Bong Bonlai — Restaurant in Khan Chamkar Mon

It is a right-at-home cafe where I have frequented a few times. Usually for a meal and, to sit and read books. They have a tiny thrift shop within their building where you can find something old glittering and precious for you to take back home, mostly priced between 1 - 5 USD. At the front, there is a section dedicated for recycling. They also run an environment-friendly accommodation service. In between all these, a big enough yet small enough library to cater readers and charm a child to lift a book from the shelves. We can dine in the library, basking in the smell of the books and food together. In fact, a decent size table of eight people, is placed rightly beneath a hanging bright light and in the middle of the four-walled book shelves. There, in that space provided by that generous table, I have experienced beautiful communal engagements taking place - a guitar mentor plucking and singing together with his students, an old person who cherishes his food and the books in solitary, two persons sharing their thoughts on arts, a lively-lovely group of old and young people having good meal and conversation! I wonder what else great is taking place in my absence. And yes, there is a turquoise pool too:) Everything comes together harmoniously - with a delicious plant-based food:)

It is, perhaps, in some sense a...

I ventured to Bong Bonlai with high hopes, lured by the promise of a unique Vegan Mediterranean fusion menu. Regrettably, my visit proved to be a series of letdowns that I cannot overlook. Uninspired Culinary Creations: The dishes I sampled, including the 'Margherita' pizza and the 'Incredible Burger', were lackluster and lacked the culinary creativity that I was enticed by. The flavors were muted, and the food did not live up to the tantalizing descriptions on the menu. The additional costs for what are typically standard toppings felt unjustifiable, especially when the base items failed to deliver on quality and taste. When dining out, especially at a place that boasts a specialized cuisine, one expects the price to correlate with a high-quality dining experience, which was not the case here. An empty restaurant often speaks volumes, and the lack of diners during peak hours added to a disheartening dining experience. It raises concern about the establishment's popularity and customer satisfaction. In light of these factors, I cannot recommend Bong Bonlai. The discrepancy between the enticing menu and the underwhelming food, coupled with the unwarranted pricing, leads me to advise potential diners to temper their expectations or seek out other establishments for...

Stayed here and tried several menu items.

The beetroot flafal wrap with tzatziki is exceptional. Maybe the best vegan wrap I've had and the first time I've found vegan tzatziki. I will be returning just for this.

Wedges were okay.

The matchas, hot and cold were very underwhelming, initially it was very watery with no flavour, after adding more powder it was apparent the matcha was not very good at all, maybe look at trying a different brand..

Breakfast, pancakes with jam and chocolate were disappointing. Way too sweet to enjoy, too small, pancake batter wasn't that nice, maybe add banana to the batter..

Avocado toast with beans. Nice, tasty, could do with more onion/garlic and a larger portion or additional peace of bread/hummus on the side as it wasn't substantial as a meal.

The room. Nice, very quite and peaceful, smelt nice though the bathrooms are a bit outdated and mouldy.

The service and staff are super friendly, attentive and helpful and speak good English. The landscape is beautiful and art museum concept is quite unique. Well done to the owner. I'm looking forward to returning and trying...