“No meat” is only the start: asking about vegetarian and vegan food

Vintage 1986 · Siamese Cat Café · 2026-09-26

A plate can look meat-free while the important ingredient question is hiding in the sauce. That is why “no meat, please” is a useful opening, but not a complete order for someone who needs all animal ingredients avoided.

This guide helps you ask clear questions. It does not certify Vintage 1986 as a vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free or allergen-free kitchen, and it does not identify any unverified dish as suitable for a particular diet.

Say what you eat, not just the label

Vegetarian and vegan diners may have different requirements, and everyday use of those labels can vary between people and languages. State the ingredients you avoid and whether eggs and dairy are acceptable. Mention fish and seafood explicitly rather than assuming “meat” will communicate everything.

A practical request is: “I do not eat meat, fish, seafood or ingredients made from them. Could you check the stock, sauces and filling? I also avoid eggs and dairy.” Adjust that last sentence to your own needs. This is much clearer than asking whether a dish “looks vegetarian.”

Check the parts you cannot see

Ask about broth or stock, marinade, dipping sauce, prepared seasoning and garnishes. Fish sauce and shrimp paste are particularly important to name when they conflict with your requirements. Oyster sauce, dairy, egg or other animal ingredients may also need checking, depending on the recipe.

The nước mắm and nước chấm guide explains why “dipping sauce” is not an ingredient list. A plant-based main ingredient does not tell you how the rest of the meal was prepared.

At Vintage 1986, the menu includes a tofu vermicelli bowl, but the description directs guests to ask about accompaniments. Do not interpret tofu as an automatic vegan claim. Similarly, bún đậu mắm tôm is listed with fermented shrimp-paste sauce; the tofu in the name does not erase the sauce.

Ask what can genuinely be changed

A kitchen may be able to leave off a finishing garnish while being unable to change a pre-made stock or marinade. Ask which components are prepared in advance and whether a suitable alternative can actually be made.

Removing a sauce after it has been mixed through is not the same as preparing the dish without it. When the team cannot confirm the ingredients or an appropriate adjustment, choose something that can be confirmed—or decide not to order that dish. A polite, definite answer is more useful than an optimistic guess.

Allergy is a separate conversation

Tell the team explicitly when your requirement is an allergy. Vegan does not automatically mean free from allergens or cross-contact; official food-labelling guidance explains that distinction. The guidance is cited for the principle, not as a statement of Thai labelling law.

Ask about shared utensils, equipment and preparation surfaces where relevant. Do not use a small taste to test safety, and do not assume removing a visible ingredient makes the remaining food suitable. Staff need the chance to say clearly when they cannot meet a request.

Make group meals easier before they start

Tell your companions which dishes must remain separate and use clean serving utensils. A well-intended spoonful of a shared sauce can undo a carefully checked order. Our mixed-appetite table guide helps establish those boundaries without turning lunch into a negotiation.

Contact the restaurant before a special visit when ingredient requirements are central to your plan. The contact page is the right next step for current answers. Clear questions are not being difficult. They give both you and the kitchen a better chance of agreeing on a meal you can genuinely enjoy.

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