Lao-Thai – 4 Gladstone Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 3K
Country: Laos       
Must-try dish: Laap
Seating: Small indoor seating and outdoor seating 
Dinner guests: Daddy Pig, Pornstar Sam, Queen of 303 & The Empress 
The high: Tasting Loatian food was interesting because there are similarities to Thai and Vietnamese food, while it retains its own unique flair. 
The low: We ordered mild Lao Pad Thai but an extremely spicy one meant for another table arrived instead. It was too spicy for the majority of the tables.

Laos is a tiny landlocked country in South East Asia that borders Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Although the cuisine shares similarities with its neighbours, it has it’s own distinct dishes. Despite having lesser of a presence in the restaurant world in Western countries, it goes without saying that many people would enjoy the food. One common characteristic is generous spice, so if you like food that doesn’t make your mouth tingle, ensure you ask for mild. 

A few appetizer orders kicked off the dinner before the big ticket items came into play. The Stuffed Crab was the highlight to this course. A warm and creamy crab paste is served inside a pastry shell with a dipping sauce. It was one of the richer dishes of the evening. You can’t go wrong with the Veggie Rolls – a classic deep-fried spring roll with a vegetarian filling and sauce for dipping. 

One of the more traditional appetizers from Laos are their seasoned pork sausages. These big guys are grilled to perfection, and if you’re looking to order the dish, it’s called Lao Sausage Only. The last starter we ordered are the Shrimp Rolls. It’s a basic concept of whole shrimp wrapped in eggroll then deep-fried. They were a hit at our table, though they were quite basic.

Another traditional Laotian dish is the Laap – a beef salad served with all the freshest ingredients: bean sprouts, cilantro, onions, chillies, and served with rice. The flavours are excellent together, but there’s a gritty texture on the beef that takes a few bites to adjust to. With the heavier meals still on their way, this was a terrific palate cleanser. 

The main dishes at Lao-Thai all require a spice level to be determined upon ordering that goes from mild to level five. For the average person, anything above a level two will keep you honest. 

We kept things at a solid level two except for the Lao Pad Thai which was meant to be made with mild spice. A mix-up in the kitchen led to a level four Lao Pad Thai to come to our table. It left us all with tingling faces, a few with spice sweats, and a couple who couldn’t even swallow a bite. The level four was finished in the end as a mild order arrived and the people who enjoy spice had their own, while the rest could enjoy the flavour from the sauce in the dish. 

The Chicken and Fried Rice was hard not to devour. Seasoned egg-fried rice was the base below deep-fried bonesless chicken pieces. This was less spicy, and more flavourful. The chicken was crispy on the outside and melted in your mouth as you bit into it. If you love fried chicken, then this is the dish for you. 

There had to be a curry on order – the Gang Phet is a red curry in a creamy coconut milk sauce with cooked broccoli, cauliflower, and onions. You get to pick if you chicken or beef on the mix. The flavour in a red curry will never get boring, and although there was a little bit of a kick to the sauce, the coconut milk toned it down. However, a recommendation to the chef would be not to cook the vegetables for such a long time because they were a bit overcooked. 

The drink menu is limited except for several bubble tea flavours, otherwise there’s a consistent flow of cold jugs of water that show up to the table. If you live in the area, it would be an awesome place for takeout. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)