Dinner at one of the Most Expensive Restaurant in Vientiane

(or, how I became an organ recipient)

A couple of things before I get to the dinner.  When I was cooking at the Tamarind School I struck up a conversation with a young woman who was cooking next to me.   You ask the usual questions- how long have you been in the country, where are you going next, where are you from.

She explained that she, her husband, and year and half old daughter were all travelling together and that they had lived in London for a couple of years or so.  However, they were going to move back to the states shortly.  I asked where.  She said back to Arlington Va.  Small world.  We chatted about Arlington and I said there was only one grocery I really liked to shop at for S E Asian foodstuffs.  Before I could name it, she said Grand Mart.  Now this is truly a very small world.

I can’t wait for them to come back and come over for dinner.  It will be like ‘old times’, the two of us cooking in the kitchen.  We’ll have to make the menu around dishes we learned at Tamarind.

Now, almost on to my dinner.

A hot dry wind blew constantly all day today and into the night.  Although the temperature was 91 and was supposed to feel like 95 the dry wind immediately wicked away any moisture from perspiration.  Consequently, it felt much cooler than it was.  It was also a day to drink a lot of water. 

One more item.  I got clipped today, literally and figuratively.  My haircut cost almost 9 bucks.   I decided to get my beard trimmed too since I was headed to a fancy restaurant.  That bumped the price up to 15 bucks.  That comes out to about 10 cents a hair.  Now on to the topic of food.

The Le Silapa menu is not all French cuisine,  It has some other great items from around the world -  Australian lamb, John Dory, certified angus, etc.  It is nicely appointed, with linen table cloths, cloth napkins, a candle on the table, etc.  The staff is very attentive and service is superb.  So what do you order?

I started with foie gras.  The lightly seared liver was richer than the CEO of a Wall Street Investment Bank.  It was so soft and rich it literally melted in my mouth.  It was also served with a piece of foie gras mouse which had been laced with cognac, spoonfuls of port wine jelly, and a chutney.

Then came veal brains in a casserole with diced vegetables and mushrooms, and a beautiful side salad.  The brains were bathed in a light rich sauce.  In fact the dish was so rich I could not finish it.

I kept sipping my full bodied glass of French red wine to help cut the richness of both the foie gras and the veal dish.

Needless to say I left the restaurant a very happy camper and walked all the way back to the hotel so I could burn off 2% of the calories I had consumed.

This business of trying to cover many of the top restaurants in Vientiane is proving at least one thing – the Universe and I are both expanding.