VeLa Brunch & Thai — Restaurant in San Jose

great new thai spot! my mom found this restaurant and wanted to try it for dinner last night, and i'm so happy that we did! parking was kind of tricky, but the waitstaff mentioned there's more parking along E William st- just keep an eye out.

ambience and service: small restaurant with a very homey feel. we were seated promptly on sunday night by two very kind waitstaff, they were very attentive- recommending dishes, swapping our platesbetween courses, checking up and filling our glasses, and helped brush up my mom's thai 😆 we never had to call to ask for more water or for extra utensils, which was very nice.

food: papaya salad (laos style), spicy: delicious! the spice was addicting and the salad was nicely seasoned. i personally love my papaya saladfunky (the more padaek the better!) and VeLa's style is the perfect amount of funk and freshness from the crunchy papaya and long beans. my mom was a big fan of this, and loved the crabs they put in! we'll try the thai style next time. 5/5

hoi jor crab cakes served with plum sauce: a dish recommended by one of the kind waitstaff who took care of us, so good! the crispy shell was light and crunchy and the inside was filled generously with pork and crab lumps. the inside was seasoned beautifully, and super moist and tender. the plum sauce was very fragrant but a little sweet, though that might be a personal preference. 4.5/5

khao soi with fried chicken: amazing! generous portion of egg noodles with a sweet coconut curry broth, sliced fried chicken, crispy noodles, and pickled greens and onions. the egg noodles were on the softer side, but the chicken was beautifully coated and fried (not too thick on the batter) and the coconut curry broth was fragrant, creamy, and well seasoned. i was craving khao soi for a while and this satisfied the craving! 4.5/5

VeLa omelet: this was special. my mom saw this online and this is what we came for. I had a hunch this was a brunch item, but the waitstaff and kitchenstaff were so generous and made the item for us. the tomyum sauce was decadent, sweet, and had a little umami from the tom yum base and mushrooms, which complimented the crabs perfectly! the eggs were so velvety and smooth. great dish 5/5!

overall: the dishes we tried were all solid options and i'm excited to come back to try more, especially their...

Thoroughly enjoyed myself here! My partner happened to bring home a Pad Thai for me yesterday and it was so good I went back today to dine in. We ordered a variety of things and enjoyed each one! Every dish I got was delicious and the service was great. Will be coming back often as I...

Delicious food and amazing service! So glad that a new Thai spot opened up near us. Food came out quickly and they were super friendly. My favorites were the pad thai and nam khao. Can’t wait to come back to try...