Vientiane Cafe (Philly again)

On Saturday, June 8, West Philly Porchfest brought us back to Philly. We were excited to see and hear the bands in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, there weren't as many out as last year, but it was still nice to enjoy the music on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, with friends Karin and George.

In between, we visited Vientiane Cafe, 5738 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19143 (215-726-1095), for some of our favorite appetizers.

Fresh Spring Rolls - Soft rice paper with herbs and vermicelli, served with tangy tamarind and sweet chili sauce topped with crushed peanuts. We ordered them with shrimp.

Crispy Spring Rolls - Filled with silver noodles, cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, deep-fried until golden. Served with house sauce. The duck is outstanding.

Sticky Tamarind Chicken Wings - Tossed in sweet and tangy sauce along with chili, lemongrass and kaffir leaves. So good!

Vegetarian Naam Salad (GF) - Marinated rice with coconut flakes tossed with scallions, cilantro, lime leaves, and chill; topped with crush peanuts served with lettuce to wrap.

Homemade Laotian Sausages (sai-gawk) (GF) - Stuffed with chopped pork, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves; served with steam vegetables along with spicy roasted chili garlic sauce (jeow muk phet) and sticky rice.

We also swung by Vietnam Cafe for more favorites: Crispy spring rolls and pork summer rolls, which enjoyed on the porch. What a beautiful day!


Wines enjoyed: