Vientiane Kitchen- Experience North Eastern Culture

Centrally located on Sukhumvhit Soi 36, and just a short walk from BTS Thong Lo exit 2 is one of Bangkok’s most charming Thai-Isaan restaurants, Vientiane Kitchen.

ROB Review: VIENTIANE KITCHEN - View Gallery

About 150 meters down Soi 36, on the right hand-side, diners will find a large, open-air Northeastern Thai style building, with a cheerful and courteous wait staff- fluent in English, Thai and Japanese- awaiting their arrival.

Inside, the restaurant is two stories and decorated in an authentically Northeastern style—relaxed and sparse. They are open from noon until midnight, seven days a week.

Vientiane Kitchen has been open for 13 years and was renovated by its owner two years ago so that it could accommodate even more diners. Since that time, they have been serving up delectable Thai-Isaan/Lao cuisine and have become quite famous, especially with Japanese ex-pats, tourists, local Thai office workers and people celebrating special occasions like anniversaries, weddings, farewell and welcome parties.

Vientiane Kitchen got its name from the capital of Lao, which is a clue about the type of food to expect. For example, they have over 33 different kinds of som tam (spicy papaya salad)! The food is prepared by specialty cooks, with the “back of the house” divided into three kitchens—one specializing in salads, one fry kitchen, and another that does all the grilling.

All of the menu items served at Vientiane Kitchen come form original Isaan recipes, and according to the General Manager, the fare is hot and spicy. They don’t tone down the food to accommodate foreign tastes, unless guests specifically ask. For people who have trouble eating spicy food, there are many alternative dishes, like grilled chicken. The atmosphere is casual and diners can chose to either sit “authentically,”--that is, on mats on the floor at low tables--or at traditional table and chair seating.

Vientiane Kitchen offers guest more than just great food, it has unmatched atmosphere as well, giving dinners an authentic escape from the manic-metropolis. It’s truly a place for celebration, probably best experienced with a group. The staff especially love it when people come in to celebrate their birthdays, as they offer patrons a 10% discount, off of their food bill, as well as perform a Northeastern Blessing ceremony, called Bai Sri Soo Khwan, in which they tie a white string around the celebrants’ wrists, wishing them luck in the coming year. The entire staff sings happy birthday too! In lieu of a birthday cake, they have a special coconut jelly Thai birthday dessert, which they serve- for free- to the celebrating party.

Every night Vientiane Kitchen provides entertainment for guests. From 7:30pm until 10:30 pm guests can enjoy a Classical Thai Dancing Show, featuring 4 gorgeous dancers, and a 7 member Isaan-style, Ponglang, music band. And every night (except Wednesdays) sword fighters and Thai boxers perform their artful skills as part of the show.

Vientiane Kitchen’s menu features hundreds of dishes. Some of the most popular are the som tam poo pla raa, suki, and grilled/salted fish. The menu features a star-system, in which the most popular dishes are highlighted—including things like steak, seafood, fried rice and specialty dishes like the fried noodle dish, pad mee plai naa.

For diners with more exotic tastes, they offer ant egg and mushroom soup as well as the ever popular deep fried duck beak. Vegetarians will also be quite pleased with the number of non-meat items available, such as curries, fried vegetables and vegetarian spring-rolls.

When celebrating, drinks can be almost as important as the food. Guests can either order from an extensive selection of beverages, including cocktails, whisky, and beer. Notably, Vientiane Kitchen serves Beer Lao. Should guests bring their own beverages, there is a 300THB corkage charge.

Vientiane Kitchen also offers home delivery service and has banquet and catering services and accepts all major credit cards.

ROB Review: VIENTIANE KITCHEN - View Gallery