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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Thien Duong Vietnamese Restaurant


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Thien Duong @ the Dusit Thani


While TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) promotes Thailand as the World’s Kitchen in its recent years campaign, Bangkok gradually became a worldwide gourmet capital, gourmet from around the globe must be able to be well prepared in local eateries. One of four major Asian cuisines is Vietnamese, besides Chinese, Japanese and Indian. Vietnamese cuisine has planted a long root in Thai food culinary arts; while some Thai dishes may be influenced by the Vietnamese, some may be familiar to each other.


Without a meal of Vietnamese food couldn’t make my gourmet tour in the gourmet capital, Bangkok, with satisfaction. Luckily we were therefore arranged to sample one of the best hotel’s Vietnamese food in Bangkok, at Thien Duong in the renowned 5-star Dusit Thani Hotel. Classic and classy a mix of French and Vietnamese was the first impression when I entered the restaurant, so I expected the price was not easy. Browsing at the menu the food variety was essential and surprisingly the price was much below a 5-star hotel restaurant should have charged. One of the friends on our dining table had extensive knowledge in Vietnamese food as he had 2 Vietnamese (ex)girlfriends in San Francisco for a total of 10 years. So we let him decide our dinner that night.

Before any eating action, a chilled Fresh Lemongrass Juice couldn’t be missed, but my friends preferred some Red Wine. Well it did make good sense to have red wine to accompany a journey of Vietnamese dining as taste was quite strong since heavy use of herbs, deep-fried onion flakes, and spices were popular in Vietnamese cooking.




The first order was the Thien Duong Khai Vi B260++ (a 4-kind hors d’oeuvre of Goi Cuon or fresh spring rolls, Bo La Lot or beef wrapped in Good King Henry leaves, Chao Tom or fried minced shrimp on a sugarcane skewer, Nem Nuong or charcoal grilled pork balls). It was wonderful to have these combination to start the dinner.

Further we had Cha Gio B210++ (deep-fried spring rolls stuffed with crabmeat, shrimp, and pork), eating them wrapped in lettuce with more vegetables and Dipping, therefore there was a big bowl of Fresh Vegetables (Thai basil leaves, holy basil, mint, fitweed, lettuce, and cucumber) being served; the taste was aromatic enough but the freshness of meat was not overpowered by the seasoning, the chef simply made a good balance in the ingredients and her skill.

Came after cha gio were, Goi Ngo Sen B170++ (budding lotus stem salad with shrimp), taste was difference from the yum (Thai salad) with inviting taste of sour and sweet; Banh Cuon Thit Lon B250++ (steamed Viernamese rice flour sheets filled with minced pork and shrimp), a popular dish on Vietnamese dining table; and (5) Bun Hoi (grilled pork marinated with lemongrass and herbs served on a bed of steamed vermicelli), pork was so tender and tasted good with full aroma from the herbs, however, Thien Duong version did not serve with Cha Gio of which usually included on the dish. Followed were the waitperson's recommendation, Thit Thien Duong B360++ (lemongrass skewered beef tenderloin with green peppercorns) and Chim Bo Cal Chim Goin B550++ (deep-fried pigeon dipped with black pepper salt and lime juice); however, not impressive. The supposed to be tendered beef tenderloin turned out a bit hard-to-chew, and the pigeon had lost the taste of the naturally sweet of the bird instead full of a deep frozen accent and seasoning.

Pho, the Vietnamese flat noodle in soup, is always my favorite dish when dine in a Vietnamese restaurant. So I didn’t miss the Pork Pho B170++ (Vietnamese rice noodle soup with pork meat) and the Chicken Pho B170++ while beef pho may be more popular among Vietnamese diners. Canh Chua B195++ (Vietnamese fisherman's soup with prawns, mussels, fish and mushrooms) was a delightful substitute for something other than pho.

For desserts we ordered Banh Dua (green tea custard with sesame wafer), and Cheo Thong (mung (green) bean with tapioca). Both were not outstanding but good point was they were not too sweet compared to Thai desserts.

Thien Duong and the Dusit Thani have an extensive selection of wines for diners.




Thien Duong Vietnamese Restaurant ***1/2
Upper lobby, Dusit Thani Hotel Bangkok
946 Rama 4 Road
Bangrak, Bangkok, Thailand
Tel.: 02.236.9999
Thien Duong

Open daily : lunch 11:30 am - 2 pm, dinner 6 - 10 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 1,500


48 comments:

Stella said...

Your blog becomes more and more fancy and impressive.
The foods here look good but I don't recall I eat them though.

Anonymous said...

HI Blogger, please keep up your good work! I got some good comments on your posting of the food. This one is very nice. I like photo of the grilled seabass! See even a compact camera can take a good photo.

Stella said...

Maybe we can try this one next time.

Stella said...

Yes, the camera is just one thing. The photo skill, the heart and passion of the writer are all factors to the success of a blog.

Anonymous said...

I am from Thailand but I did not even try 1/5 of those mentioned in your website. Would need to try later.

Unknown said...

I agree with you. My clients from Thailand also have the same comment. They rely on this blog to go for good food.

Thailand Club said...

yes, this food blog is tend to discover the HIDDEN GOURMET IN BANGKOK (as well as all over Thailand, in the near future) both decades old eateries and new establishments, your support to my food blog is the motivation to move on, stay tune ...

Stella said...

Most of my co-workers read your blog and impressed. This is the first time for most of them to read a blog. However, they are lazy to make comments. And most of them don't have gmail address. Keep up the good work. You have more readers than you know.

Thailand Club said...

they don't need a gmail account to make comment; just tick ANONYMOUS and leave a comment

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am trying to comment. I don't have gmail account so I am testing.

Anonymous said...

This really work. Thanks Mr. Club.

Anonymous said...

I will refer more people to read. My friend is going to Thailand this Summer partly because of this blog.

in the sea said...

Same for my sister's collagues, they told my sister they wanna go to BKK just for eating, even further after my sister commented. BTW, you can eat, walk around to check for anything interesting, even though you don't buy them. Then go for a drink, get relaxed. Then for a nice dinner, and of course a nice dessert. That's what we call it a day, and that's how I enjoy my time in Bangkok. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

You guys are right, Thailand has lots of good foods(yes I mean foodsss including Chinese, French, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean...). Mr. Club should have introduced this blog earlier so that I can save lots of money going to Bangkok instead of HK for the past 10 years. HK is good too in terms of high end restaurants(if money is not the issue). But Thailand is even better(as for the similar quality of food it costs a lot less). I like both HK and Thailand. But HK I kind of expect it to be good. But Thailand is unexpectedly good. Oh, also the overall friendly service and the girls.

in the sea said...

Well, mr. blogger, I hope you don't mind I post my blog link here for Mr. Anonymous to try the restaurant I posted for Hong Kong. http://whispalms.blogspot.com Actually there are lots of nice restaurants (not high end) in Hong Kong. Ok, I need to post more restaurants in Hong Kong. However, hotels in Thailand are better than Hong Kong.

Fillet-O Fish said...

Bangkok's Starbucks even have my favorite drink, iced chocolate, it taste even better than Bert's, the renowned French Cafe famous for the iced chocolate

Anonymous said...

Thank you "Sea" for posting your blog here, which I will read soon.
I think you and Mr. Thais Club shall exchange website on each other's blog so as to broaden your readers network. Also to benefit more people. This is like cross-selling for the benefit of all.
Thank you "Fish Fillet" for telling you have ice chocolate in Starbucks, Bangkok. US does not have that yet.

Thailand Club said...

yes, Fillet-O-Fish, I think Bert's and Angelina (from same French group) in Bangkok were missing the right formular, hope they will imporve in the near future, Angelin has my favorite cake but the iced chocolate just doesn't tasted right in her Bangkok outlet; how can Starbucks iced chocolate taste better than Bert's? but, it is the fact at the time being

Unknown said...

Your typing is as "good" as mine. (I saw you have 3 typos in your last comments.)

Unknown said...

right fillet-o and Tea, iced chocolate of Bert's was not impressive, but the cake and chocolate mousse in Angelina was delicious

in the sea said...

BTW, if you guys have a chance of going to Kuala Lumpur, try their Ice Chocolate with soy bean milk! It's so delicious. I couldn't find that combination in Starbucks in other Countries yet. Besides, soy bean milk is better than milk or vanilla. It's less sweet and also good for health. For those who love Iced Chocolate, you may wish to try the Drosta Cocoa powder as found in any BKK supermarket and mix that in your home. The can design is really nostalgic.

Fillet-O Fish said...

har, soy bean milk iced chocolate? must be interesting if in the sea recommend, I will try if I go to KL

in the sea said...

BTW, it's not on the menu. You need to specify it when you order it at the starbucks of KL.

Thailand Club said...

hey sea, is this because of many of them are on veggie diet?

Anonymous said...

I think some of the people are allergic to milk. Soy bean milk would be a good substitute, but I doubt the smoothness of the Iced Chocolate with soy bean milk. Anyway, people now are getting more health conscious. They don't mind it if it is not smooth enough.

Thailand Club said...

u r right anonymous, health diet, like me, even i enjoy eating, but i care my body shape too, so i am also on a healthy diet

i eat quite low carb at home, no sugar no salt low rice brain oil for cooking and ultra low olive oil for salad for home cooking, only indulge a bit when i dine out; however, i dine out a lot :)

i don't buy jeans or pants over 32", if i cannot wear it, then lose some weight

Anonymous said...

Mr. Blogger,
I cannot imagine you are a careful eater when eating at home. Do you really eat healthy at home?(If this is true it is good for you as you need to balance all those MSG you eat out.)
I always think you are at least 200 pounds with a big stomach. Don't be shy, 200-pound guy can be attractive too(becase I am the one).
From,
200-lb guy

Thailand Club said...

to 200-lb guy, yes, i eat very careful at home, since 1990

i am an ice cream lover, but i don't stock any ice cream at home

i am crazy for iced chocolate, but i drink only water, non-fat milk, infused peppermint tea or camomile tea, and fresh fruit low fat smoothie at home, no soft drinks, no canned juice, definitely no iced chocolate at home

you are right, since i eat pretty wild outside, i need a balanced diet at home

you know, my neighborhood supermarket call me mr. fish, but i actually a big time steak eater outside (not at home)

in the sea said...

Same for me, I don't have ice cream at home, and I don't eat ice cream in HK. In fact, I can't take ice cream now. It's too sweet for me. Mr. Anonymous, if you can find the Italian movie "IL POSTINO" (The Postman), go get it. You will see the charm of a person is not from the look, it is from the way he/she acts and expresses himself/herself. The look is just to make people feel good. So a clean look with pleasant outfit should be considered. However, over weight would mean an alert signal to health.

BTW, Mr. blogger, be careful with the mirage waist line. One of my friends told me "I still keep up with 28". However, he just squeezed his tummy upward. As time goes by, there goes a balloon. If you don't sit up or any work out on your tummy, then at least please massage your tummy from left to right with some mint ointment or whatever you feel like. It will help to some extent.

Stella said...

Hi 200-lb guy,
Both Blogger and Sea are very fit and slim and they are very health conscious; we have to learn from them.
They make me feel guilty. I have 5 kinds of ice cream in the fridge.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Thailand and Mr. Sea,
You did the right thing by eating light at home.
You are two of those gourmets who are in control at home to balance yourselves.
Wish my patients are as good as you two.
From
the Doctor

Thailand Club said...

in the sea, can i hv other people to massage my tummy instead :) hahaha

in the sea said...

Stella, 5 different ice cream in your fridge? As long as it's dark chocolate, it "may" be ok. But I doubt which ice cream brand has 5 different dark choco ice cream..haha. I recalled when I was in the States, I bought the Dreyer's low fat low sugar ice cream. My friend said I often bought this low and that low, even for coke, I bought the diet caffeine one. My friend asked "why don't you buy a bottle of water without sugar and caffeine". By the way, eat the vegetable first for every meal. Don't eat sweet or chocolate in empty stomach. If you are hungry, get an apple. Don't eat mango or any sweet fruit with an empty stomach. Papaya is also good. Then drink sugarless soy bean milk too. Yes, I found out sugarless soy bean milk can have the original flavour of soy bean.

Mr. Thailand Club, don't be lazy. Massaging by yourself will also help with exercising your arms and shoulders. It's not just massaging your tummy. Besides, do more housework by yourself. I don't like having any maid at home. Sometimes I find it a bit ironic. Some people go to gym but not work out there - just chatted or for other strange purposes. Then at home, they have their maids cleaning up the house. Cleaning is another good exercise. Haha, the Filipino maid association will for sure delete this message!

At last, don't go under-weight too. I will try to maintain my wasit line within a variance of +/- 0.5 inch and weight of +/- 1 kg.

Thailand Club said...

i am massaging my tummy when i type this comment, now i sweat

i understand no underweight, so i keep 71kg +/- 1kg with 32 waistline not over

in Stella's fridge (shall be Chris fridge!), her 5 favor of ice cream maybe be, 3-layer pork, pork knuckle with extra fat, cheese enhanced potato chips, artificial extra sweetened Napolitan , and chicken skill :) hahaha

Anonymous said...

Mr. Sea - you seem to care about health and money a lot. You and Mr. Thailand seem to eat a lot of different food. I thought you both are quite fat. but from what you write here, you too are not fat or you just comfort us because this blog is about food?

in the sea said...

Anonymous, eating is not to fill up your tummy. Just like what some people said - quality over quantity.

Thailand Club said...

right, not to overeat and do yourself a healthy diet at home

eat whatever u like, whatever u want, but don't forget the green, fruits, and less sugar, if possible exercise, then you won't get an explosive waistline, instead u will look as fit as Mr. in-the-sea, yes he is devil fitted

Anonymous said...

Vietnamese food does not have lots of varieties like Thai or Chinese dishes. All they have are Bun(the dried vermicelli usually served cold with fish sauce) or Pho(noodle usually served in hot soup).
I am from SF.

in the sea said...

I often share comments with Mr. Thailand Club about eating or cooking at home. However, as time goes by, our body's metabolism will become less efficient. We need to care about the food we take everyday. I'm not that devil fit. I think I told some of you that our body was created by the Creator in an indirect way, but embodied through our parents. If we don't do well with our body, it will be shameful to the Creator. Again, this is my alternate praying to the Creator. Besides, our body is already tortured in everyday life, we need to be good with it.

Mike said...

today a bit religious!

Stella said...

To Sea and Thaisclub,
My 5 flavors of Haagen Dazs are dark chocolate, chocolate chip, mint chip, coffee, strawberry and rum raisin(this is Chris only). I was told that Haagen Dazs ice cream has less sugar and more milk, which has all the daily calcium I need so I have to eat more.

To Anonymous 3:54 am,
You are half correct. "In-the-Sea" cares about health so he is very health conscious. However, he does not care about money excessively even though he is wise on how to spend money. He does not really care about money in the sense that he is not stingy or cheap, and he is not that money hungry. I think he is more hungry for food than for money. Money to him can be as light as "feather" and as heavy as "Tai Mountain", depending on the situation.

Anonymous said...

This is fun man. I enjoy all the photos of the foods and restaurants. I also enjoy the back-and-forth comments here. This is like buy one get one free to me.

Anonymous said...

In-the-Sea,
You are right. Your body is God's Temple so please respect it and take good care of it.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 3:54 am,
Both "Thaisclub" and "Sea" are slim and fit, clean and lean. I cannot believe they eat a lot and still in such a good shape. Life is not fair at all.

in the sea said...

Sorry for being on my philosophy. I just wanted to express my view as a person of no religion while I trust in the existence of the Creator. I think while the persons who are of religions can preach their religions, it'd be fine for someone of no religion expressing their own view. I don't think a religion should be dictative. Hope it's not offensive at all.

Stella, to me, Hagen Daz seems to use more egg york rather than milk. If using more milk, the texture should be lighter. Now I can only take their Choco and coffee or maybe green tea ice cream. Sometimes I would be naughty to have rum raisin.

Then about spending money, it is just a matter of what we spend. My friends think I bought something which may not be worth it. They said the Leica compact camera I bought is just a German brand of Panasonic Lumix, though I told them the lens is already a big difference.

OK, go back this blog topic. Think I will try it again as I didn't have a good experience for the last time I tried, same for Shang Palace. Really look forward to going to BKk soon.... Today I went for a Korean bento just for the kimchi and the appertizers.

Thailand Club said...

har Leica is a German version of Lumix? do they also say Carl Zesis is a German version of Sony? or the Volvo is a Swedish version of Honda? LoL they must be too young, maybe 15 yr-old about 5 years younger than us, not old enough to know the Leica history, the world first slr lens maker and still the most respected lens maker in the world, Panasonic just a customer from Leica

in the sea said...

Nope, that guy who commented on that is a fan of Canon cameras and he took a lot of photos. I think he is quite mature.

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now. Keep it up!
And according to this article, I totally agree with your opinion, but only this time! :)