Review

For four decades this foliage-filled, century-old teak house has been home to one of Bangkok's oldest Vietnamese restaurants, Le Dalat. The name gives nod to the city once known as the Bois de Boulogne of South Vietnam, the restaurant's late founder Madame Hoa Ly's birth place. Now run by a third-generation owner, Le Dalat serves up royal Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh classics made from heirloom recipes immortalising Vietnamese traditions and memories through food. Stepping into the restaurant feels like entering a home with collections of generations of memories, grand teak furniture and bright art pieces that remind diners of the Vietnamese Belle Epoque. The menu is vast and served in an elegant style, even for street food classics such as pho. Dishes not to be missed are the combo, a platter of appetizers that includes fresh and fried spring rolls, cochinchine and pork brochettes, and pho bo imperial for which diners blanch succulent beef to their taste at the table. Another dish to share is my tho carp - bamboo skewers adorned with deep-fried crispy carp. A Vietnamese meal would be incomplete without renowned Vietnamese coffee enjoyed iced or hot. Each cup is served with creamy, sweet condensed milk which, when added, creates a rich, smooth caramel nectar of intense caffeine.