I’m a Thai food junkie and Chicago is just the place to fuel that addiction. I’m sure you could go to a different Thai restaurant every day for at leas a year, that’s how many Thai restaurants there are in the city. One place in particular that I have passed quite often but had never been in was Vong’s Thai Kitchen. I think I’ve always stayed away because it is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant and the prices are much higher compared to authentic Thai restaurants – entrees are around $15.00 versus noodle and rice dishes under $10.00 at most places. That being said I decided to give it a try for lunch.
The restaurant itself is rather nice, not big, crowded and noisy
like most Lettuce places but spacious, warm and inviting. We decided
to try the lunch special at $13.95 per person for 2 or more people,
which comes with a shared salad, 2 entrée choices and 2 desert
options. It was nice to see that the entrée choices were from the
entire menu, not a small limited selection. We started with a
vegetable salad that was tossed in a light curry sauce/dressing. Our
entrees included the Panang chicken, which was creamy and fragrant
served with peas, peppers and snap peas that were unfortunately a
little too over cooked. We also tried the traditional Pad Thai with
shrimp and chicken, which was good but also typical.
For dessert, we concluded with a warm chocolate cake served with a coconut sorbet and a sweet fruit soufflé. There was more than enough food so that I was able to bring a doggie bag back to the office. Like most Lettuce restaurants I feel like Vong's provides accessible ethnic cuisine - good but not that exciting. I may not return to Vong’s Thai Kitchen on my own, I usually don’t like to spend $20.00 on lunch. However, I would certainly return with a client and expense account as the atmosphere was very conducive to calm and conversation.
Vong's Thai Kitchen
3 W. Hubbard St.
vong's is certainly not the most authentic thai you'll find in the city, but as with any chain, you know what you're getting and that in and of itself can be comforting. one thing VTK is good for: catered lunches for clients. they're more equipped than mom & pop thai places to handle a crowd and make the presentation nice. also, if you're dining in, their desserts are great - i've had the ginger creme brulee and the mango sushi roll. both fantastic!
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