Edit "Lao Cafe, WC2N 4HG"
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Laotian restaurant in [[Locale Covent Garden|Covent Garden]]. It seats just 32 people at small tables with reclaimed-plank tops, flanked by a combination of freestanding chairs and wooden bench seating. A huge mural of a smiling person covers one wall, and there's some nice decorative tile style lino under one of the tables. A large window at the front lets in what sunlight makes it down past the tall surrounding buildings, augmented by stylised "bare bulb" lighting in industrial-looking wireframes. The industrial look is continued in the large air conditioning pipe that stretches across the ceiling and the plank-and-pipework shelves holding kilner jars of dried ingredients and terracotta pots of hanging ivy. [[Kake]] visited on a Thursday lunchtime in September 2019. There were already half a dozen people in when I arrived shortly after their opening time of noon, and more turned up while I was there; by 12:30pm the place was half full and by the time I left at 12:45pm all the tables were taken. Music was playing, not too loud. Kai khem som tumm (papaya salad with salted eggs; £9.50) <small>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/48692469386/ photo]</small> was good, made with properly fresh ingredients and a nice balance in the dressing — not too salty, to allow for the extra salt from the egg. I asked for it medium-spicy, which was about right for me. Brown sticky rice (£3.25) seemed to actually be a mix of white and black, but was also good, cooked just right and with a nutty but not overwhelming flavour. Together they made a good size for lunch. Service was efficient, and they were happy to let me pay partway through eating (I had a train to catch). Food came out quite slowly, but this seemed to be due to a small kitchen rather than any slackness on the part of the staff. Tap water arrived swiftly on request, with no attempt to upsell me to the unlimited filtered water at £2. A 12.5% service charge was added to the bill. [[Kake]]'s verdict: I'd like to come back and try more of the menu, but I'd be very wary of arriving any later than opening time. Accessibility: A step to get in. Toilets not checked. See also: * Photos of the menu as of September 2019: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/48692129008/ main], [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/48692644317/ lunch], [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/48692469486/ drinks] * [https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/lao-cafe Time Out review] * [http://web.archive.org/web/20190811170625/https://donutsam.com/london/coventgarden/lao-cafe/ Donutsam review] * [http://www.the-hedonist.com/lao-cafe-review/ The Hedonist review] * [https://www.kaveyeats.com/2018/08/lao-cafe-london.html Kavey Eats review] * [https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/food-drink/restaurant-review-lao-cafe/07/03/ London Economic review] * [https://www.london-unattached.com/lao-cafe-review/ London Unattached review] * [https://www.lucylovestoeat.com/2017/04/real-laotian-food-at-lao-cafe.html Lucy Loves To Eat review] * [https://pickyglutton.com/2021/08/23/lao-cafe-review-laos-in-covent-garden/ The Picky Glutton review] * [https://teaonthebeach.co.uk/2018/03/04/lao-cafe-london-a-review/ Tea On The Beach review] * [http://www.thoroughlymodernmilly.com/2017/11/lao-cafe-covent-garden/ Thoroughly Modern Milly review] * [http://web.archive.org/web/20200812023528/http://theworldandhistuktuk.co.uk/lao-cafe-outstanding-somtum-and-other-isaan-dishes-in-central-london/ The World And His Tuk Tuk review] <div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]], September 2019. Opening hours taken from the Lao Cafe website, September 2019.</div>
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Charing Cross Covent Garden Strand WC2
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Featured Article Laotian Food Restaurants
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