SOUR SWEET ON SERPENTS: NEW CHEF TAKES LEGENDARY '3 NAGAS' BACK TO ROOTS WITH ORGANIC LAOTIAN VINTAGE DINING MENU

Thursday 29 August 2013 13:00
Hotel de la Paix Luang Prabang's new Executive Chef Hongly Sour has steered the town's most renowned restaurant, 3 Nagas, back to its roots, garnishing the spicy simplicity and exquisite flavours of traditional Laotian cuisine with an organic update and the flourish of vintage dining.

Chef Sour, who joined Hotel de la Paix two months ago, has a pedigree honed by long stints with both InterContinental and Raffles hotels, and is known for his exuberant adventures in Asian-Western fusion cuisine.

But since landing in Laos and adjusting to the gentler rhythms of Luang Prabang, he says he has fallen in love with Laotian cuisine and guided the experienced Lao chefs of 3 Nagas under his aegis towards developing a new menu in which authenticity, purity, freshness and organic are the watchwords.

3 Nagas, named for the mythological serpent which safeguarded the Buddha, is the sister resort and restaurant of Hotel de la Paix - a five minute drive or brisk 20 minute stroll from the hotel in Luang Prabang's historic Old Quarter and a stone's throw from the mighty Mekong and meandering Nam Khan rivers - described by the New York Times Travel Guide as offering one of the most authentic Laos dining experiences in Luang Prabang.

The restaurant offers al fresco ambience and street-side seats to the slow-moving theatre that unfolds in the old town lanes of Luang Prabang, nestled amidst three century-old, lovingly restored UNESCO World Heritage buildings that comprise the resort and once were home to Lao royalty.

Chef Sour said he was honoured to be helping write the next chapter in the historic eatery's evolution. "There's a certain magic and innocence to Lao cuisine and it has really captured my imagination and my heart," he said. "I hope it will do the same for all of our guests at 3 Nagas."

Diners may choose to start with one of Chef Sour's creative cocktails, including Mak-Phet Martini (vodka, Dry Martini, chilli, lemongrass and cherry tomato), Basil Beer (Beer Lao, sweet basil and lemonade), Tom Yum LPB (vodka, Malibu, Lychee Liqueur, sugar syrup, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf and chilli), and the Phaeng Tae Chao PhouDiew (Bacardi rum, banana liqueur, banana ripe, mint leaf and lime juice).

Chef Sour, a keen mixologist, has also created a range of non-alcoholic organic mocktails, such as the Phousi Hill Punch (mango Juice, orange Juice, lime Juice and Grenadine) or the Sabaidee LPB (dragon fruit, banana, fresh milk and vanilla Ice cream).

Laotian appetisers include Khaiphaen Jeund, or Deep-fried Mekong riverweed, served with spicy buffalo jam and fresh vegetable sticks, Cheomak Len, or Spicy tomato dip, served with assorted blanched & fresh vegetables, and Naem Tha-Deu, or Warmed spicy rice cake salad with sour pork wrapped in lettuce & betel leaves.

Simple yet stunning salads such as Saa Mhoo, a minced pork and banana flower salad served with fresh lettuce and Koille Paa, minced Mekong river fish salad with string bean & lemongrass served with fresh lettuce complement other exotic Laotian morsels include Oua Sikhay Kai, or Deep-fried stuffed lemongrass stalk with minced chicken and local herbs, Tom Hom Phak E-Leud, or Spicy buffalo broth flavoured with lemongrass, galangal, scented with betel leaves, and 3 Nagas Soup, a minestrone with Mekong river weed & tofu

Oor Lam Sine Kwai, or Buffalo meat stewed with spicy wood, eggplant and betel leaves and Khanap Paa, or grilled river fish stuffed with pork and herbs, wrapped in banana leaves, and Sai Oua Mhoo, Chef Sour's special homemade pork sausage are all recommended.

Chef Sour has a deft touch with sweets, having begun his career as a pastry chef, and offerings at the new-look 3 Nagas include Khao Kam Mak-Gouy, or baked stuffed black sticky rice and banana in banana leaves, served with caramelised coconut sauce and vanilla ice cream, and Sang KhaYa KhaoNiew, steamed egg custard, served with deep-fried pumpkin and caramel sauce.

Hotel de la Paix Luang Prabang General Manager Kirsty Danks-Brown said Chef Sour, a Cambodian native, was relatively new to Laos but the chefs under his command were veterans. "They are all Laos locals, and they are going back to creating food they know and love to prepare, with Chef Sour adding a breath of fresh air and a touch of sophistication and flair," she said.

"I'm delighted with the new menu at 3 Nagas, and it restores the restaurant to its rightful position as Luang Prabang's prime destination dining experience for authentic Lao food.

"No effort has been spared to use locally sourced and organic produce and ingredients wherever possible," Ms Danks-Brown added.

For further information, high-resolution photography or interest is visiting the properties, please contact:

Mr Marko Fluka

Hotel Manager

3 Nagas

Tel: +856 71 253 888

Email: [email protected]

www.3-nagas.com

David Johnson

Managing Director

Delivering Asia Communications

Tel: +66 (0) 2246 1159

Mobile: +66 (8) 9170 9866

E-mail : [email protected]

www.deliveringcommunications.com