Cafe de' Laos and Isaan Cuisine Silom Soi 19

I'm in the Silom area quite often and when my friend told me about Cafe de Laos, I was a bit surprised that I had not known of its existence, especially since it's in the heart of the financial and jewelry districts, where I frequently find myself. When asked if I'd review this restaurant for DIT, I was very pleased, as I have a passion for venues that offer customers something different, rather than the everyday common cuisine be it Thai or European food, and I was told this place, does in fact, offer something unique not only in the cuisine but the ambiance as well.

It was a Saturday and my two friends met me on the corner of the soi at the familiar Milk Plus shop for this lunch adventure and it was only a two minute walk to the restaurant. Upon entering, the restaurant is a bit hidden by shade trees on the side of the parking lot and then suddenly you see this charming colonial-style house. As we walked up the custom brick walkway it was as if we were entering somebody's home. Soft shades of green, some lovely shutters, a small koi pond and teakwood tables and chairs, provide an atmosphere very inviting for lunch on the terrace. We were greeted at the door by a couple ladies in typical Laos attire and we chose a table inside by the window. The interior has hardwood floors with soft eggshell colored walls, solid wood-framed chairs with cozy seats and fabric backs along with Laotian-style fabric runners with elephant designs that stream across the wooden tables. The atmosphere is dressed with relics and photos from Laos along with some black & white pictures that were gifts from the Laos Embassy.

It was a hot afternoon and my friends and I were happy to start the meal off with a bottle of Beer Lao. For those who prefer, there is a host of wines on offer from Australia, Chile, France, South Africa, Thailand, California and even Rumania. Since we were going to have so many different types of cuisine, we decided rather than try to match a wine with each dish that we would keep our glasses full of beer as it is a good match for various styles of spicy cuisine. If guests prefer to have their selections of food less spicy, they need only to tell the server "a little spicy" or "phet nit noi" or not spicy "mai ow phet". Shortly after we received our drinks, the server presented us with a complementary hor d' oeuvre. It was "Miang Mamuang", a betel leaf wrapped in a small cone shape filled with condiments. It may have been only a bite or two but it was delicious and made us hungry for the appetizers to follow.

The menu is easy to navigate with Thai, Laos and north-eastern (Isaan) cuisine offering some unique and unusual selections with pictures of the fish and meat items. Great starters include a choice of som tam, such as; "som tam with deep-fried fish", "fresh prawn", or "with crab". We chose to share two appetizers with the first being "Mok Jawh", steamed marinated freshwater fish mixed with fresh mixed herbs wrapped in betel leaf with a spicy Isaan sauce. The bright green oversized looking spring roll has a lightly crunchy taste when eaten, and although unique and unfamiliar to many, it is exceptional and should not be missed when dining here. The other "Lan Chang", is a combination platter of 3 types of Isaan sausages, fried pork balls, fried sundried pork and preserved eggs, served with cashew nuts and chilli dip. Both offered flavors that I've never experienced and were true examples of Isaan cusine and great preludes for the rest of our meal.

We each chose a main course and then added one extra item. The first choice was the "Charbroiled River Prawn with Green Papaya" and my friend Bob dove into this with both hands as he is a fan of Som Tam and quickly was sucking the flavor from the marinated crab and scooping the fresh meat out of the prawn. Our second choice was an authentic Laos-Isaan dish, a pot of traditional spicy soup with a choice of sirloin, pork, chicken or seafood (we chose seafood) with fresh veggies, glass noodles, egg and Isaan sauce. We chose to add the "Cafe de Laos Salad" packed with 15 herbs topped with sesame seed and fried lemongrass with chefs dressing. It was light and a perfect accompaniment to the food.

The third main choice was the "Cafe Neuh Sirloin Yahng", a perfectly grilled sirloin fillet, sliced and served with spicy Isaan sauce. The meat is extremely tender and when you dip it into the sauce, it is heavenly. Our final main course was the "Seafood Sizzling Hot Plate" loaded with fried seabass, mussels, squid, prawns, mixed vegetables, chilli, peppercorn and garlic to make it a delicious mix of fresh flavors in every bite and served in a very generous portion.

Speaking of seabass, there is also fried whole seabass with sweet and sour tamarind sauce topped with sun-dried chilli or try the steamed whole fish stuffed with marinated minced pork, herbs and chilli. Other favorites include a basket of fried marinated chicken with lemongrass served with chilli sauce.

We completed the meal by sampling two different desserts. The first being "Mango with Sweet Sticky Rice & Coconut Milk" and also the "Fried Banana stuffed with Pineapple and Honey Topping". Both were great ways to finish a fine meal and each was equally delicious. The meal overall was a great experience with an opportunity to sample some authentic homestyle cuisine.

Steamed Fish in Betel Leaf
Hor d 'oeuvre Platter (A combination of Isaan favorites)
Seafood Sizzling Hot Plate
Charbroiled River Prawn with Green Papaya Salad
Cafe de Laos Salad
Steamed Freshwater Fish wrapped in Cha Plu Leaves
Grilled Sirloin Fillet with Spicy Esaan Sauce.
Mango with Sweet Sticky rice and Coconut Milk

Dress:Casual
Set Meals: Large Groups
Vegetarian Dishes: 10+
Use Of MSG: No
Free Water: No
Mobile Phones: Yes
Corkage: 300 baht
Parking: Yes

Accepts Major Credit Cards