LaoFoodCo – Pop-up
Country: Laos
Must-try dish: Sai Oua with Jeow Sauce. 
Dinner guests: Pornstar Sam and Young Matt 
Seating: Pop-up, so no physical restaurant. 
The high: The representation of Lao cuisine in a city with minimal options. 
The low: The dishes are very expensive. 

Laotian cuisine is difficult to source in Toronto, the only representation comes from restaurants that fuse their cuisine with their neighbouring country Thailand. However, we did find a Laotian pop-up that kept on creeping onto our Instagram. 

LAOfood.ca brings traditional Laotian meals to our homes and gives the opportunity to taste some of their delightful dishes. We got our hands on the food as a result of following their social media and learning that you could pre-order for pick up at the Stackt Market in downtown Toronto. There are various ways to get your hands on the food, but the best way is to follow them on Instagram where all the details are laid out. 

As the purchase was made spontaneously, only a few dishes were ordered to make at home and it added Laotian cuisine on Eat the World TO’s radar. 

The order consisted of: 

• Thum Mak Daeng: A traditional Lao smashed cucumber salad with tomatoes in a umami sauce. The sauce has fishy characteristics from the fish sauce but was balanced with the chilis. FYI: the salad can keep for a couple days without getting soggy. 
• Sai Oua: A large traditional Laotian sausage with cilantro. We opted for the frozen, uncooked one which comes in packs of two, but for a couple extra dollars, you can have them cooked for you and comes accompanied with Jeow dipping sauce, sticky rice and cucumbers. This is clearly the better bang for your buck. The flavours of the sausage were a bit unknown though they were moist, flavourful and unique in comparison to anything else we’ve tasted.
• Jeow Som: A traditional Laotian table sauce that’s used to top many of their grilled meats. The sauce contains garlic, cilantro and freshly squeezed lime. It’s tangy with subtle hints of what appears to be fish sauce. During this meal it paired perfectly with the Sai Oua. The leftover sauce went great with Hooked fish cakes which are seasoned with Asian spices. If more accessible, this sauce would have a permanent spot in our fridge.

We were glad to have stumbled across this Laotian pop-up during the pandemic. The pop-up format has increased across the city, changing the face of international cuisine in Toronto. 

Although patios are opening across Toronto, pop-ups such as LaoFood make for great meals for takeout, picnics or to enjoy at home. Please help to support the culinary scene to help assist in keeping these restaurants afloat.

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)