Keeping the funk alive

Two Laotian princes, Sanya Souvanna Phouma and Saya Na Champassak are keeping the passion for food of their heritage alive at this Lao restaurant and bar in Thong Lor.

Funky Lam. Photos: Sofie Lisby

"My dad grew up in Luang Prabang, whereas I grew up in France. My dad was raised in the palace as my grandfather was prime minister at the time, and he had a lot of souvenirs from his childhood. Same with my cousin Saya, who grew up in Pakse with my grandmother who was a princess, where she would cook for guests in the palace kitchen.

It's a bit of a laboratory for us, Luka Moto during the day and Funky Lam at night," says Sanya.

The motorcycle café Luka Moto on Thong Lor 11 miraculously turns into the uber cool Funky Lam at 6pm. And transform it does. With a big bar in the centre, the cool space has soft red lights with hand-painted Laotian-themed blinds by illustrator Veronica Guarino.

THE MENU

"Saya and I have this nostalgia for good Laotian food and because we are princes we want to claim back what Thailand has taken and appropriated as 'Thai cuisine'," says Sanya.

He stresses that what people think is northern Thai or Isan cuisine is actually Laos, as most of the people who live in Isan are ethnically Laotians who came to Thailand by force or by necessity, and brought their cuisine with them. However, along the way they adapted to the different routes of exchange between India, Burma and China and the food was also adapted. "Like the sai-oua from Luang Prabang has no turmeric but the sai-oua from Chiang Mai does. The spice cabinet is more Indian in the northern mountains than in Lao," says Sanya.

Being the queen I am, I started off with Queen of the South (B320), a plum-infused Iron Balls gin, fresh lime, bitters, mint and dried salty plum cocktail. This was served with fried dried Laos chillis, an excellent drinking snack, which I munched on throughout my meal.

Dok tork. Sofie Lisby

The menu offers Laotian classics and is divided into Kap Khem (drinking food), Larb, Sarad, Kaeng, Sing Thi Ping and Khao. Though small, you are spoilt for choice.

I started off with the rare and almost unheard of Kaipen (B190) or fried Mekong riverweed sheets. Much like its cousin the seaweed minus the fishy aftertaste, the kaipen is dried, fried crisp and served with three drips, namely jaew bong, jaew mak len and jaew ma-keua. My favourite of the three was the jaew bong or the traditional Lao spice paste -- which takes a while to hit the palate, so beware. Crispy deliciousness meets awesome sauce!

The Dok tork (B180) were good ole banana flower fritters with red curry paste and lime leaf, served with a dipping sauce topped with peanuts. Of course, a basket of herbs are placed at each table with the meal as is traditional and this varies daily, depending on what's fresh at the market -- peppery, sour or bitter freshness.

Moving on to the Larb, I ordered the Larb ped (B350), which is minced duck mixed with roasted dried spices, fresh herbs, dried chillies and roasted rice powder, sprinkled with crunchy pork crackling for texture. While it was tasty the dish lacked a bit of tang. A Sarad that is a must order is the Sarad Lao (B200). Betel leaves, cabbage, fresh herbs, white turmeric, onions and crispy chillies are all tossed in a coconut sugar dressing. Though refreshing, it needed a squeeze of lime to bring it home.

I am not shy of offal and love a good tongue. The Lin seen (B350) from the Sing Thi Ping or charcoal grill section was a superb choice, if I may say so myself. I could have eaten two or three servings of the slow braised ox tongue, served with a jaew sohm dipping sauce.

I am a huge fan of everything fatty and bone marrow is no exception. The Feu kra dook seen (B450) was a natural choice. A twist on the Vietnamese pho, the soup, however is served with no noodles and can be akin to a pot au feu. What could be more heavenly than roasted marrow bones in a rich broth, with sliced wagyu beef, pho herbs and onions? Nothing!

Perhaps, the only disappointment towards the end of the meal is the lack of Laotian desserts but that small hiccup is made up for in the amazing Mousse au chocolat (B180), a dark, rich chocolate mousse with roasted Bolaven plateau coffee beans. Divine!

Kaipen. Photo: Nianne-Lynn Hendricks

INSIDER'S TIP

"I really wanted to create a purely Laotian restaurant that we can say is Laotian even though some of our ingredients are Thai-Laotian. It was a project between me and my dad, who passed away two years ago so I am carrying it on. His legacy is more about palace recipes, but they are hard to find. I am still compiling them and when I find a few recipes I will add them to the menu. The royal recipes are a bit more refined, need more hands in the kitchen, are less of the easy grill and are more detailed and intricate," says Sanya.

What's funky about lam? Funky because the padek or fermented fish sauce is funky and because Sanya likes the soul food and Laotian cuisine vibe.... Lam comes from the traditional music mor lam.

"If this works, I may find a bigger location and a bigger grill because I want to do the grilled pig's head, cut in half," adds Sanya.

VALUE AND VERDICT

There's a movement for regional Asian cuisine that is more ethnic and that needs to be revived. And as Sanya says, "In Bangkok, you have 100 Mahaset and a few others who claim the identity of the distinct northern cuisine, which is different from the normal Thai menu." People are more discerning now and know where to place Laos on a map. They can make a distinction between northern Thai cuisine and the rich, spicy curry of the South. So, will I be going back for more? Yes! Mainly because I don't want to miss out on the grilled pig's head.