The Best of Cambodia & Laos

312
SOUTHERN LAOS
15
PAKSE
Sang Aroun Hotel A very new, spotlessly clean, business hotel at a very good value.
The foyer is positively gleaming with a slightly Orwellian air of efficiency. Indeed if you
are on business with a small per diem this is the hotel for you. The rooms are large and
well appointed. The service is good, but the hotel does lack character.
Rd. 13. & 031/252-111. Fax 031/252-555. 31 units. $23 standard; $30 deluxe. No credit cards. Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; Internet. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, minibar.
WHERE TO DINE
As in most of Laos, Pakse is very much a cash economy, and all the establishments below
take cash only.
Delta Coffee Shop and Restaurant LAO/WESTERN This is a good place for
breakfast, but also a very viable option for every other meal of the day. With a bewildering
display of carefully coded choices on the menu the indecisive could possibly starve
simply as a result of pondering the wealth of options. Both the breakfasts and the coffee
are superb. The terrace at the front is a pleasant place to watch the world go by.
Rd. 13. & 020/543-0063. Fax 031/213-634. Main courses 20,000 kip–45,000 kip. Daily 7am–11pm.
Jasmine Restaurant and the Nazim Restaurant INDIAN These two very
popular Indian restaurants are on opposite sides of the street on Rte. 13 in the heart of
the hotel district. Their history represents something of a tortured soap opera. Travel
guide folklore tells us that at one time they were one and that a heavenly schism tore
them apart in a welter of rancor and bad feeling. Whatever the truth of it may be (and
they both claim to be the “first”), it is certainly slightly odd that you have two groups of
south Indians far from home who remain in such disharmony that they actually don’t
speak to each other. The Nizam used to be two doors up from the Jasmine under the nowdefunct
Ponsavanh Guest House. It has now moved across the road and is under the Royal
Pakse Hotel. Both restaurants are hit-and-miss. In the Jasmine the quality of the masala
dosa (south Indian pancake with potato filling) wildly varies. In the Nazim, a masala dosa
was a sort of pea pancake, which was certainly original but not very Indian. When both
restaurants are functioning, the food is good, but too often they count on the ignorance of
their clientele and produce food that would have people laughing them out of town in
Chennai. In both restaurants the Indian chai (tea) is the real deal.
The Jasmine Restaurant: Rd. 13; & 031/251-002. The Nazim Restaurant: Rd. 13; & 031/252-912. Main
courses 15,000 kip. Daily 7am–10:30pm.
Ketmany Restaurant ASIAN/WESTERN With a well-shaded leafy terrace, this is
a pleasant place in the heat of the day. There is a good mix of Lao, Thai, Vietnamese, and
Western food. The Asian food is better than the rather lackluster attempt at Western fare.
Service is slow but friendly. The slowness might be because the restaurant appears to be
woefully understaffed.
Rd. 13. & 031/212-615. Main courses 6,000 kip–12,000 kip. Daily 7am–10pm.
Le Panorama ASIAN/WESTERN This restaurant on the roof of
the Pakse hotel is one of the best in southern Laos. Whether you choose French, Lao, or
Thai food, the chef produces great results. The surroundings are softly lit, and the restaurant
has great views of the Mekong and the Se Dong rivers as well as the town of Pakse
itself. The staff is super friendly and the service is good. The hotel Wi-Fi works here as
well, so it’s a good place to combine a bit of surfing with the closest that Pakse has to a