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Comment Archives: Locations: Restaurants: Thai + Vietnamese: 5 Stars

Re: “Phuong Restaurant”

Yes!

Posted by Paul Cheney on May 16, 2013 at 10:53 AM

Re: “Phuong Restaurant”

You can taste the love they have for the food they prepare.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by artrogue on March 15, 2013 at 5:10 PM

Re: “Phuong Restaurant”

I have eaten lunch here several times and have been completely satisfied on each visit. The service and food are excellent. You will not be disappointed.

2 of 2 people like this.
Posted by gophish on March 13, 2013 at 11:05 AM

Re: “Phuong Restaurant”

We eat at Phuong at least once a week. It is very good, very traditional southern Vietnamese food. The pho is tasty and the broth very flavorful. My favorite is the rice vermicelli with grilled beef and egg rolls. Another excellent option is the house special fried rice. It's loaded with diced carrots, peas, and Chinese sausage.

For something out of the ordinary try the bahn xeo, a Vietnamese fried pancake made from rice flour stuffed with shredded cabbage, onions, and a variety of other fillings. The bun bo hue is another standout dish. It looks intimidating since it's swimming in chili oil, but it's not really that hot.

Service can be slow, but it's worth the wait. Phuong and her husband are from Belgium and they don't speak English very well, so there can be a language issue. Feel free to practice your French, though.

4 of 5 people like this.
Posted by Charles Robinson on March 12, 2013 at 12:15 PM

Re: “Mi Xao”

Huge portions, affordable prices, delicious food, and great service. What more could you ask for?

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by joshl725 on February 19, 2013 at 12:29 PM

Re: “Fire Street Food”

Service is just kind of meh. Atmosphere also leaves something to be desired, as the tables are kind of cramped in the very narrow space.

The food, however, is outstanding and reasonably priced. Best curry this side of Calhoun. Working on King street, I eat here at least once a week.

Posted by queenofthefoodage on February 14, 2013 at 4:06 PM

Re: “Fire Street Food”

My husband and I had food from here twice for takeout and once to dine in (in the span of about 2 weeks). We've tried a variety of the items on the menu, and everything has been terriffic. The service was more than fine the time we ate there. I highly recommend the Pad Thai and the Laos Egg Noodle Soup with Braised Pork. You can't beat the food for the price! It's one of our new favorites.

Posted by Colleen on February 13, 2013 at 2:48 PM

Re: “Fire Street Food”

Great food for a great price.

Posted by Michaela Cooper on February 13, 2013 at 2:12 PM

Re: “Bon Banh Mi”

Damn tasty food. Try Bon Banh Mi only if you want some food that excites your taste buds. Every sandwich and taco is packed with tantalizing flavor. Service is quick for takeout, and they do deliver downtown. Parking sucks on Spring street.

Posted by Rokko on February 7, 2013 at 10:03 AM

Re: “Taste of Thai”

My new favorite, recently discovered, take out spot! I order out and get the basil rolls, green papaya salad, and chicken curry - all are great! They have a nice dining room and one day I'll make plans to dine in.

Posted by Jessica Tims on January 27, 2013 at 5:57 PM

Re: “Bon Banh Mi”

Got a bag of sandwiches to go and they were amazingly good. Great spot, cool people.

3 of 6 people like this.
Posted by ryanh on September 14, 2012 at 8:16 PM

Re: “Bon Banh Mi”

Congratulations Jason & Jeremy! ! I agree best bahn mi in town! Thanks Aaron Richard for the great compliments on the bread! To find out more about your new village baker, check out this facebook link! https://www.facebook.com/ilpanedivita

1 of 2 people like this.
Posted by charlestonpane on August 29, 2012 at 9:01 PM

Re: “Bon Banh Mi”

The folks from Street Hero have finally opened up a brick and mortar location just off King Street and we are so glad they did. If you have had the pleasure of enjoying one of their Banh Mi's at the Charleston Farmer's Market, you now have the good fortune to enjoy these any day of the week (except Monday). The store is clean and bright and the staff was on top of it when we joined them for dinner. Everyone was engaging and passionate about what they were doing and it came through in the finished product. There is beer and wine available as well if you want to stay a while.

This little sandwich bar makes it simple to enjoy the Vietnamese specialty of Banh Mi. Their menu is straight forward - choose a vehicle for delivery of amazing flavor and then choose what it will be filled/topped with. They offer salads, but we opted to sample a variety of their tacos and traditional sandwiches. The tacos are double wrapped corn tortillas griddled to a nice exterior texture. They were good, but we both felt that the corn flavor from the tortillas was a bit too prominent in the dish, robbing a little from the otherwise delicious filling. But the bread....oh man the bread. According to the owner, their rolls are baked by someone local who shall remain nameless. I would compare the rolls to the texture of a Cuban bread, thin crusty exterior and a pillowy-soft interior. I noticed when Jason was assembling our sandwiches he even pulled out the center of the roll, an often overlooked step that is so important. Both incarnations came with the same array of fresh condiments, including pickled carrots and radishes, lots of fresh cilantro and basil, spicy mayo, and a crunchy topping of fried onions.

We tried their 'fillins' of country pate and ham, five spice pork, red curry beef shortrib, and ginger lemongrass chicken. The flavors of each were unique and bold, and it's nice that they offer such a range because each of these really provides a totally different experience texturally. The beef shortrib was so rich and tender, I wanted a bowl of it. The pork was very nicely spiced, but it is a ground meat so we didn't love this one as much due to the lack of structure in the sandwich. The chicken was juicy and had a great flavor, bright with lemon and ginger, but lacked the richness we love so much in a Banh Mi. Which leads us to the winner - the pate and Vietnamese ham combo was our favorite as a cohesive sandwich. This was truly a perfect Banh Mi in the classic way. If you have never had one before, I would start here to get the baseline of what this sandwich is supposed to be. All of the other variations are done very well and it is well worth your time to sample the whole gamut.

5 of 9 people like this.
Posted by aaronrichard on August 17, 2012 at 7:43 AM

Re: “Pick Thai”

Five stars! Everything is wonderful. Try the desserts!

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by alteredstate on July 1, 2012 at 7:59 PM

Re: “Thai House”

I keep going back. Today, for lunch, I started with the wonderful Thai-style hot wings that were dripping with a SPICY red pepper sauce. As a main dish I jumped into a plate of Thai-hot stir-fried basil with chicken and brown sauce. Excellent. The brown sauce by itself would be a great dish. My dining partner, not the most adventurous diner, opted for the veggie fried rice and declared it the BEST in the Charleston area. And believe me, she has sampled that dish in almost every Asian restaurant around. This place is in the same strip center as the new Kohl's in West Ashley (across the street from Home Depot). Go. Try. You'll love it.

2 of 2 people like this.
Posted by Guy on March 13, 2012 at 3:43 PM

Re: “Pho #1”

The best and now only place for delicious pho.

Posted by Jasonian on January 9, 2012 at 7:53 AM

Re: “Pho #1”

awesome, i have tried 4 different items on the menu and each one was amazing! they are very friendly, just make sure to bring cash!! Best place for a unaxpensive, delicious and healthy lunch or dinner.




1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by erinsloan on January 8, 2012 at 9:58 PM

Re: “Tasty Thai & Sushi”

I have now eaten here on two occasions and been impressed with the dishes that I have ordered. My last trip here I enjoyed Pad Thai. It was prepared perfectly, the peanuts on the side so that you added as little or as much as you wanted. The spices were perfect the right blend, this is what Pad Thai is supposed to taste like. I really wonder why people are still waiting in line at the other Thai restaurant downtown. At least here you can taste the seasoning in the meats (they don't pre-cook the meats).

I know I'll be going back here again!

Posted by Jayman on November 5, 2011 at 10:55 AM

Re: “Basil”

Basil does not take reservations and so we thought if we got there before 7:00 we might not have to wait. Not so much. The restaurant was packed and there was a 20-25 minute wait. When asked if we preferred outside seating to inside we said that it didn’t matter and our time was moved up a bit. While window shopping our way through King Street the phone rang and our table was ready.

We were seated at one of the six four-tops outside the restaurant. Small planter boxes and Tiki torches adorn the patio (and help to keep the bugs away!) I thought it was going to be very warm with the heat wave we’ve been having, but much to my surprise there was a lovely breeze and it was a wonderful way to people watch as we waited for our server to arrive.

Our server was very attentive, but not intrusive. He was easily able to answer questions about the menu and made a few suggestions as well. We ordered our appetizer of Fresh Basil Rolls and continued to peruse the menu.

In sleuthing their website this morning not only is Chef Suntorn an accomplished chef, but he has also traveled the globe. His career started in Bangkok, Thailand and he has worked in England, Paris, United Arab Emirate, Miami, San Francisco and Boston. The site doesn’t say how he landed here in Charleston, but we’re just glad he did.

In a bat of an eye our appetizer arrived and we placed our dinner order. The Fresh Basil Rolls were simple and beautiful. The “house sauce” was a spicy sweet concoction (Chef Suntorn’s house sauce) with ground fresh ginger floating on top. The Basil Rolls were delicate and had an incredible fresh flavor that was only enhanced when dipped in the sauce. I hoped that dinner would be just as good. The website said that all of the dishes and sauces are not made ahead of time but are authentic and made from scratch. We could really taste the difference.

Our entrees arrived after we had finished the Basil Rolls and had a few minutes to relax. Perfectly timed, our server delivered the Pad Thai and Crispy Red Curry Duck.

From the website I learned that Pad Thai is the national dish of Thailand. Who knew? It is rice noodles stir-fried with chicken, shrimp, eggs, bean sprouts, scallions and a Pad Thai sauce. On the plate as a garnish was freshly shredded cabbage, carrots and cilantro with a lime wedge for good measure.

Having lived in Boston for many years and many bad winters the need for “lunch delivered” was paramount. Often times we ordered “Chinese” and there was a Pad Thai option, which in no way even remotely resembled what I was served that evening. My dish, which I asked for a little spicy was exquisite. Not greasy, not oily, with fresh ingredients and a flavor that just jumped off the plate.

My husband is a big duck fan and Basil’s Crispy Red Curry Duck more than met the mark. Listed on the menu as Chef Suntorn’s Signature Dish it was a boneless half duck that is deep fried with vegetables and red curry sauce. It is also served with a small container of freshly steamed white rice that was very, very hot.

The duck was tender and the dish overall was one of the best duck dishes that he’s ever tasted. Both of us were full quickly, but continued to graze a bit before throwing in the towel. I am a tad embarrassed to admit that some of my Pad Thai was a breakfast reheat this morning…

I had originally said that I wanted to scout out Charleston’s hidden restaurant gems when I started my blog. Although based on the crowd and the waiting line, I am late in this discovery, but nonetheless, Basil is a gem. Look for their third location to open in Mount Pleasant this summer. I know we’re looking forward to it.

Posted by susieg on June 5, 2011 at 5:12 PM

Re: “Pattaya”

We LOVE Pattaya. They make a Chicken Country Soup that heals every cold I get. The atmosphere isn't much but the food is fantastic!!

Posted by Little Nell on February 26, 2011 at 8:15 PM
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