Visits Thao’s Bistro
Our collaboration of completely local influencers, foodies, bloggers and vloggers, The Neighborhood, met up again to chat food, share stories, discuss the Wichita dining scene and of course eat some food. For our next meet up we were hosted by Thao’s Bistro. They are a Vietnamese restaurant located at 1825 S. Broadway that’s popular for their wide range of traditional Vietnamese dishes that include the more well-known dishes along with hard to find gems.
Five of us met up to try a variety of their dishes, take pictures and share our experiences to each of our various social channels. After all, what’s the point of meeting up for food if you’re not going to tell the world about the wonderful meals.
If you love following along with food adventures, here’s what all we had along with a description of each dish!
Our dinner began with Lotus Root Salad. This was a salad that consisted of sliced shrimp and pork, fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, lotus stems and topped with crushed roasted nuts. It was a dish that was new to half of the group but loved by all. There a vibrant and fresh flavor to the salad. It came with a thin airy cake of some sort (I didn’t get the name of it) that we could use as a tostada to eat by hand. It was a truly wonderful salad that kicked off our visit.
After our salad, it was time for some hotpot. Thao’s Bistro is one of the few places in to offer hot pot in town. We had their spicy seafood hotpot which came with a huge arrangement of shrimp, clams, scallops, salmon and other seafood along with steak, eggplant and everything needed for a group dinner. There was a flavorful kick to it that was reminiscent of a tom yum soup. Everybody was given individual sized bowls to serve themselves with. And when our soup was running low, they were quick to fill it back up. Everything about the hot pot was of high quality and delicious. I haven’t come across a terrible hot pot in town yet. For families, hot pot is an awesome way to share a meal.
During the hot pot, we were then presented with Banh Xeo. This is a Vietnamese dish I grew up on. I have fond memories of my late aunt making this so often for us as kids. Many people refer to it as a Vietnamese crêpe or pancake stuffed with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. It’s not as light as a French crêpe and not as heavy as an American crêpe. It’s somewhere in between.
There’s a crispiness to it that offers some bite that you may not expect. Banh Xeo makes for a great appetizer as it’s light enough to kickstart your dinner.
We also had some Banh Khot which is a pancake/Banh Xeo texture and stuffed with shrimp. Some people may say it’s like a savory Quiché that has an appearance of a deviled egg. Don’t knock it until you try it though. It had the best of both worlds going on with its crispy exterior and creamy interior.
A highly sought after meal for The Neighborhood was the Ca Nuong which was a crispy roasted catfish. This is a family favorite of mine and something we order every time we take my parents to Thao’s Bistro. I know members of The Neighborhood were excited for this one.
Basically, you get a huge roasted catfish that you pull apart yourself and make your own spring rolls with the rice paper, vegetables, and rice noodles supplied. This is a must for any visit.
To end our night, we had their De Xao Lan, aka Goat Curry. One member Lynn described it best calling it a stir-fried dish of sliced goat and onions in a dark curry sauce. This was certainly one of the more unique curry dishes I’ve seen around town and my first time trying it. There was a strong curry taste that was rich in general and a bit heavy but still worthwhile. I love goat so I knew I was going to enjoy this dish.
What did the rest of The Neighborhood have to say?
Just Try it
Lynn Avants
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Thao’s Bistro Details
1825 S Broadway, Wichita, KS 67211
316-262-5281
Tuesday – Thursday: 10am – 7pm
Friday – Sunday: 9:30am – 8pm
Closed on Monday
Facebook
Cash/Card Accepted
Five of us with six different dishes. One of the things I always advocate for when eating with others is to order different foods to get a good sampling of what’s on the menu. Sometimes it can give you the opportunity to really see the breadth of items on a menu.
Thanks again to Thao’s Bistro for hosting our meet up. If you’re a restaurant owner and would like to host us, please email me. Also would there be an interest in the future to have one or two non-Neighborhood members to come join us? It’s something I’m considering to get other foodies involved. We’ll see.
Happy Dining,
Eddy
Would your restaurant be interested in hosting The Neighborhood for one of our restaurant meetups? Please email us for consideration. We are always open to suggestions.
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