appetizer. Although their title boasts of their deep fried status, these Rolls were crispy and surprisingly not oily at all. Seemingly to emphasize this healthier version of deep fried rolls, they were served sliced in a diagonal cut that opened a window to the colorful filling inside. Stuffed with tofu, bean threads, mushrooms, and carrots, they were accompanied by a classic, sweet vinegar sauce. You might want to have two orders of this appetizer to avoid sharing these crispy morsels!

Four vegetarian salads were on the menu, and we tried the house specialty Fresh Mint Salad. When it came out we were in awe of its colors and beauty. It was a generous serving of chilled vegetables, with crunchy green beans, bright orange carrots, Kula sweet onions, crispy cucumbers, and sweet red and yellow bell peppers, and lots of fresh mint (of course!). The entire gorgeous affair was tossed in with a zippy citrus sauce, just spicy enough to be lively on the tongue. All the vegetables were sliced very thinly and marinated slightly in the sauce, adding a layer of flavor. The star of this salad was soy shrimp, which added heartiness to this fresh vegetable feast.

It took longer than usual for us to order because the entire menu was vegetarian and had over 30 options to choose from, including a “Create Your Own Vietnamese Burrito” section. We finally chose to sample the Soy Fish entrée. Served with jasmine or brown rice and a green salad, the soy fish cutlets were pan fried to a golden brown and coated with a thick, sweet teriyaki sauce with a strong sesame seed accent. The white soy fish fillets were firm and flaky, with no hint of fish smell, and wrapped with an outer crust of seaweed.

Reluctantly passing over delicious sounding menu items like Spicy Ginger Soy Beef and Golden Soy Chicken Curry, we decided to round off our meal by ordering the Pad Thai from the noodle section. A restaurant can always be judged by their Pad Thai, and this version did not disappoint. The thin noodles were perfectly cooked, and surprisingly not sticky. The sauce was delicate, enhancing the dish rather than overpowering it. The airy mound of noodles was laced with thin strips of carrots, cabbage, sweet onion, and basil that were also soaked in the sauce, adding ribbons of flavor. This was the lightest and most refreshing version of Pad Thai that we have ever tasted.

Every table at Fresh Mint had an assortment of sauces to add according to a diner’s personal taste. Besides the usual soy sauce and chili sauce, there was an additional hot chili sauce as well as hoisin sauce, which is an Asian barbeque sauce that can strengthen the flavor of any dish. With caution, we sampled the hot chili sauce, which was not as spicy as anticipated and instead had an uncharacteristic depth of flavor to its fire.

We almost passed on ordering dessert, but luckily could not resist the Banana Fritter with Coconut Tapioca. The apple banana was rolled in an egg less batter and deep-fried. Yet again the result was light since the batter created only a thin coating surrounding the hot, sweet banana. It was served on a bed of hot coconut tapioca, also made without dairy, and laced with chocolate sauce. The taste was so rich yet went down easily even after the feast we had.

Fresh Mint is about a 15 minute drive from the Kahului airport (on a no-traffic day) in Maui. For those unfamiliar with vegetarian meats, it is an exotic introduction to what is possible with soy! This delightful restaurant is definitely worth the trip to Paia. We know we will be back!