Loving Laotion at Bida Manda

There was a time when I wasn't sure they ate in Laos.  Strange comment to make I know,  but after a several hour layover at a Laotian airport without any food or snacks available, (bad timing I presume, nothing was open) I had lingering questions as a the nature of Laotian cuisine.  When Bida Manda opened downtown in former location of the Duck and the Dumpling Restaurant in downtown Raleigh I was thrilled to finally have my my opportunity to try Laotian food.  Strange that the chance should arise not in Laos, but right here in North Carolina.  The Laotian food at Bida Manda is reminiscent of the cuisines of neighboring Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, some of which are integrated into the menu.

My opportunity to try Bida Manda arose on a date with another ethnic food aficionado who was happy go with me to try something new.  We were both greatly pleased with my restaurant selection.  The restaurant space is elegant while in keeping with the Laotian influences and the integration of local materials.  The walls are crafted from woven sticks and feature beautiful photography of brightly robed monks.  Tables are fashioned from reclaimed wood and festooned with fresh flowers. Overall the atmosphere transports the diner to romantic locale, making it an ideal date restaurant.

I like to loosen up on a first date with a drink to take off the edge off.  Bida Manda offers a fantastic (although quite pricey) selection of innovative cocktails.  I ordered the pineapple Caipirinha and my date ordered the El Picaflor with Tequila, fresh grapefruit and lime juices, peppercorn infused honey, Angostura bitters and soda water, which we both loved.

Totally addictive crispy lettuce wraps

A co-worker of mine had recommended the crispy rice lettuce wraps and the saffron crepes with shrimp and bacon. My date and I took the suggestion to try the lettuce wraps as our appetizer. Deceptively simple, the crispy rice is well seasoned with the fresh flavors of lime, herbs like chives and cilantro, and chopped nuts.  When wrapped in the lettuce leaves and seasoned with the sweet chili fish sauce, the combinations of textures and flavors are mind blowing.

Green Papaya Salad with Crispy Trout

For my entree I ordered the Green Papaya salad with trout.  The Green Papaya Salad was a spicy and tangy shredded salad studded with peanuts and a fantastically well prepared trout.  The dish was topped off with sticky rice eaten by hand (as instructed) from a bamboo container.  I will say that the sticky rice was quite a bit drier than I find preferable. Possibly since it was intended to be eaten by hand.  My date decided to try something he'd never had before, and ordered a classic Laotian beef larb, complete with beef tripe (cows stomach.)  I've had tripe before and didn't like the texture, but I gave in to his request that I try it again. The beef larb could almost be compared to a Laotian take on a spicy lime cooked cerviche.  The flavors were great, but I still haven't been sold on tripe. 

I was, however, impressed by my date's adventurous eating.

Traditional Beef Larb.  It's not weird to take pictures of your
dining companion's meal on a first date..right?

The icing on the top of the cake was,  of course, dessert.  We ordered the the triple dessert sampler with a mini apricot cobbler, mango sorbet and a coconut custard in a crispy rice paper shell.  Each one seemed to be better than the last, and I appreciated my date's insistence that we order dessert regardless of how full we were.  My favorite was the rich and creamy coconut custard, his was the warm apricot cobbler. 

Our meal was than topped off by a complimentary shots of fresh squeezed citrus juice, the perfect top off to a great first date and an excellent meal. 

DELICIOUS Dessert Trio

I went back a few weeks later with two of my closest friends visiting town for the more limited, but less expensive lunch menu.  I had the vermacelli noodle herb salad "Manda's Herb Salad" with grilled shrimp and crispy portobello spring rolls, essentially the same as a Vietnamese Bun with the addition of tofu and tempura eggplant. The cool herb salad was the perfect fresh summer entree.  My friends tried the Pad Thai (very good) and the Kang Som Pa a Lemongrass Tamarind and Catfish soup.  Unfortunately even at the lower lunch prices, my meal consisting of another lettuce wrap appetizer, the herb salad, and a Thai ice tea cost me whopping $30 with tip!  For lunch!  Yikes!  My friends who just got entrees and
water fared much better coming out around $15.
When I go back I suppose I'll have to skip on the
appetizer...or maybe just get the appetizer.