- Campeones! Champions!
- Summer Soup and Duck Larb
- New Style Satay, Tempura and Scarlet Prawns
- Solomillo and Pez Limón
- Sesame Salmon with Carrot & Tuna with Papaya
- Trilogy of Tuna
- Daily Amuse Bouche
- Cheese Paper and Crab Crackers
- Mise en Place
- Daily Amuse Bouche 4
Sithilert, Amonechanh Luangrath, Vienne, elgin illinois - Summer Soup and Duck Larb 1
elgin - New Style Satay, Tempura and Scarlet Prawns 6
black, Hank, Vienne, Antoine [...] - Elvers and Jade Noodles with King Prawn 4
Vienne, antonio, Amanda, Hank - Cheese Paper and Crab Crackers 3
Alex the Great, Vienne, elgin illinois - Things That Make you Go Hmmmmm! Laotian Rice Noodle Soup. 6
Vienne, Kit, Lao Online, elga [...] - Trilogy of Tuna 1
elgin illinois - Sesame Salmon with Carrot & Tuna with Papaya 1
elgin illinois - Solomillo and Pez Limón 1
elgin illinois
- Pierre : Welcome to Laocook.com
Sesame Grissini and Cappuccino Revisted
August 17th, 2007
Grissini are Italian breadsticks and can be found in many restaurants and are similar to the Spanish “Picos”. We make ours with Olive and Sesame Oil, which gives the sticks a nutty flavour.
“Why are the Laocooks serving Grissini?” I hear you ask…
We like to venture in to different cuisines, because we think that cuisine is an international language, and if respected, can be enhanced with new ideas and flavours. Hey, everyone is doing it nowadays…some recipes work, and some just don’t, but it is all about the “learning process”.
Continuing the Italian theme, we reworked our Tom Kha Cappuccino. This time we used a base of Ceps, and added more Coconut to the Tom Kha foam, the result was very good, especially with the addition of Truffle…
With more bravado, we managed to cook up an interesting dish using home smoked Mackerel and Mint Sorbet, sounds weird, but it has to be tasted to be appreciated.
The fish is smoked over Olive Wood Chips, which add an amazing aroma, and because the Mackerel is a fatty fish, it won’t dry out during the smoking process.
One of our most ordered Main Courses is “Spicy Beef”, which is cooked with Shallots and a Spicy Basil Sauce. We tend to keep the hotness down unless our diners ask for “the real thing 
For those who don’t like spicy foods (grrrr) we also have some dishes that are mild, such as our Chicken with Mushrooms.
We like to use Mushrooms that are in season for this dish, preferring fresh to dried or frozen. Mushrooms add natural flavour to the dish, and should never be washed (they will soak up so much water). We use a Mushroom brush to get rid of the dirt and cut off any parts that are tough. It is a lot of work, but the dish oozes with flavour.
For those with a Sweet Tooth, or Teeth, our love affair with Pannacotta continues.
Driven by the multi-coloured Laotian desserts that we so miss, our Pannacotta is flavoured with Watermelon, Coconut and Mango.
***
Our Intern Sak, from Lyon in France is tasked with making the staff dinner.
As with all our Interns, Sak is progressing well, learning more Lao, and learning to drink…. We’ll make a Laocook out of him one day…
August 18th, 2007 at 4:45 am
mmm…i love cepes. unfortunately we never get fresh cepes around here. but next month we’ll have blewits!
coconut and truffle–how interesting.
but please no more stir-fries!
August 24th, 2007 at 5:05 am
Hi Vienne,
I will be in laos (first time) just a few days in september with my wife. Any recomendation, restaurant or so? any market I must go?
Thank you, I really enjoy visiting your blog.
Estanislao
August 25th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Hi Estanislao, always a pleasure to know that you visit.
I am so glad that you will be going to Laos, I am sure that you will enjoy every minute of your travels.
Most good food can be found in the markets, and the market that you MUST visit is the Morning Market in Vientiane (Talat Sao). As for restaurants, I think that you should visit Makphet Restaurant on Sethathirat Road (opposite Wat Inpeng), it is run by Friends International and is helping Lao children.
For evening drinks, any of the street stalls near the Mekong River offer seats near the river bank (bring Mosquito spray), or the bar Kop Chai Der, near the Fountain (a tourist meeting point) is also a fun place, they have live music most nights.
Are you staying with family or friends?
August 25th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Hi Vienne! I have just discovered your blog and I am totally perplexed… I have just read that you live in Andalucía, what is the name of the restaurant that you are working and where is it located exactly? I live in Madrid and I would really like to visit your restaurant.
Thank you in advance!
August 26th, 2007 at 5:56 am
Of course Vienne, I always check your blog but I do not always write comments. I learn a lot.
I was very intrigued reading about your food, so, Last month, when I went to Paris, found and eat at a small Lao restaurant… Wonderful, really interesting and very different from northern Vietnamese food, the one Im used to. I was alone, so I couldn’t got lots of dishes, as my will was demanding! I tasted green papaya salad with chilies, tomato and a few crushed raw crabs. also I got a fish mok and my all favorite sticky rice. I also tasted brilliant Lao beer. that night was perfect.
Thank you for the tips for Vientianne, I will stay at an hotel, I got no relatives nor friends in Laos. So I count on your directions!
Another question. Do Luang Prabang worth the trip?
Thank you very much for your help Vienne, as soon as I arrive from Laos I will make a reservation at your restaurant. Just a few Hours from madrid!
August 26th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Hola Estanislao,
When I go to Vientiane, I normally stay at the Vansana Hotel http://www.vansana.laopdr.com which is clean and comfortable. Its about 30USD a night.
You will get to taste a lot of Papaya Salad in Laos, try it with Fried Pork Skin!!
I have never been to Luangprabang, but everyone tells me that it is worth the visit.
Have fun!
August 26th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Bienvenidos a Laocook Panyafe!
Glad that you found us. We are in the province of Cádiz, Andlaucia.
http://www.fairplaygolfhotel.com is were we work, just go to the site and find your way to Restaurants, then look for Restaurante ASIA.
What do you do in Madrid?
August 28th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Hello again! I have been living in Madrid for about two years. I am studying Business Administration just to have something but then I am planning on studying my real passion which is Fashion Design.
Although my kitchen really is small that does not impede from cooking my favourite Lao and Thai recipes. That is why I am so glad that I found your blog, Vienne.
I lived for one year and a half at Vientiane with my mother and my grandmother but I did not visit Laos as much as I would had wanted. That is why, ten years later I went to Laos (on Christmas of this year) and visited Luang Prabang. Since neither Estanislao nor you have ever been there I must say that by all means you should go. In fact, I believe that you MUST go.
The cuisine of the north is astonishing. The Luang Prabang sausage is amazing and it gets even better when eaten with sticky rice and the typical Lao tomato sauce.
What I would, however, really recommend Estanislao is that you should go to Villa Santi Hotel (the resort is on the city limits, but the hotel itself is found on the very centre of Luang Prabang) and taste the Royal Lao Menu. It costs about 15 USD per person and there are two sets which includes amazing recipes that I never had the occasion of trying before. I will never forget the deep fried pork stuffed in lemongrass and it did get even more unforgetable after tasting the deep fried pork stuffed in shredded bamboo.
Apart from the fantastic gastronomical experience, you should visit the Wat Xiengthong, Pak Ou and the Phousi.
Congrats again for your blog!
PD: Vienne, one more thing: make no mistake that I will definitely visit your restaurant.
September 2nd, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Thanks for the great info Panyafe!
You are always welcome to the restaurant!