Bunmala Restaurant

It’s a little out of town, but this open-sided, timber-floored restaurant is about as archetypal Lao as you can find – and the food is great, too. There are all manner of Lao favourites, including pîng pét (roast duck), pîng pąa (grilled fish), pîng lîn (roast cow tongue) and pîng kai made from particularly plump chickens. For a classic Lao meal, order the (very hot) tąm màa-hung (papaya salad), kąeng naw mâi (soupy bamboo-shoot salad), sticky rice and draught beer. Delicious. It’s best to come in the evening when the full range of pîng is on offer and the draught beer is US$0.50.