Le Gong Kum is one of the very few restaurants in town that has a sizable menu of authentic Vietnamese food. Many of the others don’t even use beef, which if you’re at all familiar with Vietnamese cuisine is a bit ridiculous. It’s tucked into a corner of the Suan Doi House hotel in a leafy garden, and despite being right off Huay Kaew is perfectly quiet. The website says “the decoration in this restaurant is [a] combination between Vietnamese and Chinese Style in Modern with [as] comfortable atmosphere as you sitting at your home,” but it feels more like you’ve been shrunk down to fit in a dollhouse. The ceiling is a little too low and it’s full of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai tchotchkes along with flowery pink junk and inspirational quotes on the walls. The music box-style soundtrack is icing on a strange cake. Despite all that, if you’re looking for good Vietnamese food besides just pho this is pretty much the only place to go.
