I said I’d give a review of the most accessible Lao restaurant for Eastern Suburbs – Minh Minh in Victoria St, Richmond. Sandy is an incredible host and certainly is a great representative of her home region – Paske, in Laos. She was very helpful in organising the night, and giving me a quick intro into how to prepare’sticky rice’ and a delicious salad – I got to go into the kitchen and have a go with the mortar and pestle (helpful for my planned lunch party coming up this Sunday), and somewhat reminiscent of my cooking class in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Those flavour combinations are incredible!
When the food came, I don’t kno
w whether it was the beer and/or the company, but I was overwhelmed by a constant supply of rather carelessly served delicious dishes and mostly I had no idea what was being served. I felt for my friends with various food preferences – does this have meat? MSG? What is this one? I have to say, a bit disappointing after the great welcome and introduction to Laos specialties, when it came, I only managed a few gulped mouthfuls of who knows what… Not the relaxed and instructive serving I was hoping for, particularly as my party was the majority of clientele on the night.
We were served a banquet which was a good choice – but it would have been good to have been given more of an idea what to expect. After the mains, a few of us were left waiting in vain for a non-existent dessert.
I don’t know why, but I was left with a surprising bill after a number of my wonderful friends and colleagues made a point of leaving extra $$ to cover my kids. By that stage I was honestly not up to questioning it, and Sandy did say she’d given me a discount ‘for going to help people in my country’, but it seemed quite excessive and unexpected.
So I’d say yes, good food and service, but next time I’d be more wary about what was ordered and what I was eating/paying for.
abelspace 