Savannakhet and Xeno, Laos

Book a day trip to Savannakhet from your hotel reception or otherwise, if you go near the border custom, there are normally taxis lining up there that ready to take you for a day trip to Laos.  However, beware of crooks who are most likely to charge expensive price to foreigners.  Very good bargaining skill is highly needed here, even for local Thai tourists as well.  My recommendation is to ask your hotel reception to book a tour for you just for a piece of mind. 

Savannakhet is a small yet very quiet city with not so many things to explore.  However, just visiting this ancient That Ing Hang stupa, the most sacred worship place or Vat Xaiyaphoum, the oldest Buddhist temple here, definitely made a good day trip.  

Pha That Ing Hang

There are restaurants and cafes that pretty decent around Savannakhet.  But we made an effort to go to Xeno, neighbourhood city, less than an hour drive from Savannakhet.  This place is very popular with their grilled chicken.  You literally can find a vendor after vendor along the 13 road that sell grilled chickens.  We drove pass the shops twice before we decide on which vendor to go to.  We landed in one of seems to be the cleanest and freshest looking chicken shop. 

They use organic chickens here, so the meat rather thin and a little tough but the flavours were good.  I personally love their jeow bong or chili paste.  More like sweet and savory with a tiny hint of spiciness.  Having these chickens and spicy papaya salad pairing with hot sticky rice, it made one great meal. 

Phasouk Cafe 1966

Before heading back to our hotel in Thailand, we made a quick stop at this vintage cafe located in the corner of Khantabouli and Latsakhanai street.  According to reviews I've read, they seem to serve good coffee drinks.  However, it was late in the afternoon and the weather was extremely hot, so I wasn't feeling like coffee at that time.  Ended up with chocolate frappuccino and blueberry yogurt smoothie.  With old brick walls, some paints were even come off and those ancient furnitures add to the timeless atmosphere of the cafe.  It is also made a great photo background. 

Phasouk Cafe 1966

In the corner of Khantabouli and Latsakhanai street

L'Elephant Restaurant, Luang Prabang

Previously:

Luang Prabang Walking Street and Food Market

For our last night in Luang Prabang, at first we wanted to eat at Tamarind restaurant as we had them twice last time and we're still longing for more (check out the reason why in my previous blog, click here).  Unfortunately, the shop closed on that day and we wandered around the city and we found another seemingly a nice restaurant nearby.  It is called L'Elephant Restaurant that serves French and Lao cuisines. 

Tum Luang Prabang

I wasn't so sure to order this dish at first.  Because it's kinda hard to get the right taste of a homey hearty dish in a fine restaurant.  However, this papaya salad was pretty good.  It changed my perception. Although it is slightly lighter compared to the one from Je Tim restaurant, but it has a nice balance of flavour and their vegetables are very fresh.

Sundried pork

Lao appetizer set

Of course, you haven't been to Luang Prabang if you haven't tried their kai pen or fresh water green algae.  It is like a seaweed sheet with some sesame seeds and a little bit of sliced garlic on top.  It needs to be eaten together with jeow bong or chili paste.  The appetizer set also comes with Lao sausage and sundried beef.  Taste wise, it was good but not up to a great-standard yet.  Kai pen from Tamarind restaurant, for me, is much better.

We ended our meal with a coconut creme brulee. 

Luang Prabang airport

Our flight was 10am, so as normal we always arrive airport about 3 hours before departure especially after covid, it takes longer in checking passenger travelling documents.  So we arrived in Luang Prabang airport at around 7am and at that time, the main glass door was opened but there were no one there, litterally not a single person there, not even the security.  Apparently, the airport opens at 8am.  The airport is pretty small so arriving here 2 hours before your flight will still leave you plenty of time.  

simple breakfast from airport shop

WOW!! So impressed with their snack box from Joma cafe

Good bye Luang Prabang and Octie Appetie all.....

L'Elephant Restaurant

Open: Everyday 12pm-2pm and 6pm-10pm

Ph: +856 71 252482

Luang Prabang Walking Street and Food Market

Previously:

Tim & Hum Papaya Salad Restaurant, Luang Prabang

The walking street opens every evening along Sisavangvong road.  And apparently, there aren't any food stalls like in the past around this walking street.  However, if you keep walking on this road toward the morning market, there is this venue like market/bazaar that has heaps of food and drink stalls as well as plenty seating area with live music.  This market itself also runs everyday from 5pm-11pm.

Lao style noodle soup

Roti with banana and chocolate

Watermelon smoothie and avocado smoothie

Is there anyone here recognise this fruit? It is an exotic Southeast Asian fruit that is difficult to find nowadays.  Back when I was little, I ate lots and lots of these.  It is called sawo in Indonesian or sapodilla in English.  It tastes sweet with a slightly smoother and softer texture than a pear.  

Luang Prabang Night Market/Bazaar

In the corner of Sisavangvong road and Kitsalat Road

Open: Everyday from 5pm-11pm

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Luang Prabang:

L'Elephant Restaurant, Luang Prabang

Tim & Hum Papaya Salad Restaurant, Luang Prabang

Previously:

Zurich Bread Factory and Cafe, Luang Prabang

Besides all the good coffee and bread vibes, Luang Prabang also offers authentic and mouthwatering dishes.  One of them is served in this local restaurant named Tim & Hum Papaya Salad Restaurant or more well-known by local as Ce Tim restaurant.  This place is extremely popular for both locals and tourists.  If you ask locals for the direction or tell the skylab driver, you can just mention in short version 'Ce Tim' restaurant and they all definitely know what do you mean by that.  The word 'Ce' is normally used to call an older woman, similar to Mrs or Miss, while 'Tim' is the owner's name.  

Luang Prabang-style som tum (papaya salad) is the legendary dish in this shop.  It is guaranteed a steady taste as she is the only one person making every single dish of papaya salad by her own hand.  Sometimes, it may take a little bit of time until the food comes to the table, as she needs to prepare the salad one at a time as every dish has a different level of spiciness according to customer request.  

My only suggestion is to avoid lunch peak hour.  Come early, before 11am would be the best time.  Because they don't have much table at the same time many locals order take away.  It could take more than half an hour to one hour to get your food served.  And I don't suggest to come after lunch hour before you may miss out some popular items on the menu as they're gone quick.

There aren't much choices on their menu but personally for me, there aren't any bad dishes from there.

This legendary lady has the magnificent hands of making an extraordinary papaya salad

We had them take away and enjoyed at our hotel balcony.  We ordered grilled chicken, sun-dried pork, pork sausages and of course Luang Prabang papaya salad.  From all the meat dishes, pork sausage is absolutely the best dish.  It is very juicy and flavorsome with the right amount of oiliness.  The rest of them were also good companions to sooth down the sourness and spiciness from papaya salad.

The way they cut the raw papaya is slightly different here.  Instead of a slim stick like you normally find in Thailand, here in Luang Prabang, they cut them like flat rice noodle but thinner.  The sauce itself was very strong, piquant, spicy and sour all in one mouthful.  They used fermented fish sauce in it too.  I really can't stop eating it, it was delicious.  

You can also check out this same restaurant when we visited them back then four years ago. Click here. 

Wat Nong Sikhounmuang

Tim & Hum Papaya Salad Restaurant

Kounxoau Road

Opposite Wat Nong Sikhounmuang

Open: Everyday from 10am - 4pm

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Luang Prabang:

Luang Prabang Walking Street and Food Market

Zurich Bread Factory and Cafe, Luang Prabang

Previously:

Saffron Coffee's, Luang Prabang

Zurich Bread Factory and Cafe is one of many cafes in Luang Prabang that sell coffee, pastries as well as some proper meal menus.  Someone actually recommended this place to us.  Having a chef statue in the cafe's front, it makes easy to spot.  From the name, I guess they are kinda expertise in making breads.  And the place is nicely decorated with lots of breads on the glass window display and they place their baking area right at the front so people can see when the baker prepares some bread and cakes.  

It was exactly midday when we were there and the cafe was pretty packed with lunch hunters.  Looking at their menus, I actually wanted to order lots of items from there.  But we narrowed down to this last four savoury menus.  Which are pork sausages, smashed avocado, hawaiian pizza and pho (Vietnamese-style noodle soup). 

Pork sausages

Smashed avocado

Avocado on a toast is always be my number one breakfast menu.  But this was truly a dissapointing dish.  Beside their appetising look, the taste was totally the opposite.  I mean their avocado mix has a nice balance of flavour but the bread didnt taste right to me.  I believe that the bread was off because I could taste stale and moldy.  Very unpleasant.  So, I just left out the bread and ate only the topping.  I didn't make any complains as I got this phobia of people who handling my food, if I make them upset, I'm afraid they might do something to the rest of my food.  Anyone feel the same like me?

As named a bread factory, they should pay more attention with their products especially their highlight item, which is of course bread!!!!

Pork sausage was a let down too.  It was dry and not so fresh.  While for pizza, it was just OK.  Nothing special out of this.  I was really dissapointed with their food.  But the saviour of today was pho dish.  The broth was fragrant and flavorsome.  So yeah... at least something good.

Hawaiian delight pizza

Pho

However, we gave them another shot and tried a couple of sweets in the house.  We got lemon meringue tart and tropical fruit tart.  And voila...  We lucky that we tried their cakes because they're absolutely delicous.  Fresh, not overly sweet and crumbly pastry.  At least their dessert is good so probably next time, I will just go for a cuppa and some cakes.  

Zurich Bread Factory and Cafe

Sakkaline Road, opposite wat Sensoukharam

Open: 9am - 5pm

Ph: +856 20 58 528 953

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Luang Prabang:

Tim & Hum Papaya Salad Restaurant, Luang Prabang