Le Dalat Indochine, Sukhumvit, Bangkok

From Hanoi with love.  Le Dalat Indochine is a Vietnamese restaurant nestled towards the northern end of Sukhumvit Soi 23.  Housed in a converted 200 year old traditional Thai house, the restaurant feels more like an upmarket antiques store as you enter the front lobby area where there are two open rooms on either side. 

Tonight, Mr. P joined me for dinner.  The place was fairly busy and we hadn't made a reservation, but it wasn't necessary.  A friendly waitress dressed from head to toe in traditional Vietnamese dress showed us to our table by the window.  The dining room is one big room with two person tables, and larger ones for bigger parties.

The menu has photo illustrations of some of the dishes (which always helps when deciphering dishes one is not familiar with), and the head waitress was very enthusiastic in pointing stuff out to us.

We ordered the Vietnamese rice paper prawn rolls, along with beef pho and a grilled beef with dry rice noodles. 

A mini herb garden was brought out to us along with some pickled shredded carrot and turnip:

Our rice paper spring rolls were plump, the rice paper was thin and the sweet dipping sauce wasn't too sweet. 

The beef pho came as a three piece set: a plate of herbs and finely sliced pieces of raw beef; a bowl of noodles and veggies, and another small bowl of broth.  The latter of which sat atop a candle which was lit to heat up the broth for a minute or so. 

Once the broth was done, the waiter duly poured it into the bowl of noodles and veggies whilst we proceeded to add the beef and the herbs.

The stock didn't have the body that we were expecting.  It was too bland and to be honest, a little disappointing.  Mr. P and I agreed that this was not the best beef pho we've ever had. 

The grilled beef and dry noodles (sorry, can't remember the official name!?) was, on the otherhand pretty good.  Loaded with lots of different vegetables: cucumber, carrot, daikon, onions and so on, it was fresh and light.

For dessert, we chose the creme brulee, Vietnamese style.  I won't say what it reminded me of when it was brought to the table ... I am sure you can guess what I was thinking.

Mr. P took a bite and as we both looked at each other, he asked me if I thought the toffee tasted burnt.  It did.  And we didn't really enjoy it.

Service is very attentive here.  The bathrooms are huge with lots of wall paraphernalia and the like for you to amuse yourself with for a while. 

As I looked across at the dishes the other tables had ordered, I thought perhaps we had ordered badly.  There were delicious looking plates of seafood, shrimp on sugar cane sticks and other good looking morsels. 

I'd love to give this place another go, as a group rather than dining for two.  That way, I'd get to try more from the menu to really get a taste of what this place has to offer.

Le Dalat Indochine
57/1 Sukhumvit Soi 23, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel: +66 (0)2 6640 670
Nearest BTS: Asoke, exit 6. Take the steps on your left hand side down to Sukhumvit road. Turn left at the bottom of the stairs to walk along Sukhumvit road. Take a left onto Sukhumvit Soi 23 and keep walking for about eight or so minutes. Le Dalat Indochine will be on your left hand side.

HOURS
Open Daily:
Lunch 11:00-14:30pm
Dinner 18:00-22:30pm

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Pho 99 Vietnamese Delights, Singapore

When you think of Vietnam, what dish do you instantly think of? 

For me, it is the wonderfully fragrant phở bò, pronounced more like 'fuh', not 'foe' as I innocently thought many moons ago.  It is, as many of you probably know, beef noodle soup.

My Vietnamese butcher at the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, Australia told me that his mother would slow cook the broth for up to 24 hours.  I gasped when I heard this, thought it was a joke.  When he shook his head and told me that it was indeed true, I realised why he didn't seem keen on wanting to sell me any.  It's a labour of love for his mother and I am sure it is one fine broth.

Now armed with this knowledge, whenever I visit a place for some phở bò, I often wonder how long they have laboured over their stock.  Despite my romantic ideals, I doubt as long as my Melbourne butcher's mother.

I know for certain that I would not have the patience nor the inclination to watch over a broth for that long ... unless it was the elixir of youth and longevity.

Nevertheless, since leaving Melbourne, I have not had any phở bò and quite frankly, I missed it.  So when I read about this place over at Camemberu, well, I had no choice but to take my good self down there today.

It's on a street called Amoy and you can't miss the two big forest green awnings with the words 'Phở 99 ... Vietnamese Delight' in bright red and yellow respectively.

I arrived just after the usual mid-week lunch rush, 2:30pm and I was delighted to find that I had the choice of most tables.  I chose a table by the window looking back into the restaurant with a good view into the kitchen. 

You can see two girls washing dishes who casually glanced over when I took this photo;  one of them was singing a Vietnamese song and she had the most beautiful soft sounding, almost hypnotising voice.  The other two girls sitting down were preparing spring rolls against a huge backdrop image of beautiful Ha Long Bay.   

As I surveyed the lunch menu, the lady told me about the lunch special.  For $11.90 (no tax or service charge on top), I could have a choice of one of the six mains on offer with 2 pieces of deep-fried spring rolls and a drink.  Well, I was hungry and so I went for the obligatory phở bò with a homemade lemon barley. 

You get two table condiments here - chilli in oil and hoisin sauce.  You also get a plate of herbs: Vietnamese basil and sawtooth coriander; a wedge of lime and fresh slices of mostly de-seeded, red chilli.  My homemade barley in the background; refreshing, not too sweet and just what I needed to cool down.

I didn't have long to wait and when my food arrived, it was heaven.  My first phở bò in I don't know how long ... about six months I think?!

The soup was just lovely, the noodles were soft, the beef was tender and no gristle was present.  The hoisin sauce was just a tad sweet, not too much, just right.  Unfortunately, I went a little overboard with the chilli in oil, so next time I think I'll be a bit more conservative.  My only gripe - why no beansprouts?  I love beansprouts in my phở bò and sliced onion just doesn't cut it as well.  Still, I had no trouble polishing it off.

As for the crunchy, piping hot spring rolls, they weren't exactly hard to munch down either.  Light, crispy and non-greasy.

Lunch today was good and I want to come back for an evening meal already.

A couple of things to note: toothpicks are provided on each table, bonus.  No napkins though (like many places in Singapore that I have discovered), so bring your own.  And if I'm going to be really fussy, I'm not a fan of cutlery sitting upright. 

PHO 99 VIETNAMESE DELIGHTS

57 Amoy Street, Telok Ayer Conservation Area, Singapore
Tel: +65 9678 8735

HOURS
Mon-Fri: 10am-9pm
Sat-Sun: 10am-8pm

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Tia To, Melbourne

One may not automatically associate a casino with Vietnamese food, but the Crown casino has a Vietnamese eatery called Tia To located on the ground floor.  

Having been here a couple of times previously, I can say that I like this place for it's ridiculously close proximity to my front door - a mere five minutes or so walk; it's not too pricey, and service is welcoming. 

This place is an open eatery, meaning diners can sit and look out onto the gaming floor which is great for those who like to people watch and believe me, it really is fascinating watching gamers.  If I were to go back to my university days to write a thesis on the psychology of people, I would consider the subject of gamblers. 

Nevertheless, educational degrees aside, this place offers a generous array of sauces and dippings which sit neatly on a tray that adorn each table.  There's fish sauce, soy sauce, chilli sauce, chilli flakes, pickle, hoisin sauce and satay sauce.  Oh and not forgetting, a holder of toothpicks that all good Asian eateries offer.  Useful for picking out any awkwardly caught pieces of food, namely green herbs - not a good look if on a first date. 

My companion and I ordered a prawn rice roll each ($6.50 for both).  They weren't huge which was good, but they seemed pretty fresh and the sauce was thick and sweet with broken up pieces of peanut on top.  We both enjoyed them and looked forward to our mains.

As is typical with me, I wanted the beef pho noodles and those we got.  It took a while for them to come out, which didn't bother us too much.  But had we been starving, we probably would have been getting pretty cranky with me cursing expletives whilst picking my teeth with toothpicks for something to do...

Apologies for the blurred photo, but the thin slices of pink beef can be seen.  The rare paper thin beef slices were cooking naturally in the heat of the broth as they arrived.  Mmmm....

We mixed in the beansprouts, basil, chopped chilli and lemon juice which arrived before the noodles actually.  The beef was lovely, only I wish there had been more of it.  The soup was more beefy than aromatic though which was a little disappointing. 

It could have done with more oomph - I would have liked to have tasted more of the lovely spices that go into a good pho broth.  Pho-tastic it was not.  But it didn't stop me from gobbling up the beef, noodles and beansprouts splashed with spoonfuls of chilli sauce (which I think was Siracha - yummy!).

If I'm honest, I've had better pho broth elsewhere, but the rare beef slices are to die for!

The other dish we ordered came from Tia To's speciality dishes - 'Stir fried eggplant with dried shrimp and mince pork'.  All the speciality dishes come with a serving of white rice.  I rarely eat white rice (only when out and no other choice; even then, I eat only a couple of spoonfuls), but today, did I tell you I was famished?  Well, I was.  I had a good session in the gym and I needed to fuel back up, so I had four spoonfuls of rice...ooh, I was really pushing the boat out today!

Calories aside, this dish was lovely.  The eggplant pieces were deliciously soft and weren't bitter tasting at all.  The dried shrimp turned out to be fresh shimp, but we weren't complaining.  It was served on a bed of fresh iceburg lettuce and it wasn't too oily.  Overall, a great ratio balance of pork, shrimp and eggplant.  This was just what the doctor ordered and we polished it off with no complaints. 

Service was a bit slow today, not sure why as they weren't full.  But it has been better on previous occasions.  It may not be the best Vietnamese, but it's not bad and I'll definitely be back here for some more Tia To goodness.

Tia To
Crown Entertainment Complex, Main Gaming Floor, 8 Whitman Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Tel: +61 (0)3 9292 6989

HOURS
Sun-Thu: Noon-11pm
Fri-Sat: Noon-Midnight

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Thanh Nga Nine, Melbourne

Having been fairly healthy and watchful over my food all week, I was looking forward to eating out tonight.  Seeing as my dining companion and I were opting for something light and fresh, we unanimously agreed on Vietnamese. 

We took a short walk to take the 109 tram from Collins Street in the CBD and we were on Victoria Street in less than twenty minutes. 

Having been to the area twice before myself, I wanted to experience a new place tonight and boy are there a lot to choose from.  Walking up Victoria Street to choose a place to eat in, is a bit like being a kid in a candy store.  There is restaurant after restaurant, and unless one knows what they are looking for, it can be hard to decipher the good from the bad. 

So if a restaurant was packed, we saw that as a basis for 'it must be pretty good'.  I mean, who would eat in an empty restaurant during prime dinner time! 

We passed a few that we thought looked good and decided to go back to 'Thanh Nga Nine'.  It was heaving (which we of course saw as a good sign) and once we entered the restaurant, we were shown a table for two by the front counter. 

Sitting down, menu's were placed on the table for us to peruse right away.  As is the case in many (if not all) Asian restaurants, there was an overwhelming abundance of choice.  Feeling rather hungry, we quickly narrowed it down to a couple of things we were familiar with. 

We started with a 'King Prawn rice paper roll' ($8), followed by 'Beef Pho Noodle soup' ($8), 'Chicken in chilli and lemongrass' ($13) and 'Water spinach with garlic' ($12).

After having placed our order, we poured ourselves some tea from the flask that had graced our table when we arrived.  I also asked for a glass of tap water - which I have to say took a rather long time to arrive (and I had to ask twice for it).  When it finally arrived, it turned out to be hot water in glass!  Hmmm, never had that before when I've asked for a glass of 'tap water'.  Does 'tap' mean hot in Vietnamese?!  I don't think so....

Anyway, I didn't bother to make a fuss, I didn't want another long wait with the potential to get the wrong thing again. 

The condiments for our food arrived first - beansprouts and basil with lime wedge and fresh chilli slices for our beef pho noodles, and dipping sauce (nuoc cham) for our king prawn rice rolls.

The rice paper rolls arrived looking plump and well made.  Although they looked good, they were rather thin on the king prawn.  Those three pieces of prawn that you see in each one were actually halves as opposed to whole and the rest of the stuffing was cabbage, rice vermicelli and basil.  The dipping sauce was thick and gooey, and tasted pretty nice.  I've had better though and I guess you can tell I was pretty dissappointed with the small amount of king prawn.  In fact, we both were.

The beef pho noodles arrived in a big bowl.  We loaded in the beansprouts, basil and chilli with as much lime as we could squeeze.  Mixed the whole thing up and bravo, a yummy bowl of beef pho. 

We both agreed that the beef probably wasn't the 'raw slices of beef' that the menu had described, but rather more like pre-cooked slices of beef that had gone a bit tough.  The broth however was tasty and full of flavour.  

The 'chicken with chilli and lemongrass' arrived next and the waiter, who we think was actually the manager (due to being dressed in his own clothes as opposed to the dark red waiter uniform of the others) seemed a bit put out that he had to place the dish down, and then remove the finished prawn rice paper rolls plate.

Back to the dish though, the veggies tasted lovely with a subtleness of lemongrass.  Although I couldn't find any hint of chilli - in the dish or on my tastebuds.  The chicken was a little fatty for both our liking.  This was OK, nothing special.

The 'water spinach with garlic' arrived in the same manner by the same waiter as the previous dish.  The guy was obviously having a bad night or else is permanently rude.  Nevertheless, this didn't stop us from eating our meal.  Unfortunately for us though, these veggies were slightly overcooked and didn't have the crunchiness that they should do.

The food didn't blow us away, but then at $41 for the lot, I guess we couldn't expect it to.  Service was also off, which doesn't entice me to want to go back there again.  Unless they win an award for an amazing dish or improve their customer service with gold stars, this place isn't a winner dinner for me.  I thought it was only average.  And for a girl who loves to eat and likes to experiment in the kitchen, what do I know...

Thanh Nga Nine
160 Victoria Street, Richmond, VIC 3121
Tel: +61 (0)3 9427 7068

Hours: 10am-10pm Daily

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Thanh Thanh, Melbourne

Last night, I was back on Victoria Street and this time, I decided to try 'Thanh Thanh'.  A fellow foodie told me that her husband used to frequent this place with his Vietnamese friend as students.  His friend had highly praised it and they still continue to come here.  So of course, I wanted to pay this establishment a visit. 

Arriving just after seven o'clock, there were already throngs of tables full of delicious looking food and hungry diners.  Looking around, I noticed that there were students, couples and families.  I loved the fact that there were families in here with their young kids, it gave the place a friendly, cosy feel.

Sitting down, a waiter came over to place a vacuum flask of tea and two drinking cups down on the table for us .  He also gave us a menu each.  Everything is listed in Vietnamese and English, as one would imagine it to be. 

My fellow diner and I decided to start with some 'Rice paper rolls with prawn'.  At $7, we got four wonderfully rolled rolls!  The peanut and carrot dipping sauce had a smooth consistency that wasn't too gloopy nor too thin as to drip like water.  They were deliciously fresh and plump.

The main meal consisted of a shared plate of 'Rice with grilled pork chop' ($9) and 'Chinese broccoli with garlic' ($14). 

The grilled pork chop with rice was a generous portion, two pork chops on the bone and finely grated cucumber.  The pork chop was simply delicious.  It had a marriage of flavours - not sure what, but at a guess I'd say fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce and garlic.  I know they were whole chops, but I'm not a big fan of sucking meat off the bone and having to cut off fat.  Nonetheless, not exactly hardship for a delicious piece of grilled pork.

The chinese broccoli was equally as delicious.  Gorgeously green, they were juicy and crunch.  The roasted slices of garlic (which looked similar to sliced almonds) were beautifully golden and crisp (unlike the Cantonese style of cooking).  Although they were absolutely sublime, neither of us could polish them off and believe me, I tried my very best to.  We also left a lot of rice.

A truly filling and tasty dinner.  Not exactly a feast, but it really felt like it once we had finished.  We were both so full! 

You get free tea in a vacuum flask here, there are condiments of chilli sauce, soy sauce alongside a box of toothpicks on each table.  The staff were helpful when we were ordering the grilled pork - explaining that shredded pork is in fact the pork skin rather than the meat itself.  

A very pleasant experience and another good Vietnamese meal.

Thanh Thanh
296a Victoria Street, Melbourne, VIC 3121
Tel: +61 (0)3 9428 5633

Mon-Sun: 9:30am-10pm

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Co Dȏ, Melbourne

Victoria Street in Richmond is also known to some as 'Little Saigon'.  Having arrived there by the 109 tram from the city, I can understand why.  There is Vietnamese restaurant after Vietnames restaurants, Vietnamese groceries, Vietnamese butchers, even Vietnamese DVD stores. 

It really did feel like mini Asia in the middle of this city fringe suburb.  I was delighted to have discovered it and now know where to do my Asian food shopping which sell items cheaper than those in the CBD. 

Anyhow, back to lunch, my friend and I had decided to visit a place called 'Co Dȏ'.  This was chosen after having read a few online reviews, so seeing as we are foodie companions who are willing to try most things, we agreed to give this place a go.

Walking in, the air-conditioned restaurant was a welcome respite from the hot humid oven-like air outside.

The place is pleasantly decorated with laminate flooring, clean walls and unobtrusive lighting.

Each table is set with a tray of condiments - chilli sauce, soy sauce, fresh chilli, hoisin sauce and so on.  There are also plenty of eating utensils - chopsticks, spoons, sauce bowls and a box of tissues.

A waiter came along with a flask of tea with two cups and a couple of menus.  The tea had a lovely subtle sweetness to it. 

The menu is vast and seeing as everyone else had a bowl of noodles, we had to try the beef phở .  We decided to start with some prawn spring rolls ($7.50), beef phở  noodles ($8.00) and a dish that my friend had to have - sweet and sour chicken ($12).  Not my first choice, but it was requested with such enthusiasm - who am I to refuse a fellow foodie their choice of food?!

In pure Vietnamese tradition, a plate of fresh crisp iceberg lettuce, beansprouts and Vietnamese coriander accompanied by a bowl sweet dip was brought to our table. 

Our prawn spring rolls arrived soon after.  There were eight in total, but I forgot to take a photo before greedily digging in.  They were very non-greasy and cigar-thin like in shape, unlike traditional Chinese ones.  Wrapping them in the lettuce leaves and dipping into the sauce was oh, sooo good.

Next came the beef phở noodles.  It was made up of an aromatic soup, vermicelli rice noodles and ultra fine, paper thin slices of rare beef (which cook as they sit in the hot soup), chopped coriander, green and red onions.  The soup was absolutely gorgeous.  The beef was super tender and the noodles deliciously, well delicious! 

The sweet and sour chicken was a little yellow.  I think the batter had turmeric in it.  It was only just mediocre, I ate it out of politeness to my dining companion more than anything.  But then, I really am not a huge fan of sweet and sour.  It seems that so many non-Asians seem to love sweet and sour anything...

I really wouldn't order this again as I prefer to stick to more traditional Vietnamese dishes. 

Service here is pretty quick and the portions are generous.  I am intrigued to come back to try some more traditional dishes.  However, seeing as there are so many Vietnamese restaurants located all along this particular strip of Victoria street, I think I will have to pop into some others next time. 

Nevertheless, 'Co Dȏ' was super busy full of locals, bringing their families for a midweek lunch - always a good sign in my book.  If you want to sample Vietnamese and have a browse in some Asian groceries to stock up on your pantry, drop by 'Co Dȏ' and give it a whirl.  Just stay clear of the sweet and sour chicken.

Co Dȏ

196 Victoria Street, Richmond, VIC 3121

Tel: +61 (0)3 9421 2418

Daily: 9am-10:30pm

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