SIGNATURE DISHES

Fresh spring rolls Banana root salad Lotus root salad (seasonal) Four Season plate Pho hot pot

SETTING: Dao Vien boasts a modern and spacious layout with high airy ceilings. An open kitchen adds colour to the room.

FOOD: The overall attention to flavour is higher than many similarly priced Vietnamese restaurants in town. Lotus root salad, a seasonal offering, is a wonderfully refreshing starter combining crunchy sliced raw lotus roots, roasted peanuts and liberal handfuls of herbs with succulent pork slices and fresh shrimps in a clear, tangy dressing. Four Season plate presents fresh spring rolls and prawns on sugar cane alongside outstanding crispy fried spring rolls stuffed with peppery chunks of chicken, bean vermicelli and wood ear fungus, and juicy grilled pork balls. Another incarnation of the hot appetisers as a main course is grilled pork balls, grilled pork and fried spring rolls served atop delicate strands of fermented rice noodles. Dao Vien's only dessert is a lovely flan-like Vietnamese custard with a dark, slightly bitter caramel sauce.

WINE: No wine is served but beer is available.

SERVICE: Ranges from inexperienced but polite to attentive and knowledgeable.

PRICE: Two people can dine well for about 1,000 baht, minus wine.