Lao Dtom Lao, which is loosely translated as "Laos people cooking Laos food" is the newest venture of Chakkrapatipong restaurateur-chef Joke Pairomahakij.
Operating out of the same space that used to house the now-closed Hazel's ice cream parlour and fine drinks, the shophouse has undergone a complete makeover and bears zero resemblance to Hazel's. With four tables, its cosy interior puts traditional Laotian fare in the spotlight, coupled with traditional music.
As the story goes, head chef Dayvith "Daeng" Chanthavongsa is Laotian and used to have a small stall, which chef Joke frequented often. When he decided to shut shop, the two got into business and LDL was born.
The menu
The menu is conceived by chef Daeng, who wants to bring "proper Laotian food to Thailand. This is the food I ate while growing up and it is different to Northeastern Thai food. There are a few ingredients that make the cuisines differ from each other.
"Isan food has khao kua, which is toasted rice powder made from toasting the rice in a pan. In Laos, we have khao buea, which is rice soaked in water to ferment it. It is dried and then toasted," says the chef, giving an example of the difference in the two cuisines.
To make it easy for customers, the menu is broken into Spicy salads, Curry soup, Clear spicy soup, Veggies and dips, Chargrilled and fried, Spicy salad with roasted rice, One dish meals and Dessert.
As is done in this part of the world, place an order for a bunch of things and enjoy them all together -- a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I order the Grilled beef (B140) and Grilled pork sausages (B120). Chef Daeng makes the sausages himself, from scratch, and has perfected the recipe over the years. The beef and pork are marinated in the crying tiger or sua rong hai-style and then turned into sausages. Served with skewers of roasted pineapple and burnt green chilli, the crying tiger sausages are a tasty delight and go well with nam jim jaew-Laos style. The sauce is made with tamarind, chilli, palm sugar and a low quality fish sauce mixed with water, so the aroma isn't pungent.
I have never had the Fresh pepper chicken with spicy dressing salad (B90) anywhere else and it is quite unique to LDL. Shredded chicken is mixed with black and green peppers, onions and beetle nut leaves. Served with fresh chilli slices and sprigs of green peppers, it stands out from the others.
No matter how I may despise duck face, I am a sucker for Fried duck beak (B140), so naturally when I see it on a menu, I order it. A tad disappointing, as I have had better elsewhere. Since this is a rather dry dish, I washed it down with LDL's signature cocktail curated by Seven Spoons' talented bartender and LDL's co-owner Joey Keen. The Garden (B250), a heady mix of Isan rum, peach honey syrup, grapefruit bitters and Thai basil wets the mouth rather nicely.
If you're in a rush or are a solo dinner and need one spectacular dish, order the Rice noodles with duck curry (B160) or locally known as khanom jeen nam ya phed. This is one of those dishes you first eat with your eyes and then your palate. It has barely made its way to the table and I am salivating in anticipation. Served with sugar, a wedge of lime, dried red chillies and fresh vegetables, for those of you who can't handle the heat. Though not a fan of nam ya, I enjoyed this dish immensely.
A must-try is the Duck coconut soup (B160), which may look like a tom kha gai, but with duck. However, the duck brings an interesting flavour to the soup. I am not a major fan of coconut milk, but this, honey, this I could eat the entire bowl by myself.
The Papaya salad with dried fish (B110) is an acquired taste. The papaya resembles thick flat pasta rather than the shredded variety that is popular in Thailand. Also I noticed that makok or Laos olives are added, which gives it a different taste compared to the normal som tam you get at street stalls. If this is a tad spicy for you, try the Spicy cooler (B250) a mix of Mekhong rum, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, Angostura bitters and lime.
I am saving the best for the last and it is the Yum khao piak or Laos noodles salad with dried fish (B90). The noodles are imported from Laos and are thinner than Vietnamese noodles but thicker and stickier than the Thai khanom jeen. The noodles are mixed with fried onions, peanuts, a hint of pla ra and makok and will have you wanting more.
Since there is only one dessert as of now, it is best to give it a shot. Who can go wrong with Steamed sweetcorn wrapped in corn leaf (B90)? Khao dome sa lee is sliced corn, mixed with sticky rice, tapioca pearls or sago, coconut milk and sugar. It is then put into the corn leaves and steamed until set.
Insider's Tip
It wouldn't be a Laotian restaurant if no Beer Laos dark (B120) was served, and it is on the menu along with the usual suspects -- Fresh sugarcane and rosella juices (B60).
Full disclosure: It is common knowledge that I used to be chef Joke's business partner at Seven Spoons, having exited the partnership in January 2017. This is an unbiased review.
Value and Verdict
When chef Dayvith was about to shut his original restaurant, chef Joke ordered a bunch of different dishes and froze them to enjoy later. If this isn't indication enough that you need to get to Bangkok's Old Town now, I don't know what is. So worth the trek, much like Seven Spoons.
Lao Dtom Lao
171 Chakkrapatipong Road Wat Sommanat, Bangkok Monday to Saturday 5-10.30pm Sunday 6-10.20pm Call 082-093-8860 Visit http://facebook.com/pg/laodtomlao
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