Tim Papaya Salad, Luang Prabang

Previously:

Joma Bakery Cafe, Luang Prabang

This Tim papaya salad (som tum) shop is highly recommended, for those who want to try authentic Luang Prabang dishes.  Not so much offered from their menu lists but all the dishes are super delicious and full of flavors.  Som tum or papaya salad is at their best when eating with sticky rice and some other meaty companions.

Grilled chicken with jeow (spicy dipping sauce)

Luang Prabang style som tum

Luang Prabang style of papaya salad is slightly different from Vientianne.  In here, green papaya is thinly sliced and they add fermented fish sauce (pla ra) as well.  The salad is very aromatic, pungent and above all is so yummyyyyyy.

Grilled sour pork

Deep-fried sundried pork

traditional way of making sundried pork

Another chill out walk at the night market.  And for dinner we just picked some random restaurant nearby.  We tried their noodle soup and deep-fried sundried pork.  It was alright but not so great.  Therefore, it's no point to mention about the name and location of this shop.  I need to give it a miss.

Tim Papaya Salad
Khounxoa Road
(Near Ammata Hotel)


Stay tuned for the next blog still in Luang Prabang:
Kuangsi Waterfall Park, Luang Prabang

Joma Bakery Cafe, Luang Prabang

Previously:

Morning Market And Prachaniyom Coffee, Luang Prabang

Today we booked the private Lao-style taxi for half day to take us around the city.  From the market, we continue visiting some more temples that we didn't cover yesterday.

In Luang Prabang, they have so many good coffee shops as well as delicious authentic local cuisine restaurants.  Therefore, our trip in here more for eating compare to the sightseeing part.  So my post will fill with food after food.  For our morning tea time, we stopped in one of the popular coffee shop in Laos, called Joma Bakery Cafe.  It is a modern french style cafe with variety of brunch menus available.  They serve the best cinnamon chai latte in town.

Cinnamon chai latte

croissant with bacon egg and melted cheese

For some of you, who are foreigners and can't really stand the authentic Lao delicacies or just simply miss food back home.  I definitely will recommend this cafe.  They serve great hot coffee and cafe' style food such as breakfast croissant and ranges of baguettes and sandwiches.  Their cakes are to die for too.  If you have some spare tummy, better to try some of their sweets and cakes.

cheese steak baguette served with fresh vegetables

Ice coffee and coconut cake

Joma Bakery Cafe
Hua Xieng branch (near post office)
Chao Fa Ngam Road, Luang Prabang
Ph: +856 71 252 292
Opening hours: 7am - 9pm

Nam Khan branch
Kingkitsarath Road (along the Nam Khan river, in Ban Wat Sene)
Ph: +856 71 213 167
Opening hours: 8am - 4pm

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Lang Prabang:
Tim Papaya Salad, Luang Prabang

Morning Market And Prachaniyom Coffee, Luang Prabang

Previously:

Things To Do In Luang Prabang

The beautiful custom of sai bat (pay mercy to the monks by giving food) is around the air every morning.  In Luang Prabang, they sai bat only with sticky rice.  People wakes up early and waits in front of their house as early as 5.30 in the morning for the group of monks from different temples walking pass.
 

Sai bat custom

Felt good after do a good mercy, we need to fill in our tummy with some good food too.  One of the busy local coffee shop, Prachaniyom coffee is always packed with locals and popular among tourists as well.  It is located not so far from morning market, in the corner of Kitsalat Road and the Khem Khong.  They open since 5am and close at 12pm.  They serve traditional hot coffee, milk tea and ovaltine as well as chinese deep-fried bread stick, soft boiled egg and congee.  We tried one of each and they all taste great.  I like the combination of deep-fried bread stick dipped in soft boiled egg the best.

soft boiled egg

You can deep the fried bread in the coffee or egg, both taste good

Pork congee with extra egg on top

After had our breakfast by the river, we walk to the morning market which only a stone-throw away.

Fascinating morning market

The morning market starts early and finish up around mid-morning.  You can find the freshly grown vegetables and ordinary consumed products but you also can find some exotic jungle products as well as live frogs and jumping shrimps.

Authentic Luang Prabang snacks are sold here

Live frogs and bee hives

variety types of fish

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Luang Prabang:
Joma Bakery Cafe, Luang Prabang

Things To Do In Luang Prabang

Previously:

Lotus Villa Hotel and Tamarind Restaurant, Luang Prabang

There are temples after temples here in Luang Prabang.  However, there are a few most famous temples that you can't miss while you were here.  Such as Wat Mahathat, That Chomsi, Royal Temple and Wat Xieng Thong.  These temples are located in the city that can be reached by foot or Lao style taxi for more convenient option.

night market is just located on the foot of That Chomsi 

That Chomsi

We need to climb few hundreds steps of stairs before arriving the peak of this temple.  Better to visit in the late afternoon, because this place is popular for watching sunset from the peak.  Make sure to come earlier before sunset time as a lot of people are gathering there already taking the best spot to watch the sunset. 

View from on top of That Chomsi

There is night market in Luang Prabang that open every night after 6 pm.  So, it would be a nice walk looking at their crafts and souvenirs while digging in some of their street food delicacies as well.  The best way is to visit That Chomsi around 4 pm and by the time you finish watching the sunset from up there just come down and the market will be there bustling already.

few stalls selling the fresh fruit shakes and milk frappe

We found this hot pot stall just in the corner of the road.  They are located not so far from That Chomsi.  Range of fresh vegetables, fish cakes, noodle and some seafood are there for you to pick.  The lady gave us a basket to fill in with all the goodies of our choice.  Once you finish, the lady will cook them for you in her special broth and ding... not so long it will be ready for you to dig in with spicy homemade ma la  chilli sauce.  This thing is called ma la hot pot.  Ma la is the type of Chinese pepper that make your tounge numb.  I love lots of them in my soup although we suffer from the numby tounge for a moment but they tasted absolutely delicious.

Soup version by Octie Appetie

Ma la chilli paste

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Luang Prabang:
Morning Market And Prachaniyom Coffee, Luang Prabang

Lotus Villa Hotel and Tamarind Restaurant, Luang Prabang

The most convenient direct flight (about 2 hours flight) but a little splurge from Bangkok to Luang Prabang is with Bangkok Airways.  This boutique airline provides their passengers with a private waiting-lounge completed with snacks, light drinks and their famous khao tom mud or steamed sweet sticky rice with banana filling.  You can enjoy the free wi-fi and some refreshments before departing.  What a nice start of holiday.

We stayed at Lotus Villa in Luang Prabang for 3 nights.  It was a small boutique hotel with clean room and friendly smiley receptionists and superb breakfast.

complimentary welcome drink and fresh fruits

standard room on the 2nd floor

deluxe room is on the ground floor

Luang Prabang city is not so big.  For advance adventurers, they can easily cover the temples and restaurants from their hotel by foot.  However, as we came with elderly and a toddler, this type of vehicle is the best option for us.  They can be hired for all day, half day or just to take you to certain place.  It is like a taxi but without meters and natural air (no window).  Here in Luang Prabang, there are no taxi unless you do the advance booking through internet or hotel reception for private van.  Bargaining is highly needed, if you are foreigner and don't know how to speak the language at all and do not want to risk to get cheated, the best way is to ask your hotel concierge for a help finding the transportation.  However, I found that many of the drivers are actually pretty good and honest.

Once we arrived and dropped our stuff in the hotel, of course the first thing we did was heading to the local restaurant serving local cuisine.  Tamarind restaurant serves the Luang Prabang delicacies.   The photos below are some of the food that we tried.

Or lam gai

This is Lao signature dish.  It is basically a spicy stew chicken dish with some eggplant and green vegetables.

Lemongrass stuffed with chicken

It is the whole stalk of lemongrass in each one and they stuffed with minced chicken and green shallot then dipped in egg before deep-fried .  Very fragrant and tasty absolutely delicious.

Herb fish steamed in banana leaf

Khai paen - crispy river weed

This crispy river weed is called khai paen but the raw one is called kai hin.  It is a river weed that topped with lots of white sesame and then fried in hot oil in just a few seconds.  Very thin slice and very crispy.  It is normally served with jeow or type of chilli dipping paste and can be eaten on its own or with sticky rice.

Fresh fruit platter

In here, they serve the drink with bamboo straw very eco-friendly.  Love the idea.

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Luang Prabang:
Things To Do In Luang Prabang