Gaspard — Restaurant in Luang Prabang

Visited in May 2025. Laos. Luang Prabang.

Drawn in by glowing reviews and a craving for refined European cuisine, we selected this French restaurant in Luang Prabang with high expectations. The establishment boasts a handful of tables on a charming veranda, with indoor seating also available. The décor is described as French-inspired with a touch of Lao chic.

FOOD:

The menu largely comprises French and European classics, albeit with some dishes seemingly infused with a contemporary Lao twist. The offerings are divided into several sections, encompassing appetizers, salads, main courses, and desserts. We opted for a selection of appetizers and main courses.

The vegetable "pie" proved to be a misnomer, consisting simply of boiled vegetables served atop a cheesy cracker. The dish lacked conceptual cohesion and overall integrity. The vegetables themselves were rather bland, and the presentation felt somewhat haphazard. Only the cheesy cracker was deserving of praise.

The beetroot salad also presented a perplexing flavor profile. The pickled beetroot and other vegetables lacked any unifying concept, resulting in disparate flavors that failed to coalesce. The beetroot, disappointingly, receded into the background.

The appetizer featuring fried potatoes and mushrooms was more successful. The well-browned potatoes with onions formed a classic and satisfying combination. The breaded soft-boiled eggs were also decent, although we would have preferred a runnier yolk to serve as a sauce.

The Australian Wagyu ribeye steak, cooked to a commendable medium-rare, was nevertheless lacking in the expected marbling and succulence. While tender, the meat possessed a somewhat bland flavor. (Perhaps this was due to improper defrosting?)

The truffle pasta was flavorful, but the truffle aroma was barely perceptible, and the sauce was slightly thicker than ideal, resulting in a somewhat dry pasta dish.

SERVICE:

The service was adequate, but we anticipated a higher level of attentiveness given the restaurant's purported sophistication. Ultimately, the service was limited to delivering the food and clearing the dirty dishes – upon request.

VERDICT:

It seemed to us that this restaurant, in its aspirations towards haute cuisine, falls short in consistently delivering high-quality food. Virtually every dish we sampled suffered from notable shortcomings. Considering our extensive experience in dining establishments, we can confidently say that the above-average prices charged here are not justified by the overall culinary experience, and this restaurant is, in our opinion, not worthy of...

So where to start ...

When you walk in it's a beautiful space, wonderfully warm and welcomed really well by the lovely staff.

Then you order a nice cocktail; they do the classics and house styles really well, and you think this will be another bougie restaurant in Luang Prabang.

Sadly, it's downhill from there. They really do fail at the important bit which is really key for a restaurant. You get a nice little amuse bouche which is a lovely touch, sadly it's spent too much time in the fridge from when they prepped it the day before it's just flat and nowhere near the zesty/excitement you want from these.

Then starters: roasted bone marrow should not be sitting in its own fat and taste just like lard. Sure the bread was nice. Then a veggie tart, don't rely on a bag of frozen vegetables for this dish. It's just wrong. There is so much produce in this area of a world. What about a french style roasted cabbage, basil and onion tart instead?

Then mains, the stew was just awful. Worst dish of my life. Simply don't have it. The other dishes on the table weren't as bad, but will also be easily forgotten.

I also want to reiterate, the staff were amazing. So accommodating, loved the homemade banana rum at the end and just lovely people. They are the stars.

This place can be good, just needs a...

We’ve been wanting to try this place when we were in Luang Prabang 6 years ago, but we didn’t get the chance. This year, we got to experience Gaspard cuisines with my in-laws. I made a reservation through their website, but we arrived half an hour early and our table was ready. My husband and I ordered Filet de Buffle (Buffalo) medium with different sauces, Béarnaise and black peppercorn. My mom in-law ordered Saumon à la provença (Pan fried Scottish salmon fillet with herbal crust and ratatouille) and my dad in-law ordered Risotto de St Jacques et légumes croquants (Melting Risotto with sea scallops & organic greens). All came at the same time, and we got to taste their amuse-bouche while waiting. We enjoyed our food with a bottle of red Borsao Bodegas Seleccion from Spain. Everything was so perfect, delicious, and smooth from the start to the beginning. We didn’t order the desserts as we were already full but I’m sure it’ll be wonderful. I would definitely recommend this place for those who appreciate food not just for for its appearance but also for delicate taste. We will definitely return to this place again whenever we’re in Luang Prabang. I didn’t take picture of each dish as pictures won’t do justice unless you experienced...