What’s on the menu at Lao Food Co., a new Lao kitchen in Carleton Village serving Sunday brunch
Motivated by the lack of Lao food in Toronto, Daovy Chanthalansy started a culinary side hustle
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Name: Lao Food Co.
Contact: 1927 Davenport Rd., laofood.ca, @laosupperclub
Neighbourhood: Carleton Village
Chef-owner: Daovy Chanthalansy
Accessibility: Two steps at entry
Growing up in Woodstock, Ontario, Daovy Chanthalansy’s taste of Laos came exclusively from his home kitchen. He and his family had fled Laos in 1980, enduring a harrowing trek that included crossing the Mekong River, incarceration following their escape and two years in a Thai refugee camp. Once in Canada, the Chanthalansy family cultivated a connection to their home country: a vibrant garden brimming with vegetables like cilantro and water spinach, which were scarce in local stores at the time. They prepared traditional dishes at home because Lao restaurants didn’t exist in rural Ontario. “I felt invisible,” says Chanthalansy. “Lao food and Lao culture just wasn’t represented.”
The Chanthalansys were one of only three Lao households in small-town Woodstock, so the absence of a Lao food scene was understandable. But Chanthalansy was bewildered by the lack of Lao cuisine in larger cities with vibrant Lao communities and temples. Upon moving to Toronto in 2008, he found a wealth of Vietnamese and Thai restaurants but a glaring absence of Lao food. Motivated by this gap, he decided to champion the herbaceous, umami-packed cuisine by himself.
Related: Lao Thai, a family-owned restaurant that all started with a high school project
In 2019, Chanthalansy launched a series of pop-up dinners in his condo’s party room, serving cherished recipes passed down from his parents. By day, he was an IT technician; by night, he was an enthusiastic home chef eager to transform his hobby into a career that would allow him to celebrate Lao culture.
Covid threw a wrench in those plans. Chanthalansy changed gears, shifting to a delivery model. He worked his nine-to-five desk job, then went straight to a commercial kitchen he’d rented to start preparing meals he’d deliver himself. It was exhausting. Now, after a brief stint operating out of an ice cream parlour, Chanthalansy finally has his own brick-and-mortar space.
Lao Food Co. is currently operating on a curtailed schedule: brunch on Sundays, pick-up orders on Saturdays and monthly supper-club dinners. As the buzz grows, Chanthalansy plans to expand his operating days. However, bootstrapping his dream means the pace of expansion must be carefully managed—so he can’t give up his day job just yet.
The food
Here’s a glimpse at the Sunday brunch offerings, all of which are naturally gluten- and lactose-free. This isn’t by design but rather a happy coincidence due to the nature of Lao cuisine, which doesn’t use much wheat or dairy.
The drinks
Lao Food Co. doesn’t have a liquor licence, but Chanthalansy isn’t much of a drinker, so alcohol isn’t a priority. He’s more focused on coming up with alcohol-free cocktails and adding to his selection of fruity refreshers. (Guests can expect more tropical juices come summer.)
The space
The small, four-table space gets reconfigured for the supper club, when all the tables are pushed together to make one long communal dining space, which seats 16. The three-course supper-club meal (starting at $60 per person) features more celebratory Lao fare, like beef or duck laab and fish khao poon (coconut curry), followed by a parade of desserts—Chanthalansy’s favourite course to prepare.
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