fresh mint

creative vegetarian thai/chinese food. we've eaten at freshmintseveral times since they opened. it is in a corner of a strip mall in thunderbird square on scottsdale road. the space is small, but bright and cheery.

the menu items we've tried have all been good to excellent. the summer rolls are a nice, light appetizer. i often get the green papaya salad (som tum/som tam). it is served with soy "beef" so eerily similar to the carnivorous version. hubby has gotten pad thai, broccoli "beef", and
vegetable chow mein. all of the meat analogs in their dishes are very good. i would imagine even non-vegetarians with a mildly open mind would enjoy the variety.

we like to go to this place for lunch because it is close to where we work. the prices are relatively cheap, with most things being $8-11. the only downsides are that the tea is weak (just get water) and the service can be very slow at times.

excellent vegan food. i'm a vegan who lives in london and spent some time surfing the net to find vegan friendly places while taking care of personal business in scottsdale for a few weeks in may. freshmintwas listed on another site and i went out of my way to find it. i arrived at 8:00pm (they close at 9:00pm) and was feeling a bit rough from some bad curry on the united flight the day before. the place only had a few evening diners; i ordered the braised aubergine and tofu along with jasmine rice and a jasmine ice tea. (too much ice in everything for my taste but then brits are used to having everything room temperature). the aubergines were excellent - i can never cook them this well at home and when i asked to hold anything spicy they said they could adjust any many to taste. the staff (i guessed the husband of the cook) was very accommodating and friendly and even told me how to get to whole foods up the road so i could gather some munchies to keep in my hotel. with the check came a funny stuffed animal to keep - i returned the next night and had the tofu kebabs for starters - all good with those delicios aubergines again - only exception was the brown sauce which was tasty but lacking something. for mains i had the tofu with green beans (both mains i had were under $10) and tried the brown rice which for my taste wasnt as good as the jasmine rice. they asked if i wanted another little toy with the check and as i'm travelling declined. i will return to this restaurant while i'm in scottsdale this month and hope to take a few friends there. the only problem i had was that it closes at 9pm - but then it seems like most of phoenix closes down at this time! havent made it there for lunch so dont know how busy it is then but it is a lovely little quiet spot for some very tasty food and i even think meat eaters would enjoy this place as the food is very flavourful. small mom & pop businesses should be supported in these times as opposed to the big corporate places. i think urban spoon have incorrectly categorised this restaurant as kosher - it might be kosher because there is no meat and dairy but it's more vegetarian. and the steamed veggies that came with both mains were the best i've ever had in a restaurant - not overcooked and not too al dente. really worth giving a try & although it might be expensive for a lunch spot - perfect for dinner.

you may never eat tofu again.. if i had been a vegetarian when i visited fresh mint, i would not be one now, strictly on the premise of not wanting to be associated with this poor excuse for food. freshmintis a slap in the face to those of the various veg persuasions.

the food is simply not worth the price. vegetables may not come cheap, but for the quality of preparation, the amount you will pay for lunch verges on criminal. never mind that the store itself isn't well taken care of or thought out. many of the tables are right next to the kitchen/counter. and the counter, when we visited, was covered in a layer of dust that i can only describe as fuzzy. freshmintserves an assortment of smoothies and other blended beverages, the mixers for which are pretty much in the dining area and make conversation impossible when running. my ears were ringing when we left.

our server was pleasant enough, especially considering how busy it was. why it was busy, however. that eludes me.

i did not find my appetizer good or bad. several people below me specifically objected to the summer rolls, but i've had both much better and much worse. it was the entrée that really turned me off, tasting of molasses and kikoman and vegetables that might have been in better shape last week. i could still taste it some hours after leaving the premises, as if the lackluster cuisine had followed me home. my dining companion expressed that she was in a similar situation.

nothing fresh about this place. imagine it, rather, wilted, sad and begging to be trodden upon.