Travel Channel

Dining and Drinking

Lao people love eating out. Whether slurping a bowl of hot noodle soup for breakfast, popping out for spring rolls for lunch or settling into a substantial evening meal, eating and drinking is a social occasion. Visitors to Vientiane can enjoy the atmosphere, as well as local and international cuisine, in a wide range of eating spots. Street-side stalls and cafes offer a splendid Mekong River sunset view, while exquisite restaurants impress customers with immaculate decor. Vientiane caters, at reasonable prices, to most tastes in food and drink.

French culinary influence lingers in Lao in the smell of freshly baked crusty baguettes. First thing in the morning, street vendors serve them, Lao-style, with a drizzle of condensed milk, or as part of a cafe breakfast. The Sabaidee Restaurant, in the historic quarter, serves a substantial “Lao/American Breakfast” in a shady courtyard setting. The nearby Healthy & Fresh Bakery offers tempting breakfast choices including waffles, muesli and fruit juice, not forgetting blueberry pancakes.

A good spot to watch Vientiane waking up is along the Mekong waterfront. Cafes serving Lao breakfasts and all day meals line the street. Pick a corner spot at Nok Noy Noodle Shop, and try khao pirsen, chunky rice noodles smothered in a delicious broth, or wake up swiftly with a cup of strong Lao coffee (grown in the southern highlands) sweetened with condensed milk.

Baguettes stuffed with pate and vegetables, sold at stalls near Talat Sao (Morning Market) from early until late, are another legacy of French cuisine, but the addition of chili sauce can shock the palate. Making the best filled baguettes in town, as well as some tasty Vietnamese options, PVO Cafe on Thanon Samsenthai is open all day for takeaway or eat-in meals.

Lunch in central Vientiane is international. Italian sandwiches can be savored at the Gourmet Mediterranean Delicatessan on Thanon Setthathirat. Specials include Parma ham with mustard, and vegetarian grilled aubergine salad with soft cheese, sandwiched inside genuine foccacia or ciabatta bread. Across Nam Phu Square, the Scandinavian Bakery offers cheese and ham platters with a choice of bread and tempting sweet pastries. At Nazim Restaurant along the Mekong waterfront, you can lunch on Indian vegetarian and meat dishes and at Uncle Fred's eat American style fast food. Kitchen Tokyo serves Japanese set meals at bargain prices, and at the Cave des Chateaux in Nam Phu Square you can go French. For seafood buffs, the Hong Kong Restaurant is a great setting for business lunches. Vegetarians can relax at Just For Fun, where local specialties are guaranteed meat-free. To eat with the locals, sit down at the food stalls in the Talat Sao.

By sunset, thoughts turn to dinner. As the sun goes down over the Mekong, you can dine outdoors with a river view in the wooden Lao-style Anousone, featuring a wide range of reasonably priced food. For a quiet drink and snack, the nearby Sala Sunset Bar is an ideal scenic spot.

Traditional Lao style dining is communal—guests share a bamboo basket of sticky rice with fish, meat and vegetable dishes. Needless to say, Lao food is widely available, but a couple of venues stand out. The Khop Chai Deu Food Garden features a relaxed courtyard restaurant bar popular with locals, tourists and expatriates. It serves a tasty laap—minced meat or fish seasoned with aromatic herbs with classic Lao sticky rice (khao niaow). Kualao Restaurant, on Thanon Samsenthai, offers traditional cuisine in an elegant colonial building accompanied by live folk music

Nearby, classically European restaurants surround the Nam Phu Fountain. L’Opera is distinguished, Italian, and perfect for a candlelit dinner. Restaurant-Bar Nam Phou offers a mostly business clientèle imported Australian steaks and Lao specialties. Le Provencal is relaxed and French, with a delicious dessert menu. At all these restaurants you can enjoy good wine, liquors and spirits.

Vientiane is usually quiet by midnight, but if you can be here during festival time, wandering the streets with crowds of people late into the night can be both entertaining and can work up an appetite. When people converge on the city for the Boat Racing Festival(October) or the That Luang Festival(November), the streets are lined with low rattan stalls, each lit by a single candle or oil lamp. Here women sell skewers of barbecued chicken (ping kai) and reed cylinders filled with sticky rice.

What is there to drink? As the advertising slogan says here, "When in Lao, drink Beerlao!" You will notice that locals are happy to drink this local brew (with a Czech recipe) from breakfast onwards. If this seems a bit early, there is always a stall or cafe serving Pepsi or Mirinda, perhaps to take away in a bag poured over refreshing crushed ice. Stalls everywhere sell Lao Coffee (hot or iced), soy and coconut milk, as well as bottled water. Wine is readily available (that French influence again), but expensive when drunk by the glass; an impressive collection is offered by Vinotheque La Cave.

In general, before the dark of night takes this sleepy town into full unconsciousness, all tastes can be satisfied. Lao specialties abound, while a lot of the rest of Asia is represented and the selection of Western options is impressive. While all beverage preferences are also catered for, one drink seems to be the general choice to accompany any entrée or none at all, good old Beerlao.

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