So we finally made it to Viet Bangkok on Saturday, with Jenn, Matt, and Eric. Supposedly there was going to be some karaoke later, which blessedly, was not the case.

Overall the results were mixed: high highs of deliciousness, and low lows of no food.

The space is unprepossessing, with all sorts of kitschy crap on the walls. (As an aside, this is one of the things I often dislike about family-owned Asian restaurants. I've been to extremely glam places that don't look like this-- but the default decor for a new Thai place seems to be posters, masks, glass sculptures, and very bright lighting. In this case there were two giant lobster whose eyes lit up.)

With five of us, we seemed to somewhat overwhelm the waitress, who was the only person working front of house. There were three other tables, as well, two of which featured couples sitting side-by-side and staring out into the room. I've always wondered about that set-up... one of the couples swapped when they got their food and began facing each other; but the other couple just stared and stared... it seemed like they had little to say to each other. Just odd.

Back to the restaurant! My digressions are particularly bad in the morning.

For some reason, prior to going to the restaurant, I was under the impression that it was a Vietnamese restaurant that served Thai food... it's actually vice-versa. The posters of Thailand all over the walls eventually tipped me off (although after I ordered my Vietnamese entree). Eric and I ordered pho; Otis got some other type of Vietnamese noodle soup; and Jenn and Matt shared panang curry and sweet and sour chicken. We also got crab rangoon and tod mun (little fish cakes) as appetizers. We ordered fried wontons as well but never received them.

That brings me to the biggest flaw of this restaurant-- the food arrive completely intermittently and with huge gaps. Eric's pho arrived first; then about 5 minutes later Jenn and Matt's entrees; then Otis's; then about 10 minutes later, my pho arrived. Everyone else was practically done. (In fact, someone at one of the other tables received their food before me.)

This is just, simply, unacceptable. I don't think I need to elaborate, really. It just sucked. I was really hungry and forced to steal green beans from the panang curry.

However, some of the food turned out to be absolutely delicious. The appetizers were great-- the rangoon, obviously not a real Thai specialty, is nevertheless one of my favorites, and this was light and fluffy. The tod mun were flavorful and perfectly cooked. (I should note they are supposed to be very chewy, which Jenn didn't like).

Unfortunately, the Vietnamese entrees were mediocre-- not great, not terrible. My pho didn't have the rich beef flavor it should have; Eric did not receive his tendon; Otis missed out on one of the components of his dish too.

BUT... the Thai entrees were just outstanding. The panang curry with tofu was perfectly flavored, rich but not too heavy, and full of tons of fresh and crisp vegetables. The sweet and sour chicken, never one of my favorite dishes, wasn't excessively sweet at all, and the sauce had depth of flavor (rather than glop).

So, all in all, I will definitely get food from Viet Bangkok again, under certain circumstances: take out, and Thai only.

(I noticed on the menu that they have larb, which is a minced salad that, if done right, is one of my all-time favorite dishes. I'm going to try it and report back.)