Champa Garden, Oakland, CA
Lao Cuisine. How rare. I don’t think I know of another Laotian restaurant in bay area. My exposure to Lao dishes is extremely limited to the occasional offerings from Thai or Cambodian restaurants.
What an unusual location for a restaurant. It didn’t seem like there were any other restaurants (or businesses) within 5 blocks radius. Champa Garden certainly stood out in the neighborhood.
Apparently this little gem is no secret among locals. Came here for a fairly early weekend dinner and the dining room was almost fully filled. If we had arrived just a a few more minutes later, there might be a short wait.
Food was decent. Given how extensive the menu is, it is not surprising to find some dishes far superior than others. Let me tell you what I really liked.
Pair of Quails - Under no circumstances should you not order this. The quails was fried to a perfect crispness such that the bones were very brittle while the meat was still not dry. You can pretty much eat the entire thing.
Other decent dishes that were decent but less memorable:
Duck Curry with Eggplant - They were not very generous with the duck meat but the curry was well spiced. A tad on the sweet side but went well with rice.
Larp - Get the Laos style. I think it is a bit too salty and not sour enough. Next time I might just ask for extra lime on the side.
One thing that I would really avoid:
Mango Paradise - While the curry was well flavored and the mango was lovely and sweet, the shrimps were of the quality comparable to those from a grocery store freezer shelve.
I was quite mad at myself for not ordering any sticky rice. How could I not remember that is Laos specialty? Overheard the patrons next to us raving how good the stick rice was, I know I missed out. Oh well… there is always a next time.
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Makes me miss mom’s cooking. Have been trying to find some good Lao places in the Bay area. Only other one that comes to...
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