Vietnamese on Rama 4 Bangkok

[Trongpai]

I love Vietnamese food but never found anyplace in Thailand that had “authentic” Viet food until now. It’s just a hole in the wall, about 8 bamboo tables, on Rama 4 just around the corner from the Pinnacle at Nhamdupree. It’s on the south side of Rama 4, from the Pinnacle take a right and it’s right at the Rama 4 foot bridge. Very inexpensive, two of us ordered 5 dishes for 325B. The menu is not easy to despiser, phing rolls, photos help. The cook speaks pretty good English but he’s Vietnamese and seems not to speak any Thai. One of the waiters was Thai.

I know it’s authentic because back when I lived in USA I had a Vietnamese BF who would turn his nose up at anything unauthentic. USA has a pretty decent Viet population and getting the real thing there was not hard. I was visiting USA last year and was speaking to the owner of a neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant and I told him that I live in Bangkok and he said Bangkok must have the worse Viet food in all of Asia. He blamed the Thai labor laws and said that Thai cooks make Viet food with Thai ingredients and insist on cooking everything Thai style.

I don’t have a clue where this place is finding some of the food we had, I don’t see it in any of the specialty markets in Bangkok. Perhaps it’s all coming from Vietnam. There’s only about 10 items on the menu and certain days have certain dishes. It's new, opened about 2-3 weeks ago. I have been noticing a lot of customers.

[bao-bao]

Wow, thank you for the tip. I've made note of it and will check in there next trip. I hope it's still there by then!

[2lz2p]

Now if we only had one in Pattaya.

Sometime back there was a Vietnamese restaurant in Jomtien Complex (same owner that has the Vietnamese restaurant in Pratamnak, the Saigon Bistro in Central Festival, and Olivier) - the owner later changed it to the Hot Stone Grill and it has since closed.

I remember when I joined some friends for dinner who had friends visiting from San Francisco. One was Vietnamese. As we passed the place in Jomtien Complex, I pointed it out as being a Vietnamese restaurant and commented that it had the best Pho in Thailand -- the Vietnamese guy said really? and I responded, yes, but the problem is there is no good Pho in Thailand.

I have tried it at a few places and it basically is Thai noodle soup and is not served with the condiments you get in a Pho restaurant in USA (yes, there are a lot of Vietnamese and many opened restaurants).

I don't get to Bangkok often, but if I am there and stay at the Pinnacle again, I will try the place out (hopefully it will still be there). Thanks for the information.

[Trongpai]

Pho only on Mondays and it's closed on Sunday.

[lvdkeyes]

The pho at Saigon Bistro in Central Festival is like what we had in VN.

[2lz2p]

Saigon Bistro is the closest I have found of any of the Vietnamese restaurants I have tried in Thailand - at least it doesn't taste like Thai beef noodle soup as so many others do. The next closest is the VN restaurant in front of Furama Hotel on Jomtien Beach Road. It has been a while since I have eaten at Saigon Bistro, but the last time I was half way through my bowl before I noticed they had hot sauce and hoisen sauce on a side table - I quickly added that and except for not having bean sprouts was close to what I enjoyed in USA Vietnamese restaurants -- several of my Vietnamese friends say the Pho they get in VN is not as good as they get in USA (probably quality of ingredients is better in USA) -- I did have some when I visited VN a few years ago and had to agree with my Vietnamese friends opinion.

The place in front of Furama I liked for their other dishes such as Bun (when I was in mood for Pho there, I took a small container of the red hot sauce and hoisen sauce with me to add to the Pho) - I haven't been there for a while, last time I stopped, they were not open (it was around lunch time, so now maybe they are only open at night, I keep meaning to go in the evening and see if they are still in business).

Vientiane just off Pattaya Tai near Big C South has some Vietnamese dishes including Pho (more like the Thai beef noodle soup) - I usually order a dish, can't think of the name, but is meat kind of like a meatball except it is elongated, served with rice paper, leafs, mint, chopped garlic, etc. - wrap the ingredients in the rice paper and served with a dipping sauce.

There is also a Vietnamese restaurant on Sukhumvit just before you get to the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya entrance if going North - their Pho is definitely the Thai beef noodle soup variety - they also have the meat/rice paper dish - they also serve some Thai food - they are cheap (as I recall the Pho - small bowl - was around 25 or 30 Baht - the rice paper dish was around 90 Baht). No sign in English, the Sukhumvit side has a wall facing the road (no windows) with an open entrance (it is not fully enclosed and opposite wall is open to the outside) - if you come out BHP, walk to Sukhumvit, turn right past the Samsung shop - it is a short distance and you can see the tables inside through the open entrance - several BHP staff eat there for lunch. Not sure, but I don't think they open before 11am. I have only eaten lunch there so do not know if they are open in the evening.

Anyone else know of any Vietnamese restaurants here in Pattaya?

[Gaybutton]

Anyone else know of any Vietnamese restaurants here in Pattaya?

The Vientiane restaurant, just this month, opened a new branch out here on "The Dark Side." It's on Soi Neurnplabwan. I doubt many of you will make it out here, but it's way out here, close to the end of the soi, heading east. I haven't been there yet, but I doubt I'll be able to say much of anything other than how it compares to the other location because I really know nothing about Vietnamese food, so I have no idea what authentic Vietnamese food should taste like.

[lvdkeyes]

Vientiane is Lao food, not Vietnamese.

If anyone would like to make pho, I have a recipe for one that uses chicken in place of beef and it is quite good. If anyone seriously wants it let me know and I will post it.

[Gaybutton]

Vientiane is Lao food, not Vietnamese.

Yes, but they also serve quite a bit of Vietnamese food, along with Lao and Thai food.

I'd like you to post that recipe for Pho.

[2lz2p]

Yes, I would like the recipe also. The last time I was in USA, a close Vietnamese friend gave me a "fast" recipe for PHO (with chicken) -- I have made it a few times, but misplaced the recipe.

The bf wants to go to Furama tonight for VN food - so, will be my chance to see if they are open in the evening or have closed up shop.

Also, as GB pointed out, Vientiane has Vietnamese and Thai food in addition to Lao food.