Feb 18 2013
French restaurants in Vientiane
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One of the best French colonial legacies in Laos is the abundance of French restaurants serving classic French cuisine. After a few weeks, or months, of trekking around in tattered boardies and living off of pho, it can be a very refreshing experience to put on your most dapper-looking threads and indulge in some elegance. Here are some of Vientiane’s best spots to try.
Inside the Cave.
For around US$20-$35, a satisfying three-course meal with wine is available at many of these restaurants. Lunch tends to run cheaper, at around US$10-15. This is certainly nowhere near the excellent value to be found at local Lao joints, but the prices are a fraction of what you’d pay in Western establishments of similar calibre.
Nestled into the edge of Nam Phu plaza, La Cave des Chateaux is the top choice for atmosphere. The rustic stone walls make for cosy seating downstairs, while the balcony upstairs offers a romantic setting. The recent revamping of Nam Phu square is somewhat at odds with the restaurant’s colonial charm, but La Cave is still a lovely spot for dinner, with friendly owners and excellent staff. The best value is the set menu, which usually has something tasty to offer, and the chocolate fondant is a must for any chocolate lover.
L’Addresse de Tinay, located opposite Wat Ong Teu, radiates ritz and boasts one of the highest priced menus in the city. The French hostess is sharp and on task, but has seemed very busy when we’ve visited as the rest of the staff seemed slightly confused. The set menu offers decent value, while the regular menu items fetch a high price for a mediocre experience. The sparse servings are not in and of themselves disappointing, but the flavour and preparation of the food do not provide a consistently satisfying dining experience.
Le Silipa is long established as one of the top French restaurants in Vientiane, located on Setthathirath Road on the right side after it splits at the corner of Khoun Boulom. Overall, the food is good, as it’s well seasoned. However, the preparation of the ingredients varies, some tasting fresh but others a touch overcooked or tasting as if they’d been previously frozen. With tasteful decor, Le Silipa has a nice atmosphere. It’s well worth a try, but thriftier diners may find better value elsewhere.
Le Vendome offers decent value for decent food in a pleasant atmosphere. The dishes don’t possess the subtlety of finer French cooking, but still offer a pleasant dining experience. While the restaurant offers a good selection of well-prepared appetisers and mains, the desserts aren’t noteworthy. The service can be a bit slow, so don’t come here if you’re in a hurry. Le Vondome is located opposite Wat In Peng.
Bistro 22.
Offering excellent quality food at the higher end of the price spectrum, Bistro 22 is located on Samsenthai down the road from Simuang Temple. This comfortable restaurant offers a lovely dining experience. Steak lovers can share a one kilogram steak meal, and for other meat lovers, the rack of lamb is recommended. The good service and calm atmosphere make for a relaxing evening of fine dining.
A few things to keep in mind before your splurge include that wine will be one of the greatest expenses of a meal in Laos, as the prices of imported luxury goods (like wine and cheese) are pretty steep. Being in a landlocked country means that most restaurants won’t serve fresh seafood; traditional dishes made with local freshwater fish and seafood are often better than the imported frozen varieties. Well-cured beef seems somewhat elusive in Laos, so the quality of steak can vary from buttery soft to a wee bit chewy, in even the nicest restaurants. However, the rapid development of Laos reaps certain benefits, and a supply of supple steak seems to be on the rise.
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I had incredibly bad service at Le Vendome – one of my worst experiences in all of Southeast Asia. I was also very unimpressed with the food itself. This experience was in late November 2012.
I can only think that John had a bad night. I’ve been living (working) for 6 months in VTE and have eaten at a lot of places, including the famous Amphone where I have had a good meal and a terrible one (which I wrote about on TripAdvisor). Tonight I went with friends visiting from overseas to Le Vendome, and we had a great meal. The serves are large (share a pate between two, share a salad between two, share a dessert between two) and the food was tasty (steaks cooked medium and rare, both perfect), flavoursome sauces. Try the Salad Landaise, the Duck and Duck Liver Pate, and the Poire Belle Helene for dessert. The waiter was prompt, friendly and helpful with suggestions. I’ll definitely be going there again – just not ordering so much next time.
I should add that the ambience was really comfortable and, just in case anyone thinks the place is going off, I have to say the locals disagree. It was a Monday night and there were only 6 empty seats in the restaurant.
I would have to agree with both of you. I’ve had some evenings with excellent service and lovely food and other evenings where I left very unimpressed. I think this may have to do with the growing pains of hiring new staff. Laos has a very different style of service in restaurants. This is in part due to the fact that people here eat family style- all sharing one dish. So, dishes are brought out as they’re made, rather than timed to be served all at once. Also, waiters aren’t trained to be as personable as they are in the West. So for many new waiters and kitchen staff, it may take a few weeks before they understand the timing and the style expected by customers. I’d also imagine that the French owner isn’t working in the kitchen and managing the business 7 days a week, so if there’s a new chef in training, this would affect the quality of the food. I’ve noticed this several restaurants around town. On occasion I tell the owner if I thought there was an area in need of improvement, but usually I just remind myself that I’m not living in a country with hundreds of French chefs looking for work.