a little bit of Laotian in my life

It always nice to have a night out with the Ladies, but especially nice when they agree to go to a Laotian restaurant that you tried once, but only had the privilege of sampling 2 plates off of the menu. So went we did. It's hard to give a RDV at Place d'Italie in order to eat somewhere just past Tolbiac--for those  unfamiliar with Parisian geography, this implies a walk of about 15 minutes, which would normally be fine, except one is required to walk past block after block of asian restaurants--from thai to cambodian to cantonese to pho restaurants and banh mi stands. It is definitely tempting to stop sooner than planned in one of the other various and sundry, but keep going. Because what awaits at Lao Lane Xang is beautiful indeed.

We started off with some thé glacé au lait, beautifully presented. Erf. Now I want one. If only I had an industrial ice crusher:

And then we agreed on a couple of appetizers to share. The first, something we saw wander by in a waiter's hand, and simply had to try. Luckily the menu had pictures, so we were able to identify these little rice pancakes with dried shrimp and coconut milk:

Then we got an obigatory order of Thai egg rolls, otherwise known as nêms. This version was vegetarian, quite crispy and very much pleasing:

The only problem with the appetizers is that they served them in portions of 5, which left us 4 Ladies to fight for what was rightfully ours. The charming, if flirtatious waiter claimed that this was how he got his entertainment-though to his disappointment, we managed to reach an amicable solution. The last starter was the only one I probably wouldn't order again. The fried fish cake had a very bizarre texture, and almost no fish taste at all:

Then it was on to the mains ! I, having been here before, and having done thorough research, had already decided what to order before stepping a foot inside the establishment. Luckily, we decided to get four mains and split them family style so I got to try a bit of this spicy thai beef salad:

 

The spice was distributed as such so that some bites tasted perfectly civil (Parisian, one might say), and then every once and a while I'd hit a pepper so spicy I had to stop talking for a full minute. Those of you who know me know how hard it can be to shut me up--well this seems to be the trick. Though I'm not saying this is a bad thing. After this was the crispy rice salad with preserved pork:

 

The dish was tasty, if a bit dry, but the little nuggets of preserved pork were dynamite. Next up were the two stars of the meal. I have to say, this first dish I may have never ordered given the description in the menu which was something like 'crispy cod filet with curry', but it really was rave worthy. I could have easily licked that plate clean, though this being Ladies night, I showed a certain ladylike amount of restraint:

And lastly was my carefully researched dish, which certainly did not fail to disappoint. It also won for spiciest of the night, which I was terribly proud of. Laquered duck with chili & basil:

I was still feeling a bit adventerous, so I decided to try the waiter's dessert recommendation, a bizarre concotion of coconut milk and gelatine:

It could have been lovely as I do like any and all coconut milk based desserts, but unfortunately the colored gelatine was misleading. It was not flavored as one would have expected, so it just served as a bizarre, unflavored (and possibly unwanted) texture in the mouth. My dinner buddies shared some tea and confited ginger, and the waiter offered us a coconut flan in the shape of a heart. Then his colleauge came by to inquire if we drank alcohol. My buddies hesitated as I blabbered, yes, yes indeed. And he appeared seconds later with a couple of free shots of rose liquor. This proves my theory that we always get free stuff on ladies night. 

I'd say Lao Lane Xang is a hit. It's a bustling atmosphere, maybe not necessarily perfect for a long, lingering dinner, yet I never felt rushed. The service was excellent, often offering helpful suggestions, refilling water promptly and, well, giving us free crap. Depending on where you live in the city, it could be a bit of a hike, but one well worth it--since the local asian offerings in Paris surely leave something to be desired. Be prepared to wait a bit in line if not arriving promptly at opening time, but don't complain. You will be well fed. 

Lao Lane Xang

105 Avenue d'Ivry