This little town along the Mekong has surprisingly delicious coffee and French pastries
Photos and text by Pamela Chow
A peaceful little village set along the banks of Nam Khan River and the giant Mekong River, Luang Prabang is the darling of Laos. In just a small area, the town compacts a mix of temples, museums, hostels, resorts, a night market, a morning market, spa retreats, convenience shops and bars.
And, surprisingly, great coffee and pastries. Its beans are grown locally in the hills just outside the town centre, and its pastries are a tasty testament to the country's French colonial roots. Luang Prabang is now easily accessible via SilkAir's new route to Laos.
Beckoned by the call of cafes lined up along Sakkaline Road just behind our hotel, we squeezed time between stops in our hectic schedule to fulfill one mission: Eat as much as we could. Armed with Lao Kip (the local currency), we took on the eats in the streets. Here are the best that we had.
4. Saffron Coffee
A good place for a quick cuppa before heading out and about, Saffron Coffee isn’t just another barista joint in town. It supports hill tribe farmers around the area, teaching them to nurture and harvest high-quality beans in order to make full use of their hill land – which, at more than 800m above sea level, is prime property for growing aromatic Arabica beans.
Its specialty is therefore the Northern Lao Arabica, which you can taste if you order any drink on the menu that includes “Lao Coffee” in its name. Saffron Coffee will soon open its facilities for group tours, where you will be taken to its farm and brewery grounds up in the hills for a closer look at how the delicious drink is produced.
Khem Khong Road, Ban Wat Nong, Luang Prabang, Laos.
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