Manda de Laos

“While daily life has changed in Laos and around the world, here at Manda de Laos (‘manda’ means ‘mother’ in Laotian) we carry on the traditions and spirit of our owner and chef’s mother, Maman Phiew. She was dedicated to sharing how one cooked and ate in the past.”

Jungle honey-glazed pork spare ribs with herb salad; and chilli paste curry with minced pork, minced Mekong fish, coconut soup, and rice noodles.

Manda de Laos is a fitting name for Toune Sisouphanthavong’s enchanting alfresco restaurant overlooking UNESCO-protected lily ponds at her Luang Prabang family property. Like most daughters of mothers in Laos, where family recipes are passed through the generations from mother to daughter, Sisouphanthavong learnt to cook her ancestral cuisine from a young age. One of ten children, she was a lucky girl as her Maman Phiewwas an exceptional cook, thinking nothing of spending a day preparing food for her brood. Sisouphanthavong has shared her traditional Laotian family recipes with her head chef Pothong Phongsavath to offer diners a taste of the past. The chef uses only Lao ingredients, including sustainable Luang Prabang river fish, vegetables and herbs from the market or local organic farms like Namkhan Project and Eden Farm, and Boloven Plateau honey. They also offer organic, biodynamic, and natural wines and locally made Lao Lao rice spirit.