BOUANG Asian Eatery — Restaurant in Luang Prabang

Stood out so much among many choices that we ate there three nights out of seven. Offers all the standard Lao authentic dishes but puts a fusion twist on them. Flavors are plentiful and portions are generous. Service was fast even when busy and staff repeats your order and will help with choices.

1. Lao sausage and meatballs; totally different from Isan style with tons of seasoning and not spicy at all. Best sausage I’ve had in Asia. Served with delicious dipping sauces 2) pork stew; variation of Or Lam (staple dish from LP) 3)mango spring rolls; nothing better than spring rolls with awesome peanut sauce and Thai mangoes 4) Lap; staple dish of Lao that you have to try; served with greens and the tastiest purple sticky rice we had; excellent flavors 5) Nem Kho; not sure if crunchy rice is used in Lao but the dish is super tasty with bits of ham and all the Lao flavors 6) grilled fish; probably not authentic and definitely a yuppie version of grilled river fish but incredibly delicious 7) mango papaya salad; Lao style is more sour than Thai som tum but this version is much better than we had at the more famous Tamarind restaurant. 8) Kho Soy in Laos is quite different from northern Thailand and substitutes curry and yellow noodles with tamarind gravy and flat rice noodles. This version is delicious but not at all spicy which I believe is toned down for tourists 9) Riverweed is similar to Japanese dried seaweed but improves on it with peanuts, sesame seeds and delicious Jao (Laos dipping sauces)

Overall, our favorite restaurant in LP but make sure you eat more authentic versions of the dishes elsewhere as well and be sure to try Jhow which are also dipping sauces (they don’t use the word but have an appetizer with it). Five...

Very solid and delightful place for dinner. Some of the dishes were the best we had in Laos so far. There are some fusion elements that tries to incorporate Lao cuisine, and it sells Western burgers for those who prefer Western food. All in all, dishes are creative and well thought out.

The Laap Chicken was just amazing. It is perhaps the best Laap I have eaten thus far. The whole dish had a chewy (from the chicken) and crunchy (from the fried shallots) texture. The combination of coriander, garlic, fried shallots and mint made it one of the most aromatic and delicious dish ever. The lime added a citrusy flavour that intensified the aromatics of the dish. Absolute legend of a dish prepared by the restaurant.

The Coconut Lemongrass Fish was equally tasty. The coconut sauce was really rich and gave the whole dish its flavour. Fish was very fresh and firm. Another excellent dish.

Panna cotta was quite good, though it is much less sweet than one would expect of a Panna Cotta (presumably the chef wanted the sweetness to come from the peanuts). By making it coffee flavoured, it is quite a creative twist to a classic dessert.

Unfortunately, the fried rice with chicken (off-menu item) missed the mark severely. It was very plain and lacked flavour. There were quite little chicken as well. Probably better to order items on the menu. Nevertheless, still giving 5 stars as the other dishes were really good.

Ambience was great - modern and chic design. Staff were very friendly and took great care of us. This is one restaurant that we will definitely return if we had more days, but there’s just too many things to try in...

I don't normally leave reviews but wanted to share my thoughts. I love good food, and upon reading about this place in the lonely planet book and based on highly rated reviews, it felt obligatory to make a visit for some delicious food.

We arrived just before 8pm during peak time and miraculously managed to get the front sofa - hands down best seats in the restaurant. The place was vibing, the waiters were really attentive and well trained.

We ordered papaya salad and Jeo for starters. Papaya salad was really good, however Jeo, especially the eggplant tasted very bitter and smelt burnt. I did inform the waiter of it but there was hardly any reaction or acknowledgement.

For mains we had the pork stew and chicken burger. Chicken burger was OK, just OK, nothing too extravagant. It did look better than it tasted I would say. The chips were soggy which was disappointing. The pork stew didn't taste fresh at all. I tried it a couple of times - again, tasted bitter and just not fresh. We were hungry, my partner didn't complain. Perhaps we should have.

We were really excited for desserts but we weren't impressed with the starters or the mains and so decided to skip on desserts - real shame as they did look delicious.

This may be purely coincidental but my partner woke up with bad stomach and is in agony today.

As for the price, I can see why some would say it's expensive. You pay for the venue, the atmosphere, the food. Unfortunately for us, the food did disappoint and I wouldn't recommend this place if you want good food but for a drink or two, definitely...