Lao food—it’s not something that’s available near my home.
When I tried looking up Lao restaurants in my area, no results showed up. Although now that I’m currently in Washington D.C. for a semester-long program seminar right now, my circumstances are different—there is Lao food near me. In fact, there’s a Lao restaurant that’s a 2-3 minute walk from my apartment complex called Laos in Town. I haven’t explored much of DC yet, and I won’t explore more of it until the weather gets warmer. That said, it’s never a bad time to embark on a culinary journey of a different culture. So, on a rather chilly day on the last day of January, that’s exactly what I did!
For background, Laos in Town is listed on the Michelin Guide as a “Bib Gourmand” restaurant. A “Bib Gourmand” ranking is different from a star ranking, but it recognizes moderately-priced restaurants that serve high-quality food. What that means is that Laos in Town is a remarkable restaurant without being as expensive as Michelin-star restaurants. As part of restaurant week in DC (January 27-February 2), they offered 3-course meals at the $40 and $55 price points. I ordered from the $40 menu, and my meal consisted of Shrimp Crunch as the appetizer, Khao Peak as the entrée, and Kanom Keaw as the dessert.
Was the food as tasty as the ranking warrants? Here are my thoughts on each dish below.
The first thing I ate was the Shrimp Crunch. The slight crunch of the wrapping, the texture of the shrimp, the slight mintiness of the chives, AND the sweetness of the sweet & sour sauce made my taste buds dance! Mmm, the flavors complemented each other SO well! I wish there were more of it on my plate.
Next came the entrée, Khao Peak. A peculiar flavor bursted out on my first slurp. According to my research, that probably came from the culantro (not cilantro—they’re different). The culantro mixed with the hints of spiciness wasn’t what I was expecting, but the flavor grew on me as I ate on. The noodles were what noodles should be: firm in texture but with the slight elasticity that makes them easy to bite and satisfying to chew. The broth was more modest in terms of flavor, but it elevated the other ingredients in a very satisfying way, ESPECIALLY the meat.
Khao Peak is like a comfort food you could eat on a chilly day or any time you’re in soup mode. Because gorgeous, gorgeous girls (and people in general) love soooooup!
Last but certainly not least was my dessert, Kanom Keaw. It was a pandan rice cake garnished with coconut cream and sweet corn. Although when searching “kanom keaw” on Google, two totally different foods show up. Results for Thai green curry appear, and Gemini’s AI summary (which popped up on its own) of Google’s search results spotlights a Thai dessert called Khao niew kaew, coconut sticky rice.
I didn’t expect the Kanom Keaw to appear the way it did, so I was curious as to how it would actually taste. The coconut cream wasn’t flavorful, and it probably wasn’t meant to be that. The pandan cake, though? REALLY, really good! I’d eat it plain without any sauce or garnish.
If I was a rich girl like Gwen Stefani, I’d come here every 3 or so weeks. The $40 menu was worth every BANG for my buck! Although it was $52 and some change after tax, the dinner was VERY remarkable and worth every cent. When planning your trip to D.C., make room in your budget for Laos in Town. You’ll gain a new core memory and eternally reminisce about the time you tried Lao food!
kristasoyyo.com 
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