Le Tonkin Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant — Restaurant in Borneo

In Vietnam, I could easily find a handful of ‘chay’ (vegetarian) restaurants and options in menus. I didn’t struggle finding pho, bun, banh mi etc over there.

This isn’t the same sentiment at this restaurant. Literally there were no vegetarian nor vegan options in the menu apart from the dessert. I couldn’t find the menu anywhere prior to coming here. They hand out tablets as menus, and so I took pictures just for reference for anyone who would want to dine here.

Anyways, because there were no vegetarian options, I asked the staff if they could adapt dishes that were possible - such as the noodle salad - which normally is served with bbq chicken or beef and a sauce on the side with fish sauce. I instructed them to serve the noodle salad without the meat, just replace with more vegetable toppings, and no sauce on the side. Thankfully they complied and I had something to eat! I found the portion quite good and filling. As this was just served as it is, no expected taste but I covered that with condiments on the side.

Due to the lack of alternative dietary options, this place has a two star for the food but not a one star as at least I didn’t receive any pushback comments “oh sorry we can’t do that” unlike some other restaurants. It would be great if they add dishes that are not with chicken or beef in it.

Condiments on the side included salt, pepper, fish sauce, chilli oil, pickled chillies, soy sauce.

Access to the restaurant isn’t disability-friendly, as one needs to go up the stairs.

We came during a busy lunch time so the restaurant was...

Usually busy during lunch and dinner, but doesn’t take long to get a table for two. They take reservations only for 6 pax or more.

Service was fast even when the place was packed. Food didn’t take long to arrive.

Edit: above review was written 2 months ago. I went back to this restaurant last night and was disappointed to say the least.

Pho portions has reduced significantly- less noodles, less meat, less of every single thing in the pho. Taste-wise? Bland. You couldn’t convince me that it is a Vietnamese restaurant.

Spring rolls? Too oily and again, nothing special. Had no idea what was inside, just lumps of flavourless filling. Banh mi was just a normal chicken sandwich. Bruneian-style.

Is this even still a Vietnamese restaurant? I hope it’s not changed to cater to locals’ tastebuds.

The place was still full and still needed to queue to get in, but I wouldn’t rush to go back. It’s not the same as it used to be when it first opened.

Also- local(?) waitress shouting and pointing rudely to direct customers to...

i recently dined at this restaurant and the food was genuinely amazing. everything we ordered was delicious and clearly made with quality ingredients. i have no complaints when it comes to the food—it really exceeded expectations.

however, there are two things that really need improvement. first, the whatsapp service is incredibly slow. messages are often left on read, and when they do reply, it sometimes takes days. in some cases, there’s no reply at all. it’s frustrating, especially when you’re trying to plan ahead or ask simple questions.

second, it’s very disappointing that reservations are only allowed for groups of six or more. we were a smaller group and had to wait a long time just to get the seating we preferred. allowing reservations even for two people would really improve the overall experience and make things more convenient for smaller parties.

amazing food, but i truly hope the service side especially communication and reservations gets...