Miss Saigon Restaurant

STYLE: Vietnamese
Dress code: Smart casual
ADDRESS: 3RD FL, CENTRALWORLD, RAJDAMRI RD, BANGKOK 10330 Tel: 0-2613-1088

SETTING:
The spiffy, clean, user-friendly layout reflects this restaurant's location in a new shopping mall.

FOOD:
Some great, some OK. Miniature masterpieces - which are also visually stunning - appear as highly recommended fresh salmon spring rolls, steamed and sliced into six bite-sized chunks, each sporting a thin white mushroom in a cluster of mint and lettuce leaves, and wrapped in a finely sliced blanket of cold salmon. Wrapped grilled pork ball is a classic, with thin slices of pineapple and a fan of lettuce. Grilled salmon set lines up four rectangles on skewers made of lemongrass, served with a bowl of soothing shrimp and onion soup, plus three tiny plates of condiments. Purple cabbage roll with shrimp resembles a dark purple painting as it displays four, bold wraps of vegetable and rice noodles, but the flavour is too heavily dominated by the cabbage.

Le Dalat Indochine Restaurant

STYLE: Vietnamese
Dress code: Smart casual Reservations: Recommended for dinner
ADDRESS: 14 Sukhumvit Soi 23, Bangkok 10110 Tel: 0-2661-7967-8
SETTING:
A charming Thai house filled with blue and white porcelain pieces and Vietnamese bric-a-brac.
FOOD:
Fresh leafy vegetables with bean sprouts, herbs, chives, chillies, fresh lime and garlic served with a selection of prawn, fish and meat in a do-it-yourself wrap is a fun and tasty way to start any Vietnamese meal. Add chargrilled brochettes of beef in wild betel nut leaves, plus a flute of shrimp and herbs rolled and fried until golden brown, and perhaps one of the assorted selection of spring rolls, either fried or fresh, and all prepared to perfection. Then follow with one of six delicious soups on offer and there is almost no room for any main dishes. Nonetheless try charcoal-grilled pounded pork served with a myriad of condiments or charbroiled spare ribs marinated in a lemongrass seasoning and perhaps sacrifice the desserts if it all becomes too much.

Le Dalat Restaurant

STYLE: Vietnamese

Dress code: Smart/casual Reservations: Recommended for dinner

ADDRESS: 47/1 SUKHUMVIT SOI 23, BANGKOK 10110 Tel: 0-2260-1849, 0-2258-4192

SETTING:
A one-time private home now holds small dining areas as well as outdoor seating amid a garden, making for an intimate, tranquil meal. Le Dalat's sister restaurant, Le Dalat Indochine, is in the same soi, but nearer the top.

FOOD:
Not an adventurous menu as might be found at some of the newer, international-minded Vietnamese restaurants in world capitals, but what is lacking in innovation is made up for in a consistency developed throughout the restaurant's 20 years of operation. Banh yeo, Vietnamesestyle crepe, represents a standard that will not disappoint and perhaps exemplifies the cuisine's successful marriage of Southeast Asian ingredients with French cooking methods. The pork balls of nem nuong cook up a bit fatty, which is typical of this dish, but when wrapped in a rice-paper lined lettuce leaf and further enhanced with the assorted herbs and greens that are a part of most Vietnamese meals the tastes and textures get nicely evened out. For a seafood dish consider cha ca thang long, Hanoi-style fried fish with dill. Desserts will tempt, for example fried bananas in sago.

Gialong Cuisine Restaurant

STYLE: Vietnamese/Thai
Dress code: Smart Casual Reservations: Recommended
ADDRESS: 6th Fl, Central World, Rajdamri Rd, Bangkok Tel: 0-2255-9654, 0-2255-9656

SETTING:
Gialong can be rather difficult to find if you are not a frequent shopper at Central World, so make sure you call in advance for the exact location. The decor is in white and green, and contemporary rather than Thai or Vietnamese in style.

FOOD:
The eclectic menu offers both Vietnamese and Thai favourites, but wise diners will look east to the tastes of Saigon and Hanoi. for a Vietnamese dish, try goong pan oi (prawns wrapped around sugarcane), or yum moo your if you feel like something a little more spicy and Thai. And because Vietnamese fare is so light, there should be enough space for grilled chicken and deep-fried sticky rice, grilled beef wrapped in chaplu leaves, not to mention pho, the traditional Vietnamese noodle soup. A basket of fresh vegetables comes with the dishes, while the sauce is replenished once it runs low. Desserts are limited.

Delices Restaurant

STYLE: Vietnamese
Dress code: Smart Casual Reservations: Not necessary
ADDRESS: 20-20/1 Ruamrudee Village, Soi Ruamrudee, Bangkok 10330 Tel: 0-2675-3991

SETTING:
The restaurant is situated at the Ploenchit end of ruamrudee Village but has yet to gain the popularity of some of its neighbours. The style is simple and clean with some bamboo adornments to add a little touch of Vietnamese ambience.

FOOD:
Sesame crackers with sweet and sour sauce and salad leaves with a sweet chili sauceare served to munch over while diners review the menu that shows exactly what to expect with each dish. Start with Vietnamese style tacos, a crispy sesame seed wafer packed with soft cheese, shredded lettuce and processed pork. Vietnamese soup and noodle dishes (pho) with either chicken, beef or shrimp are delightfully tasty and can be spiced to taste from the selection of garnishes and chilli sauces. Tamarind soft-shell crab presented with chives, dried red chillies and fried garlic offers a full-flavoured, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside, experience. The dessert menu is not extensive but given the plentiful presentation of the main dishes, this does not seem to matter.

Dao Vien Restaurant

STYLE: Vietnamese
Dress code: Casual but no shorts Reservations: Recommended
ADDRESS: Baan Silom, 653 Silom Soi 19, Bangkok 10500 Tel: 0-2266-7812
SETTING:
Dao Vien boasts a modern and spacious layout with high airy ceilings. An open kitchen adds colour to the room.
FOOD:
The overall attention to flavour is higher than many similarly priced Vietnamese restaurants in town. Lotus root salad, a seasonal offering, is a wonderfully refreshing starter combining crunchy sliced raw lotus roots, roasted peanuts and liberal handfuls of herbs with succulent pork slices and fresh shrimps in a clear, tangy dressing. Four Season plate presents fresh spring rolls and prawns on sugar cane alongside outstanding crispy fried spring rolls stuffed with peppery chunks of chicken, bean vermicelli and wood ear fungus, and juicy grilled pork balls. Another incarnation of the hot appetisers as a main course is grilled pork balls, grilled pork and fried spring rolls served atop delicate strands of fermented rice noodles. Dao Vien's only dessert is a lovely flan-like Vietnamese custard with a dark, slightly bitter caramel sauce.