📍 Lao Lao Bar – 5 St Joseph St, Toronto, ON M4Y 1Z3
🌍 Country: Laos  
🔥 Must-try dish: Caramelized Pork Belly Stew
🎭 Dinner guest: Dan’s Date, Island Dan, Pornstar Sam & Suited Sebastien
🪑 Seating: Indoor seating with a small patio.
👍 The high: The seasonal specialties are well worth checking out — they will not be around forever, and they are as stunning as they are delicious.
👎 The low: The Mixed Meat Salad, more traditionally known as Leap, was ordered but did not ever come to the table. Although it was removed from the bill (much appreciated), it was sad to not have tried it.

Laos is a small landlocked country in Southeast Asia known for its mountains, French style architecture, and spicy food. Laotian cuisine is a mosaic of flavours and influences stemming from the countries that border it, and the powers that colonized it. Don’t be surprised to taste similarities to Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese cuisines, and the occasional nod to French recipes. Despite this, the country’s cuisine retains unique and special characteristics all on its own.

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that Lao Lao Bar is one of the hottest places to dine in the city. Reservations are required, and any additional seating is taken up by walk-ins. The space has seen many iterations over the years, and it seems like it has finally landed on something that truly works. It doesn’t help that it’s located on a residential side street, so you kind of have to know where you’re going. And once you do find it, it feels like stepping out of Toronto and into Laos with orange flowers adorning the bar, teak lamp shades, and colourful walls.

As for the food, it’s totally Laotian with a modern twist, and there’s an extensive drink program that will satisfy any kind of drinker. Like many dishes from Laos, the dominant flavours are garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chilies, tamarind, fish sauce, and lime leaves, all of which are present in many of the plates at Lao Lao Bar.

To kick things off:
Green Papaya Salad: There isn’t really a way to go wrong with this. Ever. In keeping with Laotian tradition, it’s super spicy from the mixture made from crab paste, chilies, and fish sauce. Don’t forget to eat the golf ball shaped pork rind that’s served in a bowl.

Lao Heavenly Beef Jerky: This dish is the epitome of Laotian flavour. Not because of the way the meat is prepared, which is dehydrated and gives it a leathery texture, but because of the seasoning that coats it – all the classic flavours of the country with lemongrass at the forefront. This is a terrific dish to share, and more impressive in taste than in name.

Green Papaya Fritters: Clearly it was a papaya kind of evening. Unlike the salad, these are lightly battered and deep fried, with a deliciously spicy tamarind sauce for dipping.

Taro Rolls: A favorite of the night, we easily could have ordered another round. The taro, water chestnut, and root vegetables stuffed inside the soybean wrap were textured, flavorful, and easy to eat. It’s something that doesn’t necessarily stand out on the menu but certainly did at the table.

Tapioca Dumplings: You can never go wrong with dumplings, and this is just another instance that proves that theory. There’s a lot going on here as the tapioca brings a different texture and the filling is a mix of everything: mushrooms, preserved radish, fresh herbs, chilies, and shallots, topped with crunchy peanuts. It was the most fun dish we ordered that night.

The second course:
Lao Sausage: One of the most traditional dishes on the menu, this is essentially a seasoned sausage, and that’s it. But don’t judge a book by its cover – all the classic seasonings are used to marinate the meat, and it tastes amazing thanks to the spices and the grill.

Caramelized Braised Pork Belly Stew: A seasonal item on the menu, this was a total highlight, and we wish it had a permanent spot. The chunks of meat are like biting into soft butter but with liquid and spices around it. The sauce is thin but fragrant and so good that it’s not out of line to slurp it up after the meat is gone.

Jeow Bong Pineapple Fried Rice: This was a ten out of ten for presentation, and impressively tasted just as good as it looked. It’s also a large platter that feeds many. Unlike Chinese fried rice, the Laotian version is full of flavour and spice. There’s a lot more going on with every bite – sweetness, savoriness, and spiciness all working together. It’s the whole package.

Drunken Noodles: There can’t be rice without noodles. Traditionally called Pad Kee Mao, the dish is Southeast Asian comfort food at its finest. It’s simple yet delicious with soy sauce, basil, peppercorn, and vegetables mixed in with those wide, flat rice noodles that swirl around your fork. This was a nice contrast to the more intensely flavoured dishes, which are delightful but sometimes need something calmer to balance things out.

Crispy Coconut Rice Salad: The Nam Khao is a well balanced medley that brings together coconut rice, cured pork, fresh herbs, and chilies. Each bite is crunchy from the rice and peanuts, and miraculously doesn’t get soggy from the sauce. It was nice to have something fresher during this course, and the salad definitely delivered.

Unfortunately the most awaited and perhaps most traditional dish, Leap, didn’t make it to the table. So, that can only mean one thing – let’s go back for more!

Eat with you soon,
Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)