firstlook

by Elisa Ludwig

³It’s been a long time in the works,” said Foxy Sidara, gesturing around his family’s new Laotian restaurant in West Philly.

For two years, Foxy’s wife, Daovy, cooked homestyle meals for friends, family and a growing crowd of locals clamoring for a taste of fishcake and spring rolls. But the “Blue Tent” operation, confined to their backyard, was illegal, and they were eventually asked by the police to shut it down.

It would take several months before the family could secure a location and the proper permits for the café. A grand opening party held Nov. 16 celebrated the delicious fruits of the family's labor.

"Everyone is really excited about this addition to the neighborhood," said Maureen Tate, president of Cedar Park Neighbors community association.

Vientiane Café, named for the largest city in Laos, is a few doors down from the Ethiopian restaurant Dahlak. The small dining room has hardwood floors and mint green walls, decorated with Laotian paintings and fabric-work and leafy plants. A traditional wooden arch gives way to a modern kitchen. Sidara, who has worked as a contractor, did the renovations himself. He plans to expand the room and open up a "paradise garden" for alfresco eating -- and a reminder, perhaps, of the old days.

Guests sampled shredded green papaya salad, tangy with lime juice, fish sauce and chili pepper; deep-fried ground pork toasts; cold vegetables dotted with sesame seeds; and delicate lettuce cups filled with spicy morsels of rice cake. In the window an enormous rattan basket overflowed with fresh fruit. "Dessert," said Sidara.

The food, similar to Isan-style Thai cuisine, favors sticky rice, plenty of fermented fish sauce and finely ground meats. Vientiane Café's menu includes entrees familiar to eaters of both Thai and Vietnamese cuisine: pho, pad Thai, satay and curries. Entrees are a reasonable $9 or less, and visitors are encouraged to bring their own wine or Thai beer.

As party guests filed into the tiny dining room, the event became a warmhearted reunion of neighbors and old customers.

"Our customers said they would follow us wherever we went," said Sidara. And indeed, they did.

Vientiane Café, 4728 Baltimore Ave., 215-726-1095.