Update: The Lil'Laos pop-ups has been postponed. Please check their Instagram for more up-to-date information.
When was the last time you had Laotian food? Never? Yeah, us neither. Though if you’re curious about the wonderful cuisine from Laos, we have good news. The Lil’Laos pop-up is hosting a dinner party next week at Café Roval’s adorable tiki bar.
Miami-based digital marketer Sakhone Sayarath launched Lil’Laos as a way to introduce the community to Laotian food and catch us all up on a trend that’s already picking up elsewhere in the country. “For the last three years, several of the places ranked on Bon Appetite’s lists of best new restaurants were Laotian, but you can’t really find [the cuisine] in Miami unless you drive out to Kendall,” says Sayarath. Still, even if you do happen upon it, the stuff you get is pretty generic and lumped in with items from other countries. “Laos food is very similar to Thai food but it still maintains its own history,” she adds. So what does food from Laos taste like then? “It’s light, pungent and bold. It’s got a little funk.” And that’s exactly what guests can expect at Wednesday’s event: Simple, honest dishes prepared the way they might be at a family barbecue back on the mainland.
This is the fourth Lil’Laos pop-up (others have taken place at Boxelder, Sixty10 and Midtown Garden center) but the first to feature a prix-fixe, cocktail-paired experience. “It’s going to be intimate because we want people to learn the story of each dish; I’ll be taking everyone on a food-tasting journey, course by course,” says Sayarath, who’s most excited for people to try the mid-entrée spread. The ping gai platter is classic Laotian comfort food. Made up of grilled chicken cooked on a bamboo skewer and served with papaya salad and sticky rice, it’s the quintessential Laotian comfort food.
Dinner will be served outside in the tiki bar area and paired with tropical cocktails that highlight the evening’s menu. The pop-up takes place Wednesday, March 18 from 7 to 10pm and tickets can be purchased online in advance.
Photograph: Courtesy Lil'Laos
No changes have been announced despite the numerous cancelations and closures due to coronavirus. Please call the restaurant for the most up-to-date information: 786-953-7850.
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