the food

(i don't have my camera with me on this trip. which sucks! though it wouldn't be so bad if i were travelling with my macbook as most of the places i've been to during this trip, i've been and i've snapped a million pics of. ALL of which are on my macbook but i obviously don't have my macbook. i have the work laptop instead.)

it's the work-mate's first time in Vientiane, so i'm happy to show her around and plan our evening itineraries (although we always need to be back before 9pm, so that i can do some prep work for the next day's prog).
we decided early on, since the food options in Vientiane were 1,000,000 times better than that of Yangon (during our last trip together) that we should strive never to eat at the same place twice.

we've done a pretty good job. we had traditional lao food on day 1.

we had a simple dish of rice and chicken and basil leaves on day 2.

yesterday (day 3), we walked to china town and had some nice korean food ( i had a vege bean stew which was just nice-level of saltyness). in fact the korean chef was so amused when i exclaimed 'Dobokkgi!' when i saw him hand over a plate of the rice cakes in a sauce of chilli to his daughter, that he gave us a plate complimentary, and also fried us an ommellette roll on the house. he was a little disappointed when i failed to give him the korean name for the ommelette roll, but i couldn't care less cos my chopsticks had jumped right in, and i was too busy devouring the omellette which was really very good!

and today, we walked over to the mekong river to finally sample the french food at Cote'd Azure. I've been wanting to try the restaurant, which came higly recommended, for awhile now, but it just never happened.

i have no pics. BUT the tomato and basil soup was fresh and refreshing, while the thin-crust Quattro Formaggio Pizza was light without being too cheesy, with a subtle not overpowering hint of blue-cheese.

(i was also wondering how come a french restaurant served pizza which seems very italian, but who cares, it was good!)

Now...i'll go to bed dreaming about what's on the menu tom night!

found

found: a sketch of a table leg in a meeting room in vientiane, from 2 trips ago

patuxay

i decided to walk to the WB office for my meeting on the last day of my trip. partially to save USD6 in tuk-tuk fare, partially because i think i need the exercise and partially because i wanted one last chance to savour my last morning in Vientiane.

i did not regret the 5km return trip from the hotel to the WB office as it gave me a chance to take a closer look at the Patuxay or the Arc de Triomphe of Vientiane. i've seen it from moving vehicles from afar, but never had the chance to admire it from up close. was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful interior-the colours still vivid.

beautiful.

simple childhoods

what i appreciated most during my trip to Vientiane is the simplicity of childhood. Its so pleasing for me to know that somewhere out in the big wide world that there are children who are still able to enjoy the simplicities of life and find joy in the simplest of activities. Lao kids don't need Wii or PSP or X-box or Nintendo to have a good time.

My favourite game at the night festival we visited was a simple simple game of 'toss the pail'. very simple funfair activity. first, layout drink packets and bottled fizzy drinks in a grid. prepare some shallow pails, and get the kids to try and throw the pail over the packets or bottles. If they manage, they win whatever the pail manages to 'capture'.

see how happy they look?

it's not that easy, the poor kid misses!

when i have kids, my kids will play games like these. no wii, xbox, psp (etc, etc) if i have anything to say about it. of course, i'll have to convince hubby who just loves all these electronic games. i really think that you'd have easier to please and less demanding kids if you start by not spoiling them and getting them to appreciate the simple things in life. not kids who expect the latest gadgets and toys all the time. i'm not saying that you're wrong if you want to spoil your kids with such toys- i think everyone has the right to raise their kid whichever way they want. i just want grounded children who know how to have fun even if its with a couple of bottles and a shallow pail.

smokin smell

the two things i don't enjoy about Vientiane is the smells that cling onto my clothes at the end of the day and the dust.

the smells don't start off badly. mostly from the barbeques that litter the side streets. they're really scrumptious smells when you're off to lunch. doesn't help that i like to get the camera up close to take a few snaps. but once i get back to the hotel, the smell of the barbeque lingers on and irritates the hell out of me. especially when i've just put on something fresh and clean. you just can't get enough mileage out of your clothes here- no way i can wear something out to lunch, come back to the hotel to get some work done and then wear it out again for dinner. no way, unless i want my dinner companions to think i've been slaving over  a barbeque over dinner. i'll definitely pack more tops on my next trip.

the other is the dust. aiyor my bright turquoise blue crocs became dusty grey in a matter of minutes on the streets. it's all the construction, especially with the sea games coming up- there's something being constructed on every block. and they just leave the sand and bricks and other dust generating stuff on the road sides- just like that! yikes..maybe that's why my nose started acting up and i suffered from a sorethroat. maybe it was all that dust.

yeesh...still i LURVE Vientiane!  *hee*

sunset over the mekong

just stunning, don't you think?

night market...

Vientiane is a really small town...it's really walkable. almost everything is within walking distance. last night we walked and walked, and somewhere between chinatown and the hotel we stumbled across a pasar malam (night-market). i love love love pasar malams especially those that just sell food and nothing else.

the eveel peeps are always delighted when we stumble across them on holidays as it really gives you a flavour of what local life and tastes are all about. the makan-pasarmalam in lao is really very unique. i came across food items that i've never found in other pasarmalams in the region. there was cockles, fried mekong fish, local salads and belacan and even balut!

i really really missed the eveel peeps while i oohed, aahhed and salivated at the sight of all the gorgeous food. i'd love it if the eveel peeps would come with moi to Vientiane, to sample all the local delights. it was just different and not as much fun without them.

ah well..maybe next time?

Settha Palace so Smelly

my 2 friends are staying at Settha Palace hotel where our client is putting them up.

"Built in the early part of the last century, circa 1932, and painstakingly restored to its former imperial glory, the Settha Palace Hotel serves as a testament to the long lost era of classical elegance, gracious service and French colonial charm."

It looks super charming outside. During my last trip, i stood before its grounds imagining that i stood in a batik sarong, my long charcoal black hair flowing down my bare honey-coloured shoulders, while the sweet smell of the frangipani flower tucked behind my ears wafted across to the 'mat salleh' that sat in his crisp white suite decorated with golden buttons sipping his English Breakfast Tea from the verandah of the hotel. He'd take one look at the sweet native Malay girl by the roadside, selling pisang goreng (no less), and fall instantly AND deeply in love with her.With one look, their eyes locked as they gazed deeply into each other's soul as if not an inch separated them. In an instant they knew that their love was doomed, for he was to leave by steamship to mother England the very next day, while her penghulu father would rather die than let his only daugther be stolen away by the English Devil (who are just as bad as the Red Devils!)

but i disgress.


lol... seriously. i went to visit the hotel BECAUSE it was so charming the last time. But i took one step into the lobby and made an immediate U-turn, cos in these romantic daydreams, they always leave out the musty smells of old buildings. Pooi! Not so romantic now huh?

So I refused to stay at Settha Palace Hotel- don't think i can live with the smell! But oh, i checked out my friends room- its quite nice lah! =) in fact the toilet is much more modern than the hotel i'm staying at now. but i still won't stay there..it's the smell lah!...eeks

Sabaidee Cafe along the Mekong

Cyn brought David and me to Sabaidee Cafe (also along the riverfront) for an avocado milkshake. She said that she's been told that it's to die for. She had a watermelon juice while David, who's having a bad throat had some herbal tea which is supposed to help relieve the soreness (i'll check back in tom with a status update of David's sore throat).

Sabaidee Cafe serves like every variety of Dilmah tea that you can imagine, they also have great fruit juices including dragon fruit juice and beetroot juice! It also has loads of coffee and some cakes.They also serve cooked food but seriously, you'd rather go somewhere else to have a meal. This place is perfect for juices- especially if you're new to Vientiane and afraid to test your tummies with the roadside stalls.

I LOVED the Avocado juice. It's different from the Indon Apokat version which has gula melaka and coconut milk. This wasn't as sweet and tasted..hmm..purer...i like! For 2 juices and a cup of tea- i paid USD4. Wah liao- in Singapore that Avocado juice alone would have cost me that much! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Vientiane!

halal food

vientiane has so many halal food options i tell ya that it's crazy. it's really good- wish Vung Tau (where i'm headed in 2 weeks) was as good with halal food options. Tonight, i found 3 new halal food joints, 2 of them just along the river front.

this is a new Turkish joint just across from Taipan Hotel. looked a bit deserted though. may try it tomorrow.

don't be fooled by the big Beer Lao advert on this signboard. The Shade is actually a halal arab joint with falafels and the works. Don't fault this halal estabishment lah, they also need to 'cari makan' you know?

This is along the mekong river.

And Nazim's- halal Indian food, which is also along the river, is highly recommended. Food is good and the ambience really nice. Even comes with a prata man out front- you can get your banana prata fix and even ovaltine prata!!! YumZ!

My collection of halal food places in Vientiane is certainly growing!

frog skin anybody

Deep fried frog skin anybody?

Just last week i was watching my favourite Anthony Bourdaine talk about eating deep fried frog skin and tonight it was served on a platter before me. i don't eat frog lah. so tak halal! but it was quite a spectacle. Just like keropok lah or crispy salted fish! Must be quite yum i suppose but eeeee so eeky looking. I wonder if imp would eat any?

 

I stuck to lovely sticky rice with some fish salads and the gorgeous lao type belacan. yum yum! tonights dinner was so much better than khop chao deu which is so touristy! must spread the word. the friends also had tongue steak- beef. was double yum (they said)!

Nakhambang Lao Food and Restaurant

37 Khounboulorn Rd

5 Unit Ban Watchanh

Tel: 856-21-217198

hot now cold...

oh my...it's toasting hot here in Vientiane. the sun was high in the sky while i walked to my first meeting today, barely half an hour after landing in this city and checking into Lao Plaza hotel. what's going on man? it's supposed to be winter season around the corner not crazy hot summer.

still, the temperature turns quite quickly too in the evening. it goes nowhere near cold or chilly, but the difference in temperature is quite remarkable. after our meeting, we headed to nearby Nirvana spa for a 2 hour traditional Lao massage. The room, starting out to be quite warm, turned quite chilly without my noticing (seeing that i was in an absolute state of nirvana having the knots in my back straightened out). I think i caught myself a cold- cos right after the massage up till now- i've been sneezing like noone's business. SUCKS lah!

But Nirvana spa is really good, better than Champa Spa that i tried out the last time i was here. Just USD14 for a 2 hour massage! woot woot!

Just across from Lao Plaza hotel, try it out!

halal food in vientiane

i was quite surprised with the numerous halal restaurants just in the vicinity of the City Inn Hotel Vientiane. Unfortunately, it's all halal Indian/Pakistani food. I'd get pretty bored pretty quickly, but if you don't mind Indian/Pakistani food the you're all set to go! I'll certainly explore more of Vientiane when i return next month. I'm sure i'll be able to find more halal food eateries!

a makeshift Indian and Pakistani Food shop just across from the National Lao Culture Hall

which is just around the corner from Le Fontaine

this halal Indian restaurant just around the corner from the one above

just across from the Cultural Hall too.

This is an upscale halal Indian restaurant- Rashmi's Indian bar and grill- which is just a road away from City Inn and Lao Plaza hotel. I overhead that the restaurant was opened by the Indian High Commissioner to Lao.

You'd be able to find this Indian halal restaurant just across from le fontaine (the road pependicular to the fountain, towards the river, away from the French restaurants)

I also found an ad in the paper for Halal food in Vientiane- even has Malaysian food!

coffeee shops galore!

i must confess that i'm quite embarassed that i didn't really explore much of local lao- you know what i mean, restaurants and local restaurants and shops which the locals go to. instead i was doing the mat-salleh/farang/ang-moh/caucasian type thing. Hanging out at the upscale cafes and shops.

Besides the fact that we had so little time outside of work to do much exploring, and our hotel was so conveniently located in mat-salleh/farang/ang-moh/caucsian central, I was really also just amazed at the range of baked goodies that were available (I'm such a sucker for pastries, cakes and breads!) and how cheap everything was. It was all just really very lovely!A must try if you're here is definitely the Scandinavian bakery- YUM! (also at Le Fontaine)

The selection of swedish cookies and pastries at the Scandinavian bakery

Another lovely bakery cafe that i wanna park myself in next time,

serves gorgeous pizzas, salads and sandwiches for cheap cheap cheap!

beer lao

on our first evening in Vientiane, boss and i popped into Khop Chai Deu Restaurant and Bar near Le Fontaine which was a short walk away from our hotel.

Boss ordered a Beer Lao. I giggled heartily when he poured out his beer.

"Wah liao boss! I never drink beer and i also know how to pour properly!"

(Oh My God Boss, I don't drink beer and even I'd be able to pour that beer out better than you!)

Anyhow, the restaurant bar is pretty decent, serves Western, Indian, Lao and Thai food. Has a great vibe, and was a real nice place to chill. The food was pretty decent too!

vientiane frenchy!

vientiane has lovely french restaurants which serve really good french food and all so reasonably priced. we had our working lunch at Na Dau Restaurant right near the Patuxay Arch or Arch De Triomphe of Vientiane.

Pity it was a working lunch, and way too serious for me to fish out the digital to snap pics of our set lunch. The bread was out of the world, and the butter...oh my...i haven't had butter this good like forever. Au Petit Salut's (which is the French Restaurant in Singapore i go to the most) butter and breads are no match for the rolls they served at Na Dau..and they kept coming and coming! I had a salad- SCRUMPTIOUS, then grilled fish- TO DIE FOR and a gorgeous dark chocolate cake soaked in something nice and tart- DIVINE! And best of all, it was all for just about $US10 per pax - MAK KAU!

Boss and I also dined at Restaurant Le Provencale at Le Fontaine before we left for the airport after our meetings. It serves rustic Southern French-style dishes and also has a large portion of pastas and thin crust pizzas. I had a really lovely Neopolitane pizza- anchovies, mozarella, olives for just about US$7- MAK KAU! Something like that at somewhere like Spizza in Singapore would cost at least SGD 20, i believe!

The Le Fontaine area is really cosy and nice, with lovely French and Italian restaurants all around. I told Boss, as we ate dinner, if we squinted as we looked out the window by our table at Le Provencale towards Le Fountaine (the Fountain), if we squinted just enough, you could just believe you were in Paris. So romantic lah! LOL!

Anyhow I can't wait to return to Vientiane and try the famouse Le Silapa restaurant which has received rave reviews from even the New York Times. Expected costs- US$10-13- MAK KAU! So cheap!

laos boat racing festival

we arrived on monday afternoon not realising that it was a public holiday- the Lao boat racing festival. it's an annual boat racing festival to mark the end of the Buddhist Lent. crazy fun (too bad i didn't manage to get any good photos!)

what we hadn't realised was that almost all the shops would be closed including the money changer. i was going to just exchange my US dollars for Lao kips at the airport, but boss said that there were many money changers near the hotel that offered good rates. During my walk, before i met boss for dinner, i realised that all of them were closed. And the hotels didn't exchange currencies either!

we walked and walked, and when we did find an open money exchange, it was already closing and refused to help us exchange our cash. we resorted to withdrawing cash from the ATM, but even then we had to walk up and down looking for one which accepted our cards. Obviously the Lao-Viet bank wasn't 'sophisticated' enough to puke out money for us!

boss, relieved to find a reputable ANZ atm to draw money from!