the state of pasta — Restaurant in Vientiane Capital

Salut Matthias, je vous en prie et je vous remercie pour l’accueil et la discussion et je vous souhaite bon courage pour votre projet.

Au fait, mon intention était de laisser un review détaillé mais maps a fait passé la note de suite par erreur, la voici donc enfin.

REVIEW - lovely fusion pasta place to try

The staff are super friendly, and very welcoming; and although English is not the local staff strongest suit, they were very helpful and managed to understand our questions and requests, always with a smile.

My wife ordered the Pesto Vientianese (comes with green spaghetti) and it was very good. Very tasty pesto sauce with a hint of Lao flavors (tbh I was sceptical that the Lao basil alone will do the trick but it beautifully did), she ordered chicken meat as an extra topping and it was lovely too and worked quite well with the pasta.

I ordered the Laapasta with Linguine and no extra topping (thats the fusion of bolognese sauce with Lao/Asian flavors), the dish was pretty good, though in my taste, I found it more of a Lao version/take of bolognese, rather than a fusion so I was disappointed it lacked Italian flavors. Don’t get me wrong it’s a flavorsome pasta with minced pork and full of Laos flavors, just too far away from original beef bolognese taste.

Before our food arrives we were treated to some focaccia with olive oil, chilly and garlic paste and a fusion of mango and peanut chutney, these are simply a delight! (We ordered extra focaccia slices to finish them off)

We ordered two espresso and unfortunately I didn’t personally enjoy the espresso here, so if you like your espresso very similar to the ones you have in Italy, simply don’t order one here. Worth mentioning that the owners have checked on us before we leave, and as I mentioned this, they kindly offered a couple of new espresso’s using a different coffee beans, for free, and while the coffee was still not great for me (I think it’s the machine and brewing process rather than the beans), we very much appreciated their kindness and hospitality.

So there you go, a star out based on the above, but definitely a spot to try while...

Can I give more than 5 stars please? Summary - Great service, great food, friendly and calm ambiente. Extended review:

We have come here for the second time today and loved it just as much as the first time. No matter which dish you choose, you'll love it. The owners know their trade and the perfect creation of pasta, they do more than just live up to their restaurant's name.

All ingredients are fresh and of the highest quality. From pasta to pepper, salt, oil or parmesan, there is certainly nothing that will leave your taste buds unhappy but celebrating.

Service is quick, friendly, polite and clean, we were satisfied at all times. Food was served quickly and in a manner one will be used to from high scale European restaurants. Staff keep their eyes on the guests and their needs and fulfill every wish immediately.

The place itself is close to the city center and good to reach by feet. It is very clean and tidy inside, with a tasteful, minimalist design and great music. You'll have relaxing and neutral sound splashing your eardrums.

Prices are more than decent, especially regarding the quality, it's almost underpriced.

My tip - The Carbonara with Tagliatelle and an iced Green Tea; you can't fare better than that.

Thank you very much to the owners and their staff for an...

We came here because it’s so highly rated.

Genuinely the worst food I’ve ever eaten - sorry to upset the staff, as they were lovely, but this food was inedible. We got trapped by the tourist trap, and have no idea how it has any star rating - other than perhaps the chef was on holiday.

This food was so salty it was inedible. The “al dente” pasta was just raw, it was incredibly overpriced, it was labelled as ‘vegetarian friendly’ but there was no creative vegetarian option on the menu (just pesto/tomato, how beige). I ordered the salmon teriyaki, and the salmon was salty (as was everything), the fish skin soggy, and raw pasta with a watery sauce. My partner ordered the Nduja sauce for a whopping £8 (161k KIP) which was just a 3 slices of shop bought salami on a watery and SALTY (did we mention?) tomato base. And raw pasta.

We had a serious conversation a few bites in about sending the food back, but didn’t want to upset the kind waiting staff, so ate as much as we could, quenched our parched mouths with beer, and escaped as quickly as we could.

What a...