Grammatically any of the following is correct: Laotian cuisine, Lao cuisine or the cuisine of Laos. Just don’t ever call it “Laosy cuisine.” That would not only be a malapropism, it would be wholly inaccurate. The cuisine of Laos is among the most dynamic and delicious in Southeast Asia, if not the world. One of the reasons Laotian cuisine doesn’t receive the accolades it deserves is because of its neighbors. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia bordered by Myanmar (formerly Burma), China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. To some extent, these neighbors (at least China, Vietnam and Thailand) have surpassed Laos on the world’s culinary stage–not necessarily because their cuisine is superior, but because it’s got a much larger platform.
It’s no surprise that Lao cusine has been greatly influenced by neighboring nations, but a French influence is also in evidence. From 1893 to 1954 when it gained full independence, Laos was part of the Protectorate of French Indonesia. So what’s the Cuisine of Lao like? It might help to understand that its closest “relative” is the cuisine of the Issan region of northern Thailand. New Mexicans who love their food a bit on the incendiary side would love Issan style Thai food which is more highly spiced than cuisine at other regions of Thailand. Spiciness aside, there are other differences between Thai and Lao cuisine. Where Thai food is colorful and exotic, Lao food is more basic and simple. Interestingly, the savory dishes of Laos are never sweet and the concept of “sweet and sour” is considered foreign and bizarre.
A Lao saying about its cuisine can be translated as “sweet makes you dizzy; bitter makes you healthy.” The cuisine of Laos incorporates a wide variety of bitter ingredients including mint and dill, two herbs generally ignored by their neighbors. Other cooking herbs of vast importance in Lao cuisine are galangal, fish sauce, garlic, shallots and lemongrass. These ingredients help give the cuisine of Lao a more intense flavor profile than the cuisine of neighboring nations. If a dish is intended to be sour, you can bet it’ll be intensely sour at a Lao restaurant.
Recent years have seen an increasing number of Asian restaurants in the Duke City serving more than one type of Asian cuisine. Among them is Albuquerque’s Sakura Sushi which has the pedigree to do it well. Still, you wouldn’t expect to find Lao cuisine in a restaurant named Sakura Sushi until you read the “subtitle” on the marquee: Thai and Laos cuisine. You might visit for the sushi, but you’ll keep coming back for the Lao. Sakura Sushi is owned and operated by Vong and Pialo Soumphonphakdy, both natives of Laos. Vong, who previously plied his trade as sushi chef at Minato’s (closed) Eurasia (also defunct) and Neko Sushi (also closed) artfully wields his knives behind the sushi bar at Sakura. His wife Pialo is the kitchen chef, preparing all the Thai and Lao cuisine.
In January, 2025, the Soumphonphakdy family launched its second restaurant in the metropolitan area. As with Sakura Sushi, its name “Vong Sushi” is subtitled “Thai and Laos Cuisine.” Vong Sushi is located in a very familiar location north of Enchantment Hills Blvd. in Rio Rancho, a location that has seen three Sushi-Thai restaurants over the years. Though we visited every one of them, Vong Sushi is the first to have won us over (hence the only one worth writing about). Credit the personable and attentive service (from Vong and Pialo’s daughter) for much of that, but the cuisine has a lot to do with it, too. Vong Sushi is terrific.
The interior at Vong Sushi probably reflects a Japanese theme more so than either Thai or Lao. The color palate includes wasabi green walls festooned with framed art depicting colorful aquatic life in a natural setting. The cynosure of the restaurant is probably the sushi bar which faces the most inspired works of art, including a spectacular lion fish. Seating is comfortable and well-spaced. Until locals figure out Vong Sushi isn’t a renamed instantiation of previous tenants, traffic won’t be quite as hectic. Give it time and this wonderful restaurant will earn much-deserved loyalty.
The restaurant’s website informs visitors that “Vong Sushi Thai & Laos Cuisine is a delightful culinary journey through Southeast Asia. From authentic Thai noodle dishes, flavorful homemade Laotian sausages, to fresh and artfully prepared sushi, each creation reflects the rich heritage and distinct flavors of the region.” That menu lists only seven Lao cuisine items which might be incorrectly credited to Thailand. Those include laab and papaya salad. Menu categories include noodle soups, curries, soup/salads, seafood, noodle dishes, teriyaki dishes, stir-fried dishes and fried rice. Then, of course, there’s a wide selection of sushi: hand rolls, sashimi, veggie rolls, nigiri, chef’s specials and for peckish diners, three sushi boats.
You can have satay, dumplings and egg rolls in virtually every Thai restaurant in town. Vong Sushi offers a decidedly different and delicious selection of “small plates” sure to please. Among them is Moo Tod (tender pork marinated in garlic pepper sauce and tempura battered served with a side of sweet and sour sauce). The marinated pork is deep-fried until imbued with a golden brown sheen. It’s light and crispy, resembling deep-fried fish. The sweet and sour sauce is mostly sweet, but it’s flecked with crushed peanuts to lend savory notes that break things up a bit.
Fried rice originated in China, initially as a way to utilize leftover rice and other ingredients, preventing food waste. The dish became a staple throughout Southeast Asia due to its convenience and ability to incorporate various flavors and ingredients. Vong Sushi offers four types of fried rice: Japanese fried rice, Thai fried rice, spicy fried rice and pineapple fried rice (eggs, pineapple chunks, celery and onion with your choice of protein). More than other Asian restaurants serving fried rice, Vong Sushi is generous with its protein portions. My Kim’s choice of pork was perfectly prepared and complemented the sweet-sour pineapple very well.
Laab (also spelled larb, laap, or larp) has its genesis in Laos and is considered the country’s national dish. While also popular in Thailand, particularly the northeastern Issan region, its roots are definitively Laos. Laab made in Laotian restaurants tends to be darker, more earthy and salty than laab made in Thai restaurants. More than in Thai restaurants, laab prepared by Lao chefs is heavily reliant on fermented fish sauce. Vong Sushi’s laab (from the Lao section of the menu) is also seasoned with lime juice, lemon grass, yellow and green onions, toasted rice powder, cilantro and meat. It’s served with your choice of protein (pork, chicken or beef) and can be prepared to your heat preference. At “hot” (not Thai hot), the laab is maybe not as piquant as New Mexico’s sacrosanct green chile. It’s served with several Romaine leaves so you can construct wraps.
It’s not summer unless we indulge in mangoes with sticky rice, a wonderful dessert which originated in Thailand. This dish combines sweet, ripe mangoes with warm, sweet sticky rice and creamy coconut milk. Although Asian restaurants aren’t widely known for desserts, two–mangoes with sticky rice and roti–Thai postprandial treats are among our favorite desserts of any culinary culture. Both are relatively simple with absolutely no amelioration needed.
Sushi may be the cuisine listed first on the marquee, but the Thai and Lao cuisine deserve at least equal billing. Vong Sushi Thai & Laos Cuisine is a real find in Rio Rancho.
Vong Sushi Thai & Laos Cuisine
7820 Enchanted Hills Blvd., N.E.
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
(505) 404-6186
Website |
LATEST VISIT: 7 August 2025
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Laab, Pineapple Fried Rice, Moo Tod, Mangoes With Sticky Rice
REVIEW #1481
Gil, this looks like a great addition to the Rio Rancho dining scene. I used to regularly pass through Amarillo and almost always tried to stop at one of the various Lao restaurants there. One of them had the best yellow curry I’ve ever had, so this would be one thing I would probably check out if I could at any Lao restaurant. At another restaurant I tried the sticky rice, a giant ball of rice that sicks together so you can hold little balls of it it in your hand and sop up juices and bites of food such as laap (the spelling that matches the way it is pronounced) and papaya salad. It is apparently not served here but perhaps would be at one of the other Lao restaurants (and yes, Lao food is diverse enough there could be different menus at different restaurants and all of them be authentic). The sticky rice that comes with desserts, etc. might be similar but it’s not the kind you eat with the food.
Food tourists could visit Pagosa Springs, Colorado for a Hmong (an ethnic group within Laos) owned restaurant, MEE Hmong Cuisine. I’m not sure about its authenticity but it has very good food. MEE shows that there can be diversity and even Americanization of food served with a Lao base and it would still be very enjoyable–not something I would likely say about other Asian cuisines such as Thai that I think has to be really authentic to be good. Anyway it is probably the scarcity of Lao food that makes it so fun to explore. It is hard to find enough Lao restaurants anywhere in the Southwest to really become an expert with the cuisine.
Thank you, Steve. When you visit your hometown of Oklahoma City later this summer, I hope you have plans to visit Ma Der Lao Kitchen, the best Laotian restaurant in which we’ve dined. It’s a two-time James Beard award finalist with a menu of Lao specialties not found in most restaurants (especially those which purport to serve both the cuisines of Thailand and Laos). Sadly, all too often at such restaurants the cuisine of both nations is overly sweetened (for American tastes). Kudos for finding more authentic Lao experiences during your travel. Now I’ve got to go to Pagosa Springs one of these days.