When you see a run down strip mall with signs falling off, pot holes the size of Mama June, hobos sleeping on the curb, plywood on the windows and gunshots in the distance... You know you have just arrived in Laos.... The entire strip mall looked like it's been around since the Depression and haven't changed a bit in decades. This joint has been around for over 20 years, it ain't pretty to look at on the outside and inside but you know it's a goddamn gold mine for authentic ethnic vittles when you get dripped on by the AC unit right over the front door... And I ain't talking about a drop of condensation every 5 seconds, it is basically pouring out of the unit at 5 gallons per minute. They're basically taunting you with a triple dog dare to enter. Seriously, this is the first test to separate the real eaters from the wannabe hipsters. Most people will never come down to this exclusive area except for Tyler Perry and the Pouch. But finding Laotian grub is a lot more difficult than the ubiquitous Thai and Viet joints that line up and down Buford Hwy.
Laos is sandwiched in between Thailand and Vietnam... Which makes sense on their front sign but what about the Chinese part? Well, anyone who knows anything will know that Thailand and parts of Laos is full of Chinos and they have influenced their cooking for many decades... While Vietnam and Laos had a lot more French influence. The menu is pretty evident of their heritage- pho, mee soup, banhcan (noodle soup), lard na, pan fried noodles, pad thai, pad se ew, lab, yum, lo mein, fried rice, pad king, tom yum and a bunch of specials like roast duck, curry and slutty Chinese American dishes.
Let's go check out this dump...
Fried Beef Dry, glutinous rice. The most ridiculously thin and flavorful jerky in this one horse town. These jerky are so damn good that you would shoot someone over it...I just heard another couple shots in the distance. See, even they know this shit is good. You can't have Laotian grub without their national staple, the sticky rice, and this was excellent... The crackers may frown upon the basket that it's served in because there is no plastic wrap lining it. But if you want authentic and the risk of getting some jungle virus, this is the only way to eat it.. with your fingers! Here, smell my fingers...
Fried Sausage. Another Laotian favorite street snack... Look at these beauties, it's like the neighborhood pitbull just took a deuce on a plate... I can't wait to put this in my face gash. The charred skin has that crispy texture as if they lightly flashed fried it, then you get to the porky goodness inside which was tender and flavorful with spices and hints of lemongrass and the bits of waxy fat are reminisce of the Chinese waxy sausage. The chew on this sausage is indescribable, you will just have to eat it to know what I mean... And it's glorious. These are the real deal.
Fried Chicken Wings. Wangz? I know, right? Who the fuck in their right mind would get this? I know what you're thinking... Does it come with fried rice? No motherfucker, it doesn't but it does come with a sweetish red sauce that tasted kinda old... But who cares about that dipping shit, the wings are fucking amazing. How can this be? It is ultra crispy, the skin is thin and crunchy and the meat was juicy. They are addictive, I even ate the tips of the wings, that's how fucking good they were. The family at the next table ordered 3 full sized plates of it, that's fucking 30 goddamn wings and some of them were whole wings. Even the 4 year old ordered a 5 piece with fried rice as his main dish. You know there's something mystical about these wings when the local slopes are ordering these in mass.
Papaya Salad. A lot of yahoos who have ordered this version of papaya salad think that it's too wet and funky... Saying it's too much fish sauce and vinegar. Stupid motherfuckers, you have no fucking clue what you're eating and then pretending to tell us how it should be. Laos style papaya salad, especially here, have shrimp paste... Something that most people never even heard of or used. Hot Cafe uses a lot of shrimp paste added to the fermented fish sauce to give it that rusty pipe water look. You can tell the shrimp paste by it's funky smell, texture and taste. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. It is damn good and they can make it super spicy as well upon request. Even the mild version had some kick but it does peak quickly, so order it medium spicy so it doesn't destroy your taste buds for the other dishes. I like how they give you some cabbage and pork rinds for a little different contrast and texture.
Pan Fried Noodle with Pork. So what, I didn't get the lard na... I thought long and hard about it but I was craving some slutty pan fried noodles. To tell ya da truth, this wasn't far from the lard na... It's basically the same stir fry mix with the slutty brown sauce you get with the lard na but the noodles are crispy instead of soft wide rice noodles. If you let it sit long enough the crispy egg noodles will get soft from the gravy.Yes, it looked fucking slutty Chino grub as hell to the eyes, but it tasted so much better in your facehole. You get the soften noodles from the gravy and then the crunch from the other ones. This dish shows you how much Chinese influence are in their cuisine.
Everything I have sampled here were damn tasty and some were outstanding... I would have loved to have seen some Lao sandwiches on French baguettes on the menu here... But seriously, how much can two little old ladies do back there in the kitchen? Their menu is extensive enough. There's a lot more to try here but it's hard to get away from the beef jerky and sausage... Even the wings. I will try to sample a different dish on all my future visits. The basil fried rice and green curry sounded very tempting but until then, I will still be dreaming about them beef jerky and sticky rice.
5286 Riverdale Rd
Atlanta, GA 30349
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