Vietnam always brings fond memories — of downing bowls of steaming hot pho (noodle soup) and eating chunks of dragon fruit cruising on Halong Bay. While Patio 805 (yet another address-encrusted name) does not offer dreamy limestone cliffs topped by a rain forest, it does offer authentic pan Asian fare.
Founded by Nirav Rajani and his Vietnamese wife, Diep Vu Ngoc, Patio 805 offers Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Malaysian and Chinese cuisine. The fact that Patio 805 serves vegetarian food is big bonus for all those who carp about there not being enough vegetarian options in far-eastern cuisine.
Located in Jayanagar, the stone and green décor is pleasing to the eye and echoes the outdoorsy vibe of a patio. We start with Vietnamese bun nuoc soup where sweet, salt and sour blend excellent well with the delicate rice vermicelli while the lemongrass flavour is just strong enough to be noticed but not overpower.
- Ground Floor #805, 35th ‘C’ Cross Road, 4th Block Jayanagar,
- 8884999805
- Ambience: Minimal, contemporary
- Speciality: Vietnamese coconut rice, stir-fried water chestnuts
- Wallet Factor: ₹1,000
The Thai green papaya salad finds juliennes of carrot and papaya working well in a sweet and sour Thai dressing and oh for the crunch of peanuts! Stir fried water chestnut was the winner in the starters game. With a spicy Manchurian sauce, capsicum and onion, it was crisp as it was comforting. The deep fried Thai wonton looked like little golden purses stuffed with cottage cheese and sweet corn.
Let it not be said that we stuffed ourselves with fried comestibles. The Vietnamese rice paper roll stuffed with fresh cucumber, carrot, spring onion, coriander, mint and rice noodles was a delicate dream. And then there were the dim sums in their little bamboo basket — mixed vegetable and cheese. For the main course the Vietnamese coconut rice cooked in coconut milk was delightfully different from our south Indian version and went perfectly well with the five-spice curry.
Dessert was Nutella waffles, which was rather underwhelming. I should have opted for a Vietnamese coffee. So the next time you long for a trip down Halong Bay, take the metro instead to Patio 805.
