Situated within an easy walk from the mouth of Soi Ruamrudee, Delices is a two-story eatery decked out in a cheery tricolor scheme: bright cream ceiling, orange walls and pink tablecloths, while the dark-wood furniture gives the much-needed contrast. In a town that has surprisingly few decent (or affordable) restaurants serving Vietnamese food, then Delices makes a good, if not overly exciting, starting point, featuring all the usual suspects. Fortunately, for those unfamiliar with the cuisine, there’s a comprehensive pictorial menu for you to peruse and the staff are attentive and knowledgeable. The dishes arrive swiftly enough and come accompanied by the usual condiments: sesame crackers, a basket full of fresh greens, lime and ground peanuts. In terms of appetizers, the deep-fried crab stick wrapped in rice paper stuffed with crab meat and shrimp certainly has an impressive description but we expect more substance, and a little more flavor, from the filling. A better option is the summer rolls filled with shrimp and herbs. Served with ground peanuts and chili dipping sauce, it’s a great hunger-buster—just eat quick, as the rolls tend to set-hard pretty quickly. The charcoal-grilled pork brochettes wrapped with betel leaves are, however, ones to savor. They’re great for sharing and the pork is juicy and flavorful. The Quang noodles are also very tasty and light years away from the usually rather bland pho in terms of the flavors and ingredients. A perfect amount of yellow noodles, bathed in the mildly spicy thick broth which is further enlivened by the thinly-sliced pork and plump shrimps, sprinkled with deep-fried shallots. Given its convenient location, the decent Vietnamese food, and the well-trained staff we can understand why this place is always pretty busy. Corkage charge B300.
