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.
5. Dexter Cafe & Bar
After a morning of snacking on light pastries, noodles and coffee, what we really needed to cap off the day was good old hipster-cafe indulgence. The facade of Dexter Cafe pops out among a row of aged shophouses and Indochinese handicraft stores, looking remarkably European with its monochrome aesthetic.
The dishes, however, brought in the dash of Asian flavour that we came for. From Korean fried chicken-style chicken bites to pulled pork baguette to mango sticky rice, this was a true treat for the traveller who misses a taste of Eurasian cafe grub.
98 Unit 2 Xiang Muan, Sisavangvong Road, Luang Prabang, Laos.
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