Laan Xang, Review

The view from my table

Laan Xang is a restaurant in downtown of the beautiful coastal town of Belfast Maine. This is a place I have been wanting to try since my first visit to Belfast. Laan Xang sells Laotian and Thai cuisine, in a comfortable environment. The restaurant itself is very small with only a couple of tables, however most of the seating is out doors, which if you have ever been to downtown Belfast ME then you know how beautiful outdoor seating can be. Though with most of the seating being outside, most of their business in the cold months comes from take-out orders rather than dine-in. The atmosphere is casual, but the food quality is what you might expect at a fine dining restaurant, with a price that is very fair (with a very nice tip my meal cost $40 for an appetizer, entree, dessert, and a soda). There are two types of people in the world, there are those who eat to live, and those that live to eat. I am the second type, to me, eating is much more than just putting sustenance in your body. To me eating a meal is almost a sacred thing, I like to take a moment and really think about the flavours, and how they taste and make me feel. Food is important, and I feel pleasure in a good meal. I am also very adventurous when it comes to food, there are very few things that I won't at least try, so when I found the opportunity to try Laotian food, I had to give it a try. Like I said dining to me is an experience, not just something I do because I am hungry, it is an adventure, and it is meaningful to me, whether I am out alone or with friends. My first impression of Laan Xang was how upon entry they treated me with complete respect and made me feel almost like I was family even though it was my first time there. The owners Salika and Dan are very sweet people, especially Salika who I had a wonderful conversation with. It is nice to talk with someone with as much love for food as I have, and talk about some of our favourite foods. We also had a wonderful conversation about some of the foods on the menu, which was really nice. I also met the most beautiful family ever, who were visiting from Philadelphia, and had amazing conversations with them as well. That family also had their big beautiful dog with them, who gave me so much love while I was enjoying the most amazing meal ever. Most importantly though of the people that I met at the restaurant was my amazing server. She was very kind and friendly and just an absolutely beautiful person. It was nice talking to her about the food, she was a wonderful person and one of the greatest servers that I have ever met. With amazing staff like this, I would always come back, even if the food wasn't good I would come back for service this great, however the quality and flavour of the food actually equals the amazing service and atmosphere of this amazing place. For the dinner itself, I ordered an appetizer, an entree, and a desert.

Curry Puffs with Pickled Cucumber Sauce

Appetizer: Curry Puffs With Pickled Cucumber Sauce. Choosing an appetizer was actually quite hard, everything sounded so amazing. The person at the bra store up the street from here recommended this place because of how amazing she said the dumplings are, however, I thought the curry puffs honestly sounded more interesting. I am really glad I made this decision. There are some foods that I have dreams about, and these are one of those foods. The puffs themselves have this perfectly spiced curry stuffed inside of flaky pastry. The flavour is absolutely perfect, definitely one of the greatest flavours I have ever had the opportunity to try. These are one of those foods that you almost want to east as slow as possible to just savor every second of the experience. Then on top of that it is served with this amazing pickled cucumber sauce, now the puffs don't need the sauce, they are absolutely perfect alone, however this sauce might be one of the greatest sauces that I have ever tried. I wish that I could find jars of this stuff, there are few things that wouldn't be perfect dipped in this sauce, it would be great on a salad, egg roll, or even on french fries, it is a perfect flavour, that is so amazingly pleasant on the tongue.

Fish Pocket (sadly my picture of it opened didn't save on my phone)

Entree: Fish Pocket with Jasmine Rice. I have seen these on food shows, but never had the privilege to try one in person, and when I saw it on the menu it immediately drew my attention. After deliberating on the menu for sometime and discussing it with my server and the owner of this amazing place, I decided to go with my original instinct and order the Fish Pocket. I am so glad I did. Once I tore open the parchment paper that it was cooked it, the smell that wafted out was absolutely heavenly. Inside this packet of parchment was a perfectly seasoned, flaky fillet of sole, with mixed veggies. The veggies were perfectly cooked, not too tender, but also not too crisp. The flavours baked into each other absolutely perfectly, creating this perfect balance of flavour. The spices were at a perfect level, just enough to give it a kick, but not enough to make it uncomfortable, and when mixed with the wonderful Jasmine rice it attained this absolute perfect flavour balance. I love seafood, pretty much anything that comes from the sea has a very special place in my heart, and this amazing dish was no exception to that. I have eaten a lot of fish in my life, and this would definitely rank up there among some of the most amazingly flavoured fish I have ever had the pleasure to eat. Just every bit of the experience of this dish was perfect, from the presentation as pictured above, then to tear that packet open to see the food inside, is better than opening a present on Christmas morning, honestly I only want to open presents like this for the rest of my life. Like I said for the appetizer, there are foods that I dream about, and this will be one of them, I honestly wish I could eat this everyday for the rest of my life.

Banana Pocket with Passion Fruit Sauce

Dessert: To finish this meal I ordered the banana pocket with passion fruit sauce. From the menu I wasn't sure exactly what to expect with this dish, but what I got exceeded any image my mind could have conjured. Slices of banana are wrapped in a won-ton style wrapper, drizzled with the passion fruit sauce, and then dusted lightly with powdered sugar, and served on a banana leaf. I love bananas, so I was super excited for this dessert. The flavour combinations were beautiful, and the right balance of sweet, but not overly sweet, as many desserts tend to be. These are dense little puffs of banana fried to perfection, and the shell is perfect for scooping up the beautiful sauce that is drizzled over these wonderful little puffs. I will say this though, that after such a perfect appetizer and entree, the desert was actually the weakest part of the meal, and even saying that, this dessert far surpasses even the best dish that many other places have to offer. I would definitely order these again. Would I recommend this place? Yes, if you are ever anywhere near Belfast Maine you have to try Laan Xang, they are open Mon-Sat 11:30 am-7pm, but be aware they close for a break between 3-5pm, and if you are in town on a Sunday, that is their day off, so plan your trip accordingly. They have beautiful outdoor seating, with a wonderful view of Main Street and of the harbor. My only regret, is that I couldn't afford to try everything on the menu, and that I can't afford to drive to Belfast and eat here everyday. When I finally move up there, I would like to eat here once every paycheck, so that over time I can try everything on the menu. Seriously you need to stop into this place if you haven't, I have never had this pleasant of an experience at a restaurant, and the server and the owners are some of the most kind and amazing people that you will ever meet.