Everything Random

When I visited Vientiane some three years ago, I caught an old building labelled as The Living Library. Previous reviews have marveled about the library, health food store, and restaurant rolled into one. It also held community markets on Saturdays, I believed. But when I went there I was disappointed to know that the place was already closed.

But much to my surprise, the building now houses a new restaurant labelled as Ma Maison. This reminds me of my favourite Thai restaurant at the back of Central Embassy in Bangkok that has a sprawling green courtyard. This one is different. The building is decades old (a 100+ year-old French house) and it has a very European feel and vibe. And as you know, I am fond of old buildings and repurposed structures and so this is interesting to me.

The exteriors are lovely; lush greenery set against a backdrop of an old, hauntingly beautiful two-storey structure. The place outside is dimly lit but it makes the building look really pretty even at night.

Inside, the minimalist furniture highlights the imposing columns and narrow passageways in between rooms and hallways. There are a few art pieces inside that reflects Laotian culture. The front desk/cashier till just looks misplaced and unflattering, so I did not include a picture here.

The food is not that impressive. I ordered a relatively expensive set which was good for 2 people but I got one anyway because it is a sampler of some sort of Laotian cuisine. I got a Central Lao platter which consists of the following:

1. Grilled Local Chicken (Ping Gai Lard) – Traditional Lao-style grilled free-range chicken, served with dipping sauce.
2. Papaya Salad (Tum Mak Hoong) – Classic Lao-style spicy papaya salad with peanuts.
3. Steamed Mekong Fish with Herbs (Mok Paa) – Steamed Mekong fish wrapped in banana leaves with aromatic Lao herbs.
4. Bamboo Shoot Soup (Kaeng Nor Mai) – A comforting soup with bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and greens.
5. Sticky Rice (Khao Niew) – Served in a traditional bamboo basket.

Out of the four in the basket (except the rice, which, by the way, was really good), I can only vouch for at least two. The grilled chicken was good, especially if you use the dipping sauce, which I know is quite an insult to how the chicken was seasoned. The grilled Mekong fish with herbs wrapped in banana leaves was not a stunner, but it was very delicious. It reminds me of my favorite Indonesian dish, Pepes Ikan but less creamy, which is my liking, and less spicy as well. The whole set is roughly 18 to 20 USD, so it’s not that bad if I only liked at least two of the dishes offered.

I was full, as the serving was too much for one person, so I did not bother to get dessert. Do I recommend? Maybe. But maybe I should come back one more time to try the other dishes to be able to form a definite opinion.

But the house is really charming. So you can come for the place. As for the food, maybe don’t order what I got and opt for something else.