Category: Lao Restaurants

The Missus and I realize, that what we see on our travels is not reality for most residents. Many times, as tourists, we encounter the most polished facet of the gemstone. Growing up in a major tourist destination, I understand the importance of putting your best foot forward. It always leaves us curious as to what everyday life is, and where exactly do the "real people" live? In Luang Prabang, there's a charming wooden bridge that crosses the Khan River, on the other side of Mount Phousi, South of the center fo central Luang Prabang. It is a pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle only bridge.

 

For some unknown reason, I found the bridge fascinating, and charming…..

 

Pedestrians cross on either side of the bridge. Wooden planks have been nailed in place…sort of. Some of the slats move around rather too freely for my comfort, and you can see the river Khan flowing below your feet.

 

On the other side is a rather beaten road to the airport, with dirt roads branching off.

 

When we crossed back, we saw a group of Monks crossing on the other side of the bridge. It seems that Monks always look much more graceful….. Even just simply walking across a bridge.

On the morning of our third day in Luang Prabang it rained pretty hard. Of course the Monks are out rain or shine collecting their morning alms.

 

And of course, it was on this morning that the Missus decided that She wanted to see the "other side of the Mekong." Of course……

After 10 years of marriage, I've learned that there are just times that the Missus will not be denied. And this was one of those times. She led me along the road that parallels the Mekong, to some stairs leading down to the river.

 

I tried to tell Her that this wasn't the streets of New York. You just don't hail a boat like you'd flag down a cab. Lucky for me, before I opened my fat mouth, an empty slow boat pulled up!

 

I let the Missus bargain with the boatsman. And before you knew it we were motoring to the other side of the Mekong. We arrived at some stairs, and the gentleman steering the boat, pointed downriver, telling us to catch our return boat downstream.

 

Up the stairs, we arrived at Wat Long Khun (Temple of the Blessed Song).

 

I've read that during the days of the monarchy, newly crowned Kings would spend three days at the Wat before coronation to meditate. It certainly is peaceful.

 

And not a soul to be seen due to the rain.

There is also Wat Tham Xieng Maen built in a limestone cave Northwest of Wat Long Khun, but it was just too wet and muddy for us to check it out. We'll leave it for next time.

 

After walking along the trail for a bit, we came along some stairs. At the base of the stairs was a lean-to. I told the Missus to wait….and soon enough a young lady appeared, and we paid a small entrance fee, to climb up those stairs.

This was Wat Cham Phet, which was built by the Thai army in 1888. According to Lonely Planet, one of the Stupas here contain the bones of Chao Thong Di, the wife of King Sakkarin.

   

The Wat is very quiet and peaceful, and a bit overgrown.

 

Whatever the history may be, one thing is for sure. The views are wonderful, even on a rainy, overcast day like today.

 

After this, the main objective was to make it back across the Mekong.

 

After walking a bit on the dirt trails….the main subject of conversation was how they got construction materials here, and passing several well water hand pumps, we arrived at an long concrete "pad".

 

I'm guessing that this was Ban Xiengmane. Based on the stares, I'm guessing that the locals weren't expecting some rather soggy tourists to be walking through their village on a day like today. Just as I was thinknig this wasn't so bad, the "road" ended….and it was "mosh-pit" the rest of the way. Ankle (or more) deep mud, as you stepped into it, the suction threatened to suck your shoes right off.

Finally making our way to Ban Xieng Man, we worked our way down to the Mekong. No stairs this time, just a muddy slope, to hire a boat. One quick lesson for me….I was busy trying to take what ended up being this photo:

 

When I suddenly ended up flat on my back staring up at the lovely Lao sky…….and sliding my way down to the Mekong. Lucky for me, I stopped short of meeting the Mekong. And eventually we made our way back to our hotel. And after a quick hosing down, I was good as new. As the Missus and I say, "it ain't a vacation until I fall or get bad sunburn……"

Antique House Restaurant:

 

The Missus and I were intrigued by the restaurant right across the street from Somchan Restaurant. It always seemed busy. So one evening we decided to check it out. Big mistake; I should have noticed the clues. The first clue was the big "cheap" Beer Lao sign:

   

Unbelievable……..though the menu looked interesting….

Second clue. When we arrived, we noticed the place was staffed with a large group of young ladies….. Third clue, all the customers were male, and looked to be Thai.

 

In spite of this we moved forward, and placed our order……

Khai Pene.

 

The classic Luang Prabang fried dried river moss dish, which you can read about in other posts. This version was not fried at the right temperature, devoid of the crushed garlic and tomato, kinda soggy and oily. Just check out the pool of oil.

 The Dried Beef:

 

Halfway between Pork Sung (Rousong) and Chinese Beef Jerky, and not bad with Beer Lao. This would turn out to be the best dish of the night. As the Cucumber Salad was not very good:

 

It should have been seeded, and the "dressing" was very, very, sweet…lacking the savory, pungent flavors we had become accustomed to.

And the Luang Prabang salad, (Nyam Salat), was just plain strange.

   

The dressing had no egg yolk in it, and it was much too sweet. And what to make of the peanuts…and ground pork?

Yes, we should have seen the clues…this was a Bar catering to Thai male tourists…… Oh well, live and learn. We would have been happy with this:

 

For us, one of the must visit sites around Luang Prabang is Tat Kuang Si, Kuang Si Waterfall, located about 20 miles South of Luang Prabang. Why? Well, because of this:

 

It's pretty easy to get to…you hire a "Jumbo", who drops by a "ticket office" and get admission to falls for you.

 

The Jumbo will park in a parking-shopping-eating area, and you can take one of either two routes. One is a well paved asphalt road, and the other is a pretty easy forest trail that meanders it's way up to the falls.

 

Some of it was mildly reminiscent of Kbal Spean in Cambodia.

You could hear the water rushing down alongside the forest trail. There were a few areas where folks can swim in the crystal clear water. Also along the trail is the Luang Prabang Bear Rescue Center. 

   

All the bears here have been confiscated from poachers, and they all looked to be in good shape. Adriactic Black Bears (Moon Bears) are endangered, mostly due to Habitat Fragmentation, and the market for bear parts and bile. 

You can find more info here. 

   

Funny, there are two things that I've never, ever done on our international vacations…… one of them is buy a t-shirt. But Laos finally broke me, I ended up buying a "Free the Bears" t-shirt, as well as a BeerLao t-shirt. I also broke the other rule, more about that later……

 

As we walked up the trail, we passed a few "mini-falls".

 

And to tell you the truth, I had not expected much. I've seen more than my fair share of waterfalls. But I already thought this excursion was well worth the time. There were the bears, and I was enchanted by the pristine looking water.

But as we walked in the clearing and took a look at the falls…..

 

I realize that my lousy photography skills really doesn't do justice to the falls. But for a scale comparison, check out the guy in the photo to the right.

The falls are 180 feet of crystal clear water. There are no liability issues here, you can walk pretty much right up to the falls. And cross on wooden bridges in various states of maintenance.

Boungnasouk Restaurant:

Lunch on that day was at a restaurant we passed on our way back from Somchan Restaurant. Just like the afore mentioned restaurant, Boungnasouk(the restaurant is owned by the guest house across the street) was located with a view over the Mekong.  

 

We had looked over the menu, and thought it would be a decent alternative.

 

Not being very hungry we ordered just a few items. Very predictable items…..

Of course I got the Khai Pene:

 

This version of the dried, pressed, and fried river moss was thinner than the version at Kheam Kong Restaurant, and had more "stuff" going on.

The Jeow Bong came on the side, and was by far the best version we had on the trip.

   

Nice garlic flavor, with a mild spiciness. The water buffalo skin pieces were a bit big, but not too tough.

Of course the Missus got the Luang Prabang Salad:

 

The Salat Nyam was not very good, the dressing lacked any great egg flavor, though the watercress was nice and tender. Boiled Egg slices were also omitted, and while the cucumbers were decent, the tomatoes (strange for Luang Prabang) were under-ripe, and lacked the "flavor of sushine".

To finish things off, we had the Cucumber Salad:

 

This cucumber version, of the more well known papaya salad, was nicely pungent, but the heat had been gringo-ized, and the seeds were not removed before shredding.

Over all, mediocre……

The Night Handicraft Market:

Around 4pm there is Luang Prabang's version of evening "traffic". Sisavangvong, from the National Museum until the intersection of Kitsalat becomes a bustling beehive of activity.

 

Part of it is due to folks heading home, but most of it is because the street is undergoing the transformation to the Night Handicraft Market.

 

The sandwich and fruit drinks booths, move from the area on the corner of Kitsalat, across the main street.

 

Electricity is set-up via a tangle of extension cords on the street.

Food stalls are set-up along the side streets. This woman specialized in pig parts, especially heads. Over several days I spotted her method of keeping herself "nourished". For every three or four pieces she chopped, she ate one!

 

At sundown, the main street is closed, and Sisavangvong becomes a huge market…..of handcrafts of infinite variety.

 

And while the parents sell and socialize, the children study under the glow of the lightbulbs.

 

And the food stalls do a bang up business.

 

Usually having our meals fairly early, we didn't eat much at the stalls. But one night, the Missus saw a vendor making the Lao version of Kanom Krok.

 

And couldn't resist. But these weren't very good, the flavor was off, as was the overall texture.

 

I'm sure if we spent enough time in these alleyways, we'd have found some pretty good, and cheap eats.

 

One of the most entertaining little encounters happened at the Night Market. On our first night in Luang Prabang, walking through the night market, we noticed that many of the women vendors, had branches in their hands. On top of these branches were a nut like fruit. They were cracking away, just going at it. The Missus, who has loves sunflower seeds, was determined to find out what this was. And so we were off on a mission!

The Missus finally cornered a woman who was munching (cracking) away.

 

Not being able to find these…..the Missus was determined to buy them off the woman. Now the Missus fancies Herself as being quite the bargainer, and when the woman said 8,000 Kip, the Missus responded with; "no-no, 4,000 Kip." And so the great deal was made.

The Missus felt proud and quite smug….She had been "Queen of the Deal…Baroness of the Bargain." Of course we turned the corner and found out that a bunch of this stuff went for 2,000 Kip! We also noticed that the woman had already eaten half the bunch!

 

So what was this? I was told it's hops! As in beer hops!

 

And so, every evening, under the heat of the lightbulbs, the Missus became a "hop-popping" machine. "Oh (crack) this is (crack-crunch) sooo (crack – pop) good! I'll (crack-pop-crunch) really miss (crack) it!"

One morning, walking out of our hotel to watch the "River of Orange", squinting in the early morning darkness, we noticed what looked like an impromptu food stand had been set-up  right next to the Chang Inn overnight and was going strong. Not paying it much mind, we had our usual walk through the morning Fresh Market, and our coffee and noodle soup breakfast at "Same-Same". Upon our return we were surprised to see that canopy had been raised on the other side of the street. And soon enough, there was some major partying going on.

 

Apparently, the so-called "food stand" was actually folks preparing food for the party. They had started the evening before. It was indeed a festive event, with a live band, singing, food, dancing, and I'm sure that the "laolao" (the local moonshine) was flowing freely.

 

During the course of the day, we would check the progress of the party everytime we returned to our room. It was fun watching the usually quiet and very low-keyed folks having a good time. We sat on the steps watching the party slowly build in momentum, hit a peak, then fade away into the evening.  The folks at the hotel told me it was a big birthday bash. We watched the woman who made the food, stagger her way back and forth across the street, providing food for everyone. You really couldn't help but smile….and the local pooches loved the "slow dance."

 

Later in the afternoon, even the Monks stopped and stared at this extravaganza on their way back to the Wat:

 

This enterprising mutt, worked his way between the tables picking up scraps. It must've have been a bit salty, because he walked off looking for some water……

 

The party wound down at about 9pm, and clean-up went on through the next day. It was nice seeing this side of local life…… as I like to say, "we are all more alike, than different."

Somchanh Restaurant:

Somchanh is a restaurant we came across while walking along the Mekong. It is located pretty much at the end of the Luang Prabang Peninsula, where the road parallel to the Mekong slowly turns away from the river. The dining area of the restaurant, like many of the riverside restaurants, jutts out over the shore. This being pretty much the end of the road, means some very nice views. Especially of the sunset.

 

Even though this little restaurant, with the kitchen located in a shack covered with tarp, looked a bit makeshift, it became the Missus's favorite restaurant. We eventually visited three times during our stay in Luang Prabang. We even braved the rain, and walked the 1 kilometer for lunch. When the thunder clouds finally burst, the staff moved quickly(something uncommon in Luang Prabang), and set-up tarps over us.

As with many eateries in Laos, there's the ever present wash basin. Since your hands are the most important eating implement, it makes perfect sense.

 

Though this was the Missus's favorite eating establishment in Luang Prabang does not mean that everything was good. Being a small, family run restaurant, dependant not on the "Sysco" delivery, but instead on what is available for any given day, meant some interesting, and sometimes quirky dishes. Like the time we were served "brown" sticky rice, which we had never seen before. It tasted a bit more nutty, and had more chew to it.

We also learned quickly that Somchanh did better at vegetable dishes. The Fish Patpet for example (35,000 Kip – $4/US), was not particularly good, especially the mushy fish.

Unfortunately, a few of the dishes will go undocumented. As you can see, it gets really dark, and the white tablecloths reflect the flash. But have no fear; there is one main reason the Missus loved Somchanh:

 

It was the Salat Nyam (Luang Prabang Salad – 15,000 Kip, $1.80/US). This was by far Her favorite version of this dish. She even had me try and duplicate it, after returning home. And though the egg yolk based dressing can be copied, and you can find really good tomatoes, and sometimes cucumbers. There is one item that can not be found here in the States:

   

It's the tender, slightly sweet, and mildly bitter Luang Prabang Watercress. Everytime the Missus sees a photo of this salad She wants to jump on a plane and head back to Luang Prabang.

This salad sometimes took a while to be delivered to our table. And we quickly figured out why, the eggs topping the salad are boiled to order. And during our visits, they were always perfect.

 

There was one slightly humorous exchange that took place during one of our visits. As you see on the menu, there is "Luang Prabang Watercress Salad, right above "Lao Salad". We asked what the difference was. The answer, "oh, same-same". The spelling in Lao looks different, and it is listed seperately….but I guess they are the same thing?

Another item we enjoyed was the Cucumber Salad (10,000 Kip – $1.20):

 

This pungent, yet refreshing salad was the shredded-seeded cucumber version of Papaya Salad, and in a way we enjoyed this even more.

The best version or "Aulam" (Orlam) we had from Somchan, was the Vegetable Aulam (20,000 Kip – $2.50):

 

  Rich, but perhaps not as thick as I would like; this version had long beans and cloud ear fungus. The Missus never developed an appreciation for the tree bark looking, bitter-numbing-puckery Sa-Khan (piper ribesioides), but I started enjoying it.

The vegetable Patpet (Curry), was also the best of the 3 different versions we sampled (15,000 Kip).

 

  That we found the cheapest dishes on the menu at Somchanh to be our favorites is slightly ironic. What was also interesting is that the large bottle of Beer Lao is 10,000 Kip, about $1.20. The same price as in the little mini-marts.

And did I mentioned the sunsets?

 

Every morning, there flows a river of orange through the streets of Luang Prabang:

 

From where we stand, it's a quiet river, a solemn river. Instead of the rush of water, there is just the sound of bare feet shuffling against against asphalt…

and the swishing of robes….

 

For the uninitiated there is the distinct feeling that something special, and perhaps sacred is taking place. Even the dogs stop their search for food and tuk-tuk chasing to stop and watch:

 

Sometimes called the "Saffron Circuit", it is the collecting of "alms" by the Monks that occurs every morning. At just before 6am every morning, the Monks from the Wats around Luang Prabang start lining up. And at a prescribed drum signal start a well beaten path around the city of Luang Prabang collecting sticky rice, fruit, and other sustenance for the day. This occurs every day…. rain or shine.

 

  Upon check in to the Chang Inn, the young fellow working at the front desk asked us if we'd like to give alms the following morning. Having just an inkling, of what needed to be done, we said yes. And woke at 5am. Walking to the front desk we were prepped for alms giving. Right on street in front of the hotel everything was nicely made ready for us.

It was a nice touch that we, being totally ignorant of the how and what's of alms giving, really appreciated.

 

And so it came to pass…. kneeling on my creaky knees, we gave sticky rice and bananas to the young Monks…. some of them looking no older than 8 years old. They would walk by, discreetly open the container by their side, and we'd place some sticky rice or a banana in it.

For some reason, I felt a deep stirring, and was touched in a strange way that I wish I had the eloquence to convey.

After the rice and bananas were gone (we were told that at this time there were over 300 Monks in the Wats surrounding Luang Prabang), we retreated across the street.

 

Even though we found this to be beautiful and exotic, we tried to keep a respectful distance. During our stay in Luang Prabang, we woke every morning at least by 530 am, and stood outside to watch this. Watching this ancient tradition became our own little ritual.

We had another little ritual in Luang Prabang…. breakfast here:

 

Located at the end of the "Fresh Market", on the street which heads to the Mekong, is this little stand. The sign is in Lao, except for the phrase "Lao Coffee". We had been wanting to try some Lao Coffee, so we stopped here on our first morning in Luang Prabang.

 

The Woman running this stall, never moved quickly, but at an exact measured pace. And always exactly the same steps were followed each time.

The coffee was made following some exact steps; glasses were rinsed out with hot water from the boiling water pot. An exact amount of what looked like very highly condensed coffee was placed in the bottom of the cup, followed by condensed milk and a sprinkling of what looked like raw sugar. The cup was topped off with hot H2O, and served in the traditional manner, with a chaser of mild hot tea.

 

The coffee was wonderful, rich, smooth, yet strong, with chocolate overtones. Much better than any cup of Vietnamese or Thai coffee I've ever had.

While savoring our coffee, the Missus and I decided to try some of the noodle soup, which everyone else seemed to be getting.

 

  You chose the type of noodles you wanted, and what kind of meat, and again the Woman worked at a careful cadence, with exact steps that were followed for every customer on every visit. The soup can be adjusted in taste with fish sauce, chili sauce, limes, various herbs, etc, etc…..

 

This was a great bowl of soup. Even though it looked clear, the mild essence of pork came through. And though I'm pretty sure that the infamous 3-letter flavor enhancer was used in the broth, it was savory without being too salty. The noodles were fresh, and obviously bought from one of the many noodle vendors in the Fresh Market. It had a nice stretch, and a good al dente chew. The pork was an afterthought……tough and chewy….but man this was great broth and noodles.

And the Missus enjoyed munching on some green beans while waiting:

 

  So why do we call this place "same-same"? The Woman running the place doesn't speak much English. When we arrived on our second morning, She greeted us with a small, pleased smile, and simply said; "same-same?" And so, every morning, we'd walk pass the main streets and the Fresh Market, up to the stall, smile and greet the Woman, and place our order; "same-same". Same order, same price (2 coffees + 1 bowl noodle soup – 20,000 Kip, approx $2.50/US), same great coffee, same comforting soup. Same-same……..

One last word(s) about the Saffron Circuit:

The area we stayed in was a short distance from most of the Guest Houses, and Lunag Prabang's main drag. We were situated right next to Sensoikharam, and several other Wats. This made the viewing of the morning alms collecting a peaceful and relaxing experience.

 

On our fourth morning in Luang Prabang, we noticed a bunch of buses parked alongside the road. With ever more mini-buses driving and parking along the street.

 

We noticed loads of Thai tourists disembarking, and had also realized that our little Hotel was booked solid with Thais. Many of whom lined the streets giving alms.

 

But for each person giving alms, there were two friends or relatives taking photos…..whether a photo opportunity, or to prove they gave alms, I'm not sure. But these folks were getting right up close and personal with the Monks.

 

We followed the procession down into Luang Prabang and couldn't believe the feeding frenzy.

 

Having checked my cynicism at Luang Prabang Airport I found this a bit disillusioning. These are still young men, and they are following a time honored tradition, so we tried to approach things with respect and discretion. It is a special moment for us tourists, something that I may never have the chance to see ever again. But this was a bit much, and very tough for us to see……….

 

Upon return, I watched Anthony Bourdain's episode on Laos, and paid special attention to the last portion where he mentions the mixed feelings about doing a travel show, and the damage to a culture that it can do….. I've come to really appreciate his viewpoints, he seems to get it. Striking that balance is important………..

 

This obviously well to do "businessman" was especially aggressive…….

 

It made us concerned about the future of this tradition. What's going to happen in 10 or 15 years? Our tourist dollars are important, but I'd hate to see a culture forever altered. And will rue the day that some facsimile of this becomes a tourist show. And even more….. I wondered what the dedicated true believers thought of us? And even worse, what terrible things were we(the Missus & I) doing to this culture. Did we do things the right way???