The Great Parisian Plate Debate

37, Rue Tiquetonne, 75002
Tel. 01.42.36.57.92

Vieng Siam is a Thai restaurant in Paris’ second arrondisement with all the typical décor one has come to expect from such establishments: chopstick packets on the table, a disco ball hanging pendulously from the ceiling, statues of various deities adorning a flat surface, overpriced Thai beer at the bar, and little wicker containers holding secret condiments.
The food followed the lead of the décor, in that it was typical. To be fair, I don’t know if I’ve ever had any type of Thai food that has stood out from its relations, meaning Pad tastes more or less the same regardless of venue. Either this is indicative of my inability to discern good food from bad or its simply that Thai food is like a McDonald’s burger; that no matter the location, no matter the language you order in, it’s going to taste identical to the last burger. Consistency is the hallmark, and for that the McDonalds and the Thai restaurants do good business!
So you can probably guess from my words thus far that Vieng Siam is a decent place to address your Thai cravings. The total for three dishes, a couple sides of rice, and a bottle of wine was 44 euros total (15 euros per person) – above what I’d like to pay when visiting a dive Thai restaurant, even if it is located in the 2eme. However, that final number on the bill was skewed because we ordered a 17 euro bottle of wine which, in truth, didn’t deserve to cost 17 euros. I suppose if we were doing the Great Parisian Plate Debate with beer instead of wine, the number would have been more in line with expectations.