Dining: Punchy Lao flavours and Thai favourites at Waterloo’s Champa Kitchen
Before the sticky rice balls are fried and broken up for nam khao, a briny marinade tempered with mellow spices and grated coconut is mixed in. After, in the golden rubble, we find amber peanuts, emerald herb ribbons, chestnut-hued minced pork, and chewy nuggets of bubble gum pink som moo. At UpTown Waterloo’s Champa Kitchen, Nam Khao ($15.50) is a riot of flavours and textures that’s simply moreish.
Owner Outhoumphonh “Linda” Vongkhamchanh, assisted by her mother, Saisamone Xoumphonphakdy, scratch-make dishes and ingredients highlighting flavours from their native Savannakhet. In making som moo, the Lao fermented pork sausage, Vongkhamchanh explains, “I use nam powder to make it sour; it takes at least 24 hours to be ready to eat,” noting Vietnamese and Thai cuisines use the seasoning in similar sausages.
Married with three small children, Vongkhamchanh began Champa Kitchen as her pandemic side hustle.
“I targeted people like second-generation Lao people who missed the real flavours mom or dad used to make. I just want to offer that,” says the 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry. “(My) kids are small right now, but they’ll get older. This is the time for me to go out on my own. We’re never going to see how successful I’ll be if I don’t give it a try.”
Like many Southeast Asian cuisines, Laos’ culinary traditions result from centuries of sharing, adapting and blending cuisines as different groups travelled along waterways, fields and mountains. Migration continued as kingdoms rose and fell and conquerors and colonizers exerted power. Foods made by ethnic Lao people in north and northwest Thailand were adapted for tourists and travelled the world as “Thai food.”
Champa Kitchen’s menu mixes familiar Thai, traditional Lao and Viet-Lao dishes. The Special Beef Pho ($12.95) demonstrates Laos’ Vietnamese community’s influence: Here, daylong simmered beef stock is clarified and infused with warming spices, resulting in a light soup surrounding rare brisket, frilly strips of tripe, bouncy meatballs, vermicelli, and bean sprouts. You customize your bowl with basil, lime, hoisin, and house-made jeow bong (chili paste).
You’ll find plenty of Thai options, with pad Thai and curries the most popular. Savoury house-made peanut sauce comes with the Champa Platter’s ($10.50) favourite finger foods: succulent prawns with coral tails that peep from golden wrappers, a long finger of pork-filled spring roll, and a translucent summer roll plump with pork, vermicelli, and mint leaves. The accompanying mango salad is bright, tossed in a tangy dressing.
Pad Kee Mao (with tofu, $12.95) is replete with tender, crisp veggies balanced by fried tofu in a spiky, basil’d sauce. These drunken noodles satisfy, especially when asked to be made Lao-style.
Champa Kitchen’s traditional Lao foods showcase the flavours from central Laos Vongkhamchanh knows well, in dishes such as Nam Khao, Larb, Sakoo Yat Sai (peanut and pork-stuffed taro dumplings), and Khao Poon (similar to khao soi). Although there’s an underlying sweetness, flavours are generally punchier than usually found at Thai restaurants. This is partly thanks to umami-rich padaek (Lao-style fish sauce), shrimp paste, and chili’d heat.
Papaya salad fans may taste the difference in their Tum Mak Hung, part of their Thum Tad/Tray to share ($34.50): shrimp paste bolsters the padaek-based dressing coating peanut-strewn slivers of papaya, carrots, tomatoes, and chilies. There’s also a tangle of vermicelli and sweet Coconut Shrimp. The salty-sweet slices of Seen Savanh avoid beef jerky’s jaw-aching properties. The tumble of rich, grilled lemongrass-infused Sai Gok (Lao pork sausage) beautifully completes the tray.
Gently heated Nam Vanh Sago ($6.95), tapioca pudding with taro cooked in coconut milk and topped with fried peanuts, is a lovely ending.
It’s easy to see how Vongkhamchanh’s catering side hustle has grown into a restaurant with a flourishing following that attracts people from the 905 area code. When asked why she got into restaurants, she laughs and replies, “I enjoy eating! I just love to cook, and I love to eat! I want to share that experience.”
And I’m happy she’s sharing it with us.
Dining columns focus on the food available for pickup, takeout and delivery in Waterloo Region, as well as meals taken on patios and in restaurants. They are based on unannounced orders from or visits to the establishments. Restaurants do not pay for any portion of the reviewer’s meal. Jasmine Mangalaseril is on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as @cardamomaddict.
Champa Kitchen
21 King St. N., Waterloo
519-208-7877
Facebook: @champakitchen.info
Instagram: @champakitchen.info
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: Noon to 8 p.m. (often closed from 3 to 4 p.m.); Sunday: 4 to 8 p.m.; Monday: closed. Check Facebook for updates.
Menu: Traditional scratch-made Lao dishes along with popular Thai and Vietnamese food. Wheat flour and nuts are in the kitchen. Vegetarians and nonvegetarians have good choice. Licensed. Menu posted on Facebook (PDF). Please inform server of allergies before placing order.
Payment: Cash, debit, Mastercard, Visa. Amex.
How to get your food: Walk-in and preordered pickup by phone and Facebook messenger
Delivery: Skip The Dishes, Uber Eats
The Bill: $105.49 for two dishes, assorted platters, one soup and dessert.
Jasmine Mangalaseril is a Waterloo-based writer and a freelance contributor for the Record.