samatchalee

Phaeng and Phiu is a Lao pop-up residency at Shore Leave, running through December 31st. It’s named after Chef Veo’s parents, Humphaeng (Phaeng) and Khamphiu (Phiu), who are both from Luang Prabang. He was born and raised in Vientiane, and the whole menu is his way of recapturing food memories from home. He told me his food isn’t always traditional, but it’s authentic to his experience as a Lao-American immigrant. He cooks with traditional Lao ingredients and techniques, then mixes in the New England ingredients he’s used throughout his career. What he wants most is for people to get curious about Lao food. There are Lao communities in Rhode Island, Lowell, and Lynn, and plenty of Lao restaurants out there that sometimes get mistaken for Thai spots, so there’s a lot to explore once you start looking. What I tried: • Bus stop chicken, a grilled Hudson Valley half chicken with crispy skin, spicy tomato jaew mak len, sticky rice, and papaya salad. Fell apart the second I picked it up, and the one dish I’d go back for • Krapow gai dumplings, sitting in a pool of toasted chili oil, fragrant and spicy • Gai prik pao wings, crispy and coated in a sticky padaek chili jam • Nham khao, crispy rice salad with red curry, peanuts, coconut, and greens. Spicy, sweet, crunchy, and impossible to stop eating #bostonfoodie #laofood #bostonpopup #shoreleave #supportlocal