When Andy Nguyen and Hang Pham opened Sen Organic Small Plate in a former doughnut shop in Richmond, VA, they did it with conviction. Everything served in their Carytown restaurant would be organic, all-natural, and locally sourced (wherever possible, anyway). Vegan options would abound, but if you craved meat or fish, you could order it knowing that theirs was of the non-GMO or wild-caught variety. The space would be bright and airy, filled with plants and Buddha statues and pretty white birdcages—a Pinterest mood board in the making.

They knew what they were doing. Nguyen’s parents ran a handful of restaurants in Vietnam when he was growing up; Pham, meanwhile, learned how to cook from her grandmother, who was born in the country during the French occupation. Together, they dreamt up a menu that highlights the best of healthy eating.

The Sen lotus salad is made with chopped lotus stems, pickles, pork belly, shrimp, dried shallot, Vietnamese basil, and ground peanuts, and served with crispy prawn crackers for scooping. The vegan bun hué is a fistful of rice noodles plunged in a tangy lemongrass broth with silken tofu, chewy dried tofu skin, tender mock beef, hunks of pineapple, fat oyster mushrooms, and crispy shallots. A bundle of rau thom (fresh Vietnamese herbs), bean sprouts, and purple cabbage are served on the side.

The best way to close out a meal here is with a Vietnamese coffee, layered with thick condensed milk, or the Sen Hydrated tea (dried Cogon grass, woody cane, nettle leaves, grass roots, licorice, and rock sugar steeped for five hours). The latter is at once detoxifying and totally addictive.

2901 W. Cary St., Richmond, VA; 804-355-0736.