Sunday, March 06, 2011

Madame T Vietnamese Cuisine

We noticed that a new Vietnamese restaurant 'poped' up on Sukhumvit soi 23. But, you must really look for this place. The restaurant is not on the street level; so most people do not even realize that the restaurant is there. It is not 'in' the building rather it is connected to the building.

It is situated above the car park of the 'Sukhumvit House' apartment building (across the street from Pegasus...I am sure you know what that is, wink wink wink).


The restaurant is called; Madame T. We climbed the steps that led us to the first floor of the building. Once you step into the restaurant; the decor is what you notice right away; it is bright with white wooden tables & chairs; the walls have flower wallpaper and there were tons of paintings with the typical Vietnamese scene or women wearing the traditional Vietnamese dress. The atmosphere was easy going and comfortable. What surprised me was the place was packed and more & more people kept coming in.


The first dish was Fresh Spring Rolls. The fresh spring rolls were indeed 'fresh'. The ingredients were of bright colours and rich in tastes. Always a great starter to open up your taste buds.


The next dish was Deep Fried Spring Rolls. No one can resist Vietnamese spring rolls and the people at our table could not resist these indeed. The spring rolls were made with the sticky rice wrap (which I prefer). This type of rice paper gave the spring rolls a lovely crispy texture. The stuffing was abundant and tasty.


The next dish was Steamed Raviolis. The raviolis came in steamed white & blue rice flour wraps (unique), the stuffing of minced pork & mushrooms were tasty, the toppings of pork pâté & deep fried onions added nice texture & flavours.


The next dish was Sautéed Lemon Grass Beef. The beef was of good quality and tender. The lovely flavour of lemon grass was abundant. A nice & simple dish.


The next dish was Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab. The soft shell crab was deep fried to deep brown. The crabs was lightly crispy on the outside but very tender & soft inside. Soft shell crab is normally bland; so the sauce is really important...the sauce was a good combination of spicy, sweet & sour.


The next dish was Braised Pork Ribs. The pork ribs was tender and falling off the bone. The sauce was light but rich in flavour. I would have to say pretty good.


For dessert...Deep Fried Bananas. The beignets were nicely deep fried to a rich golden brown. The outside of beignets were crunchy & crispy and the inside, the banana was soft & hot. This was a very nice dessert.


Overall; I have to admit, I was very skeptical about this place. Actually; I am always skeptical about Vietnamese restaurants in Bangkok. I am normally disappointed with Vietnamese food in Bangkok. Simply; Vietnamese food is not very well represented in Bangkok. But, Madame T was not that bad! The food was fresh, tasty & well presented. The prices were very reasonable and the service was friendly but the junior service staff were a bit 'blur'.

Madame T is a good addition to Sukhumvit 23, where there are already a good number of restaurants to choose from.

Address: Sukhumvit House, 128/46 Soi Sukhumvit 23,
Bangkok 10110
Tel.: 2259 1127

1 comment:

prayer.t said...

i just discovered the best pho place in town at the MBK food court. so so good!