The Best of Cambodia & Laos

75/76 Ban Xieng Mouane. & 071/212-260. Main courses 23,000 kip–45,000 kip. MC, V. Daily 11am–2pm
and 6:30–9:30pm.
The Tamarind Café LAO Open only for breakfast and lunch, this excellent
little place offers a range of Lao-style tapas, or little sample plates of many different Lao
tastes. They also serve refreshing and original fruit drinks. They can also cater to groups
to order if you give them a day’s notice at about $8 a head. Staff is brisk and not
unfriendly, but nothing special. The kitchen is small, so sit back and enjoy the fine views
of Wat Nong while you wait for your food. They also have begun offering a Lao cooking
class on weekdays and Saturday evenings (from $22–$28) that’s become quite popular—
check out their website for more details.
Ban Wat Nong. & 020/777-0484. www.tamarindlaos.com. Main courses 38,000 kip. No credit cards.
Mon–Sat 11am–6pm.
Vieng Kheam Khong LAO There are a host of restaurants lining
the Mekong and many are good. The Vieng Kheam Khong is very popular and this is
borne out by the fact that you will see many local people there as well as foreigners. It is
also very reasonably priced. There is an area by the roadside but far nicer is a softly lit
wooden deck overlooking the river where you can contemplate the twinkling lights of the
boats as they glide by silhouetted mountains lit by moonlight on the far shore. The food
is authentically Lao and authentically delicious. The Luang Prabang sausage is interesting
if you have also tasted Chiang Mai sausage in Thailand. It has an almost woody taste,
gently seasoned as compared to its fierier Thai cousin. The Lao stew (whether fish,
chicken, or pork) is also a good option. Beware, although it is not that spicy they do
chuck in whole unseeded chilies and if you accidentally bite into one then you might find
yourself leaping feverishly into the fast-flowing waters of the Mekong to put out the fire.
It does work pretty well as a momentarily distressing cure for blocked sinuses or indeed
the common cold.
549 Ban Xieng Moune. & 071/212-726. Main courses 25,000 kip. No credit cards. Daily 9am–10:30pm.
Snacks & Cafes
For atmosphere, there is nowhere better than L’Etranger Books & Tea (& 020/537-
7826; booksinlaos@yahoo.com), in Ban Vat Aphay on the back side of Mount Phousi
(the opposite side from the main street and royal palace) near the Nam Khan River. The
Baguettes Near Wat Phousi
At the midtown end of Sisavangvong Road, just in front of Wat Phousi near the
Hmong Market, is a series of stalls selling delicious baguette sandwiches
(baguette being khao ji in Lao). They are served with a variety of fillings, and
plenty of healthy salad and mayo. The ladies assembling these delights are
utterly charming, but they will likely ask you to pay a steep 15,000 kip. If you
point out that anywhere else in the country the same thing would cost 8,000
kip, they’ll skip down ever so swiftly to 10,000 kip with an unabashed “you got
me there” smile. The stalls are open daily from 8am to 9pm.
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LUANG PRABANG & NORTHERN LAOS 13
LUANG PRABANG