Lao Spaghetti
2.5
at Côte d’Azur
-Vientiane-
with various participants of the meeting
Mission to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic + Personal Deviation : Day 3 (see previously 6.146 Stir-Fried Pork with Basil).
In Vientiane for a tobacco-related mission, follow-up to the mission that had brought me here last March (see generally 6.067 Salmon Zosui). Arrived Saturday night, a day early to do some prep work while hanging out in the city. The mission was completed in a single day today. Heading back to Manila tonight.
After a hard day’s work, various participants of the meeting shared a quick dinner before I had to leave for the airport.
The venue was Côte D’Azur, as highly recommended by our local counterparts.
The food was quite good. I left the ordering up to others, who opted only for pizzas and pastas. The Lao Spaghetti, an otherwise simple and standard Mediterranean-syle oil-based seafood pasta, had a distinct local flavor from the addition of holy basil and chilies, way too spicy but tasty nevertheless, perfectly al dente spaghetti. Every item on the table was okay per se, but a meat dish* or two, something more classically French, would’ve been better to round out the spread.
On my next trip, I may explore this restaurant further.
*In retrospect, I’m wondering if they’d intentionally avoided ordering anything too expensive out of politeness, as I was footing the bill. If I’d realized this at the time, I would’ve taken an active role in the selection.
