Saturday, July 10, 2010

Luang Prabang: Good Eats

The real draw of Luang Prabang, and we later found that it applied to all of Laos, was the relaxed atmosphere and food.  The Laotian people just seemed more laid back and friendly, especially when compared to the Vietnamese where we felt like walking ATMs.  It was a refreshing change of pace.  As for the food, Laos is a former French colony and its palate will vouch for that.  We ate way too many street crepes with wine.
The crepes ranged in price from 10,000 to 15,000 kip ($1.22-1.83) depending on what was inside; sweet or savory, combinations.  The kind we got the most often were cheese and salami or ham.

We also dabbled in some real food.  Like the sandwiches and breakfast meals from Scandinavian Bakery.  The breakfast special was 25,000 kip ($3.05) and included a ham and cheese croissant or bagel, orange juice, and coffee.  The pizza was some of the best thin crust we have had and their other baked goods permitted us to become return customers.

We also indulged at JoMa Bakery several times, but that was mostly for the wifi that came with the bagels.

As for real food, we tried an Indian place one night that was very good.  It was also a good value at 71,000 kip ($8.67) per person for a main, nan, and a beer.  We even went to a French restaurant that was big on food and ambiance, but lacking in service.  We only ate salads and appetizers as those would fit in our budget, but based on those, the entrees must be good.

We ate several times at Lao Lao Garden.  The first time we stopped by for drinks midday.  We were parched from walking around the city, and the drinks were cold.  I tried the local brew and Renee tried a fruity drink with the word "gay" in the title.  
The second time we went there, we had Laos BBQ which was done over coal on our table and included a broth that we made while the meat cooked.  It was pretty tasty and Renee tried to find it elsewhere in Laos.

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