Viengthong

Price: $$
Thoughts: ☆☆☆
(Website and Menu not available)

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I have never really explored much for varying Asian ethnic dishes aside from the usual Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese food. When Laotian food was mentioned I could only make a very loose assumption that it would be similar to Filipino food. The mention of a papaya salad also intrigued me deeply and my curiosity was creating fantastic images of what it could look like.


a basket full of sticky rice + som tum + sien savanh

This was also when I realized what a papaya really looks like in this salad. Which was a white pale look that had a similar texture to daikon. Without much thought we got the Som Tum (papaya salad) with three stars (typically recognized in Thai restaurants when the waiter/waitress will ask you how many stars out of four or five in how spicy you would like your meal to be) out of three.

Along with this we got the Sien Savanh (Lao Beef Jerky) with a basket of their sticky rice. Another thing that surprised me was how dry the sticky rice was compared to what I had imagined in my head (that being the kinds you find wrapped in leaves from dim sum carts). We ate everything with our bare hands. It felt a little odd at first, but I grew comfortable with it and let the rest of my fingers join in (rather than just using my thumb and index only).

Now I may love spicy food. But when you ask for three stars here, keep in mind that you will be eating something beyond your capability unless you are completely impervious to peppers. Expect a pitcher of water to be drained as well as frequent breaks to breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose. The salad was still great, just a bit too much on the spicy side.

The sien savanh was very good. At a glance I was expecting it to be very tough to chew like what most beef jerky tends to be. But it's rigid exterior hid it's deceptively soft and tender inside. I could've eaten another whole plate of this.

The service was what I kind of expected from the moment I walked in the door. The waitress seated us, and left us on our own for a good length of time. The occasional checkup with us would happen once every 15 or so minutes and she would plant herself back in front of the television. However the time from when we placed our order to receiving the cooked goods was astoundingly fast.

If you want a good helping of what I would label as Asian 'soul' food, this would definitely be it. Get their papaya salad with one star or two. Three if you're really looking to sniffle and sweat. Also, this is a cash only establishment so make sure you have some before you come in! Each dish is about $10.