Restaurant fatigue might sound like a distinctly unedifying first-world problem. But in the context of five-star hotels, a swanky, modern take on South East Asian dining seems to be little short of a prerequisite in the UAE – and, after a while, it gets fairly difficult to meaningfully distinguish between them all.
The signs were certainly good for Lao, however, with its unique selling proposition represented by a contemporary twist on classic cooking techniques from north-eastern Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia; specifically, it specialises in the Lao people’s staple of sticky rice.
We were seated with a window view, although there wasn’t much to admire beyond our own reflections and a few feet of patio terrace visible in the darkness. No doubt the Waldorf Astoria’s grounds on The Palm are lovely during daylight hours, but given that Lao is dinner-only, opening from 7pm, those moments are going to be reserved for the earliest diners only – it felt like a bit of a waste.
What wasn’t a waste was the variety of starter options: the breadth of dim sum, larger starters, soups (including a separate pho section) and salads had us ruminating for a good 15 minutes over the choices. The wisest selection was the steamed rice crepe roll. Filled with minced chicken, crispy onion and lemon leaf, and neatly sliced into chopstick-friendly pieces, the meat was juicy and the crepe unobtrusively light. Our waiter warned us that the accompanying chicken-based side dip should be approached with care, but in reality we needn’t have worried – the spiciness was nothing that wouldn’t be exceeded at your local Nando’s.
The onion pancake, flavoured with chicken skin, intrigued us, and arrived in a cute mini-stack of two pancakes, piled with flecks of fried onion. A fulsomeness of flavour was a little absent, sadly, a problem that also applied to the steamed foie gras dumplings. Visually closer to tortellini pockets than we had expected, the outer dumpling was tough at the edges and the filling didn’t burst through as much as we’d hoped – particularly for Dh82.
When it came to our mains, ordering something from the “classic South East Asian dishes Lao style” page of the menu felt like a necessity. The wok-fried black pepper beef with tomato, young peppercorn and oyster sauce wasn’t at all fishy, but instead a tender, generous spread of meaty cubes. We opted for the small portion – the large could conceivably have fed two.
My dining partner toyed with the idea of the enticing-sounding honey-and-ginger-braised Muscovy duck breast, but plumped for the soy-roast crispy chicken instead, and regretted her decision. The quality of the chook was questionable, somewhat spoilt by seams of darker meat and the occasional gristly extremity. Given our time over again, it would be the duck all the way.
She was foiled again come dessert: her preferred pick of prickly pear sorbet wasn’t available, so we never did find out exactly what its sub-billing of pie crust and tapioca “puff” was all about. The replacement recommended by our waiter – chocolate molten cake with green tea ice cream – wasn’t as imaginative, but was gratefully demolished all the same. The second-most unusual pudding available – the banana, pumpkin and sweet potato in warm coconut milk – had a slightly off-putting melange of consistencies, with added ball-bearing-sized spheres of tapioca. One mouthful was a hit; the next, a miss – something of a metaphor for Lao’s overall impact.
Perhaps it’s unfair to judge a restaurant by its surrounding property, but when you’re in a hotel with a Waldorf Astoria-level of clout, being satisfied rather than mesmerised is really rather a let down.
• A meal for two at Lao, Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah,costs Dh664. Call 04 818 2222. Reviewed meals are paid for by The National and conducted incognito
aworkman@thenational.ae
