Café de Laos

This year the former wooden residential home is celebrating in centenary. Up until 10 years it formed part of a family residential compound. But during the construction of the Jewelry center next door, the roof of the main family house was so badly damaged that the family moved to Sukhumvit. They decided to claim for the damage and convert the compound into a car park. However had the landlord’s plans gone ahead it would have been pulled down to expand a car park. An enterprising group appealed to her and the result surprised the landlord that she cried. She never imagined that something so beautiful could be made from the shell of her former home. Cafe de Laos opened in 1999 and serves the haute cuisine of Laos and Issan food. So as you step you into the restaurant you are sharing a part of Bangkok’s history. Just inside the door there are a collection of photos of how it looked before the renovation.

Laos is the land of 10,000 elephants and its appropriate that the elephant should be the restaurants logo. The cover of the menu is a fretwork elephant head, a nice touch.

Eating Thai style the dishes are not brought to the table one by one but all together. I had Som Tum Khung Sod Baht 80, one of the most popular dishes in Thailand. An essential flavour with a hot and spicy bite made with shredded Papaya and pounded together with a pestle. Alternatives on offer include grilled pork and fresh fish. Papaya can be substituted with Grapefruit and Guava if preferred. Normally Som Tom is served with enough chili to set fire to the tongue. Cafe de Laos’s style is more sophisticated toning down the chili allowing the diner to appreciate the natural flavours of the ingredients.

Cafe de Laos Steak B250 using high quality Thai/French beef raised in Sukon Nakorn, melts in the mouth. Served on hot sizzling plate with sliced potatoes, carrots and green beans it should be eaten as soon as it comes to the table, as all the time its left on the hot plate it continues cooking. The vegetables were cooked al dente and were fresh and crisp.

The fish dish was Miang Pla Chon Gled Hima B250 grilled salted freshwater fish served with Miang Condiments that include diced lime and ginger, sliced lemongrass, chilli, peanuts and dried shrimps. Plus Ming sauce with the sticky consistency of chutney made from palm sugar and ground shrimp. It is eaten putting a little of each into a Cha Plu leaf that is folded to make a boat shape. Thanks to a very attentive waiter I was shown the correct way to eat the dish with my fingers. The taste was wonderfully fresh and the flavours of each the ingredients could be appreciated.

My soup dish was Kong Duad B120 a Laos-Ian traditional mild soup with vermicelli noodles, sweet basil, leaves, white lettuce and a choice of beef, pork, chicken or seafood. I choose the later, which was brought on plate with a raw egg. This is a cook at the table soup an Issan Suki. Again the attentive waiter came to my rescue, mixing the raw egg with the raw prawns adding them to the flame heated clay pot. Then the noodles and basil leaves. When the soup was ready, he ladled some into a bowl for me it had a deliciously fresh taste.

Kai Yang B65 for a half chicken is a typical Issan dish and not surprisingly the most ordered dish on the menu. Great low fat chicken.

For dessert I opted for banana stuffed with pineapple, dipped in breadcrumbs and deep-fried B60. Good combinations of textures and tastes served with the finest honey from the Logan farms of Chiang Mai. Smell the honey and experience the strong fragrance of the fruit.

The environment is contemporary antique, with cool Kenny G jazz setting the mood. Traditionally the taste of Laos and Issan food is hotter than in central Thailand. Cafe de Laos aims to provide healthy style of the Issan food that can be found on almost any street corner in Bangkok. The taste is more elegant and sophisticated catering to the needs of Thai and westerners working in the area. Good service is attention to detail. As I was eating a combination of dishes from one plate, it was changed twice during the meal. The staff seems to be anticipating what the customer needs rather than needing to be asked.