**** Ban Lao has closed
My recent revisit to Mekong Cuisine had me wondering how Ban Lao was doing. It had been nearly a year since my last visit, so on that very next weekend, I decided to head on up to City Heights and check things out.
Ban Lao opens at 10am on weekends, so the severe parking shortage in the lot isn't quite as bad. I arrived right after they opened and was seated by the friendly and talkative women working.
Of course I had to decide what to eat. It was fairly warm that weekend so I went with the Nem Khao. The last time I ordered the Nem Khao here I thought the portion provided was on the smaller side. This time though…..
It was twice the size of what I'd previously had here! This was a rather rustic version; large chunks of pleasingly sour sausage; thicker slices of pork skin. It was a very pleasing in terms of savory-sour tones; though the rice that had been on the outside of the ball when fried was more chewy than crisp. Lots of lettuce and herbs provided, allowing for a nice combination of various flavors; from the mild anise to sour to salty, and so forth.
I also went with what was one of my favorite items here – the Sien Savanh, the Beef Jerky.
The version here is not totally dry and hard; rather it is crisp on the exterior and chewy and on the softer side on the interior. The umami of the fish sauce really set things off and the chilies and sweetness in the dipping sauce added another dimension to things.
I enjoyed my meal so I returned the next weekend. Things had cooled off a bit…..we're having such crazy weather this year. Which made for a good opportunity to try the Khal Piak (Khal Peak).
Man, this was a huge bowl of soup. The broth was not quite as thick as the version at Mekong, but it was just as scaldingly hot! It was more salty than that version, along with being more peppery. The noodles in this case had been cut into short pieces, but had a nice chew. The broth had a touch more complexity than the version at Mekong. A couple of standard issue, "squeaky" meatballs completed the soup.
It did "hit the spot" and I left with full, warm belly. Nice to know that Ban Lao is still making decent Lao food.
Ban Lao Cuisine
4126 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Mon – Fri 1030am – 930pm
Sat – Sun 10am – 930pm