Awesome New Vietnamese Restaurant

[Danlo]

Is Vietnamese food very different to Thai food ??

[Jingthing]

Is Vietnamese food very different to Thai food ??

Yes, but a lot or even most of the Vietnamese food in Thailand is not so different. Unfortunately.

The distinct flavors of Vietnamese food come primarily from: mint leaves, coriander, lemon grass, shrimp, fish sauces (nuoc nam and nuoc cham), star anise, ginger, black pepper, garlic, basil, rice vinegar, sugar, and green onions.

OK, it doesn't sound so different and maybe to someone without a lot of experience with different Asian cuisines might not taste the difference so much, but it really is.

If you start to eat Viet food in Thailand though, even if you are sophisticated, you still might not get the big difference, because the Viet food here is so commonly adjusted to the Thai palate.

Edited March 10, 2011 by Jingthing

[PattayaParent]

Vietnamese food is not spicy like Thai food and there's a greater variety of dishes available.

[Jingthing]

Keeping this thread alive, I ate there again and tried their Nam Nuang (or Nem nướng in Vietnamese). My only other experience with this dish has been about three times at Vientiane restaurant in Pattaya. I never had it in the US as for some reason it isn't a common dish at Vietnamese restaurants there. So I can compare directly between this 3rd road Vietnamese place and Vientiane restaurant.

Picture of typical Nam Nuang; not from either place mentioned

Price -- about the same, Vientiane is probably a bit higher by now

Atmosphere -- big win in my book for the 3rd road place, I like the casual locals vibe while I find Vientiane too touristy

Side items, rice paper, vegetables, leaves, spices, dips etc. -- small edge to the 3rd road place

MEAT -- BIG edge to Vientiane, I am sorry to say.

My issue with the meat is purely subjective but to my taste the pork thingies at the 3rd road place tasted rather strange, somewhat FERMENTED, too fatty and greasy yet served coldish. Unpleasant actually, almost off but I don't actually think it was rotten. The other construction stuff served to somewhat hide the unpleasantness of the meat but as I don't eat Nam Nuang very often, I won't be ordering it again at the 3rd road place.

Caveats: I am no expert on Nam Nuang. I just know what I like and what I don't, and meat that tastes fermented doesn't please me. For all know, that flavor may be the more authentic one, but I don't care.

Otherwise, I very much like the 3rd road Nam Nuang restaurant. It is definitely a Thai style Vietnamese restaurant but they have a decent sized menu and I'm sure most everyone who likes Thai and Vietnamese food can find dishes to enjoy there. I am a fan but sadly not of the their Nam Nuang meatballs.

For beginners to Nam Nuang, I do recommend Vientiane restaurant, South Pattaya, located here:

http://www.farangfriendly.com/Company/Vientiane-Restaurant-Pattaya-South-Road-53943.aspx

Edited November 22, 2011 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Oh, one other note. They now DO have a pho type dish at the 3rd road place. But it is PORK pho (ugh) and the menu picture won't tempt you if you're looking for real pho. First time I have ever seen a pork noodle soup called pho anywhere. I wish they hadn't.

Edited November 22, 2011 by Jingthing

[jehricaholic]

I went there last week, not realizing there was a thead on this place. Very disappointed: A Vietnamese resto with no beef noodle soup? I had the pork version of the noodle soup and it was very similar to the stuff from the road soup stalls. The springrolls were tasty, but I was not impressed enough to want to return to explore their menu further, and I live only 5 min walk from them!

Edited November 23, 2011 by jehricaholic

[Jingthing]

I went there last week, not realizing there was a thead on this place. Very disappointed: A Vietnamese resto with no beef noodle soup? I had the pork version of the noodle soup and it was very similar to the stuff from the road soup stalls. The springrolls were tasty, but I was not impressed enough to want to return to explore their menu further, and I live only 5 min walk from them!

I understand your reaction but the place really doesn't pretend to be an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. It is openly Thai style Vietnamese.

Edited November 23, 2011 by Jingthing

[Satcommlee]

Is this it?

[Jingthing]

Phat Phuc?

Phat Phuc actually translates in Vietnamese as Happy Buddha.

[BugJackBaron]

I went there last week, not realizing there was a thead on this place. Very disappointed: A Vietnamese resto with no beef noodle soup? I had the pork version of the noodle soup and it was very similar to the stuff from the road soup stalls. The springrolls were tasty, but I was not impressed enough to want to return to explore their menu further, and I live only 5 min walk from them!

I understand your reaction but the place really doesn't pretend to be an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. It is openly Thai style Vietnamese.

I guess that begs the question as to whether or not a "genuine" Vietnamese restaurant exists in Pattaya or elsewhere in Thailand. Even in America, I am not sure what it is that attracts people to Vietnamese food.....

[jehricaholic]

I went there last week, not realizing there was a thead on this place. Very disappointed: A Vietnamese resto with no beef noodle soup? I had the pork version of the noodle soup and it was very similar to the stuff from the road soup stalls. The springrolls were tasty, but I was not impressed enough to want to return to explore their menu further, and I live only 5 min walk from them!

I understand your reaction but the place really doesn't pretend to be an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. It is openly Thai style Vietnamese.

I guess that begs the question as to whether or not a "genuine" Vietnamese restaurant exists in Pattaya or elsewhere in Thailand. Even in America, I am not sure what it is that attracts people to Vietnamese food.....

If Canada, half way around the world, can have good Vietnamese restaurants why cannot Thailand, a stones throw from Vietnam. I guess its because Canada has had a very generous immigration policy in the past, allowing Vietnamese to come and start their own authentic restaurants. Thailand, on the other hand, wants to keep other cultures out and thus can only do a poor imitation of other peoples food.

[Jingthing]

I went there last week, not realizing there was a thead on this place. Very disappointed: A Vietnamese resto with no beef noodle soup? I had the pork version of the noodle soup and it was very similar to the stuff from the road soup stalls. The springrolls were tasty, but I was not impressed enough to want to return to explore their menu further, and I live only 5 min walk from them!

I understand your reaction but the place really doesn't pretend to be an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. It is openly Thai style Vietnamese.

I guess that begs the question as to whether or not a "genuine" Vietnamese restaurant exists in Pattaya or elsewhere in Thailand. Even in America, I am not sure what it is that attracts people to Vietnamese food.....

I reckon when you see a place packed with mostly Vietnamese people, and they all look super happy with the food, that you've found a genuine Vietnamese place. Quite common in some US and Canadian cities, etc. What attracts people to good Vietnamese food? That's a pretty bizarre question to people who love it. Let me check ... it tastes delicious, it is often very light and relatively healthy, lots of fresh veg, etc.

[Whyowhy]

Here is an honest, no BS review of the 2 Vietnamese restaurants in Pattaya, 'Vientiane' on Pattaya Tai and the newcomer 'Porn Nam Neung' on 3'rd road. I visited both places for dinner this week, first visit to Vientiane and second for 'Porn'. I have previously reviewed 'Porn' a few months back and I can now say that I was a bit harsh on then.

If Vientiane had a heyday it must have been long ago, the cavernous space was deserted on a Saturday night. The menu is expansive but surprisingly sparse with Vietnamese items, mostly starter type items. They don't even have anything resembling the famous Pho soup. Anyways, with the exception of excellent spring rolls, the (Vietnamese) food sucks. I ordered 2 dishes which tasted identical to each other, both bland and tasting like boiled bean sprouts even though there was a varied assortment of pork, seafood and vegetable ingredients within. Epic disappointment!'Porn' has much better food both in terms of variety and flavoring. They have a rather lacklustre Pho (no Beef though), but at least they have most of the garnish that goes with it. Their pork spring rolls were almost as good as Vientiane (slightly cheaper, similar flavor, but did not hold together as well), their dipping sauce was authentic whereas Vientiane used sweet chile. I also tried the fried sticky rice balls which another poster mentioned. They should have come with a dipping sauce but they were quite unusual, very filling for 30baht but delicious. I will definitely add this place to my weekly routine.

Edited March 25, 2012 by Whyowhy

[Jingthing]

Vientiane was never a Vietnamese restaurant per se! It's a place with a varied menu, Lao food, Thai food, western food, and a FEW Vietnamese dishes. A very few. Including the very popular in Thailand dish nem neung. I thought the nem neung there was good compared to the 3rd road place. Honestly, I haven't been to Vientiene restaurant in a good while, and it is entirely possible that it has gone downhill. I thought it was best when it was on 2nd road years ago. What a cool spot that was back then.

Anyway, to repeat, NOT a Vietnamese restaurant.

Saigon Cafe in Central Mall IS a Vietnamese restaurant. It's got some decent things on the menu and the food is mostly more Vietnamese style than Thai Vietnamese style. That said, they wouldn't compete in San Jose or Paris. But really pretty good. For example, the bun bowls with grilled chicken and Viet egg roll. Yummy. Their Pho is NOT good.

Edited March 25, 2012 by Jingthing

[Exsexyman]

Porn Namg Neung is excellent. Anyone looking for something a little different should give it a try.

[Jingthing]

Porn Namg Neung is excellent. Anyone looking for something a little different should give it a try.

Again, not to overly diss, I have had some delicious food there that were other dishes that did not have funny tasting meat. But it DID taste just like Thai food. So as the place isn't local to me, I wouldn't go there for THAI tasting food as I can easily get that more conveniently.

Edited March 25, 2012 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Edit time ran out:

I think there is a good chance that the pork sausage meat for nem neung is SUPPOSED to be FERMENTED. Fermented meat is just something that seriously isn't to my taste. To me, it's a sickening flavor. Nem neung is very popular at Thai style Vietnamese restaurants in Thailand but it is not a Viet dish I ever ate in the U.S. So this might be a case that the dish was perfectly fine, but just too weird a taste for me. I want to be fair. But it tasted fermented to me, so if you don't mind that, more meat for y'all!

[Whyowhy]

Porn Namg Neung is excellent. Anyone looking for something a little different should give it a try.

Again, not to overly diss, I have had some delicious food there that were other dishes that did not have funny tasting meat. But it DID taste just like Thai food. So as the place isn't local to me, I wouldn't go there for THAI tasting food as I can easily get that more conveniently.

It seems to me that the appetizer type foods are more authentic than the mains (springrolls 100% authentic and the rest look authentic in the photos). They seem to be missing the boat when it comes to self-device sauces, no hot or Hoisin sauces, just the same routine Thai fare. No reason not to have beef, even an MBK foodcourt kiosk in Bangkok does a decent beef Pho.

I don't know why the west does a better job with the mains, I know our many Viet restos in Canada are all owned and operated by Viet immigrants, I guess that's a big reason.I don't mind the pork sausage (or luncheon meat as I like to call it) but it's overused and I've never seen it in western Viet mains except as a starter on it's own.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Whyowhy

[Jingthing]

Pork sausage is one thing. FERMENTED pork sausage is another.

[Whyowhy]

Pork sausage is one thing. FERMENTED pork sausage is another.

I used to work in a deli so for me fermented processed meat = gone off, we'd always have to slice off and bin the first slice on a daily basis from every deli meat product. I can imagine it tasted disgusting.

[AbeSurd]

Porn Namg Neung is excellent. Anyone looking for something a little different should give it a try.

I've been eating there regularly for over a year and the standard of food is still very good. Mind you, I always stick to the dishes I like...

Mee-gat-tee, the noodle dish with the brown sauce is great (note it is NOT a soup), the last item on the menu. I've never had anything like it anywhere else.

Ban-aud (or Bun-aud), meat and fresh herbs wrapped in rice sheets, with a dipping sauce, is great.

Their Nairm Neuang is not quite as good as Mair-Sri-Ruan's but it's fine. I'm not wild about Thai pork balls but they're okay. I love the fresh herbs and diced fruit and vegetables you get with this dish, and the spicy sauce.

There's one more dish, similar to the Ban-aud, which is very good. Can't remember the name.

Edited March 26, 2012 by AbeSurd

[Jingthing]

I'll go back and try some other dishes.

Anyway, back to the nem neung pork sausages, some googling hasn't really given me a definitive answer on whether this meat is SUPPOSED to be fermented, or not. Let's face it, fermented is a fancy word for culinary rotten. Vietnamese and Thai do use some fermented food items including fish sauce (which I like), fermented crab, and yes fermented pork sausages. Perhaps what I got was authentic and just too authentic for my palate, perhaps it wasn't, perhaps it was just garden variety ROTTEN in a bad way, perhaps it isn't always like that. But I won't order it again there because I don't know.

Mair-Sri-Ruan? Where is that? Is their nem neung fermented?

Edited March 26, 2012 by Jingthing

[AbeSurd]

Mair-Sri-Ruan? Where is that? Is their nem neung fermented?

I know of two Mair Sri Ruan restaurants in Pattaya. One is at Big C 'Central Centre' on Second Road. The other is just round the corner from Porn Namg Neung. It's on Pattayaklang, about 50 yards east of the Third Road / Pattayaklang crossroads, on the south side of Pattayklang. Opposite the Flying Vegetable restaurant.

The Mair Sri Ruan restaurants basically serve Thai food. Nicely prepared, in pleasant surroundings. I would recomments their laab muu. However they also serve nairm neuang. And it's better (especially the pork balls and the spicy sauce parts) than Porn Namg Neung's. About the same size portion and about the same price, the last time I looked.

Fermentation? I know nothing!

[Whyowhy]

Mair-Sri-Ruan? Where is that? Is their nem neung fermented?

I know of two Mair Sri Ruan restaurants in Pattaya. One is at Big C 'Central Centre' on Second Road. The other is just round the corner from Porn Namg Neung. It's on Pattayaklang, about 50 yards east of the Third Road / Pattayaklang crossroads, on the south side of Pattayklang. Opposite the Flying Vegetable restaurant.

The Mair Sri Ruan restaurants basically serve Thai food. Nicely prepared, in pleasant surroundings. I would recomments their laab muu. However they also serve nairm neuang. And it's better (especially the pork balls and the spicy sauce parts) than Porn Namg Neung's. About the same size portion and about the same price, the last time I looked.

Fermentation? I know nothing!

I tried the P. Klang location (south side) last week, nothing Vietnamese about it, the Thai food is nothing special with the exception of their fried Squid: great flavor, good portion and terrific light fish & chip style batter. Almost across from the Flying Veg resto (north side) which has delicious fried duck with fresh garlic & black pepper, the best duck dish I've ever tasted aside from Peking duck.

[Jingthing]

I think the Mair Sri Ruan place (I think the wrong spelling) is a place I used to order satay at. Aren't they also still in Big C, 2nd road?

So do they have nem neung or not? Nem neung has become a Thai standard of sorts so I wouldn't surprised.

Don't recall they had fried squid. Good tip.

About the Flying Veg resto. They are a chain right? There is the tourist area 2nd road one and I think I recall a north road one. I have noticed the one on Klang is much better than the 2nd road one.

Edited March 27, 2012 by Jingthing

[AbeSurd]

Almost across from the Flying Veg resto (north side) which has delicious fried duck with fresh garlic & black pepper, the best duck dish I've ever tasted aside from Peking duck.

Each to his own.

"Fried duck with fresh garlic & black pepper" on the face of it doesn't appeal to me, but perhaps it's great.

I ate a couple of times at the Flying Vegetable several years ago and didn't like the food so I never went back.

[Jingthing]

Flying Central road has a squid dish stir fried with bean thread noodle that I like.

[AbeSurd]

I think the Mair Sri Ruan place (I think the wrong spelling) is a place I used to order satay at. Aren't they also still in Big C, 2nd road?

So what exactly is 'wrong spelling' when you're transliterating Thai, pray tell (ha ha)? Yes, they have satay muu which is pretty good. Yes, as I said, they're also on Second Road.

So do they have nem neung or not? Nem neung has become a Thai standard of sorts so I wouldn't surprised.

They did the last time I looked.

[Jingthing]

I think the Mair Sri Ruan place (I think the wrong spelling) is a place I used to order satay at. Aren't they also still in Big C, 2nd road?

So what exactly is 'wrong spelling' when you're transliterating Thai, pray tell (ha ha)? Yes, they have satay muu which is pretty good. Yes, as I said, they're also on Second Road.

So do they have nem neung or not? Nem neung has become a Thai standard of sorts so I wouldn't surprised.

They did the last time I looked.

Thanks. By wrong spelling, I mean they have their own English name for the place and I don't think you got it close enough, as you can't google the way your wrote it.

[Whyowhy]

Almost across from the Flying Veg resto (north side) which has delicious fried duck with fresh garlic & black pepper, the best duck dish I've ever tasted aside from Peking duck.

Each to his own.

"Fried duck with fresh garlic & black pepper" on the face of it doesn't appeal to me, but perhaps it's great.

I ate a couple of times at the Flying Vegetable several years ago and didn't like the food so I never went back.

They have an extensive menu, I started to explore it but soon realized that most of the dishes that I am geared towards are underwhelming, so I just stick to the same order every time: the duck, a ground pork/fish ball rice noodle soup (I pick out/eat the duck, discard the peppercorn & garlic chunks, and dump what's left into the soup) and a Fanta = 150 baht.

Edited March 27, 2012 by Whyowhy