Nice Asian food and great molten cake
We celebrated our anniversary here and took the offer of the Chef counter experience. It was an amazing experience and we have fallen in love with Vietnamese cuisine. Our thanks to the front office team of Mishu ,Paul , Simon , Kamal and Chef James and his team in the kitchen to make our special day unforgettable.
Very nice food.
Ordered green mango salad with crab meat, Giant prawn red curry , beef tenderloin and also steamed rice.
Green mango salad was nice but I wish it had less water and more spicy.
Prawn curry, I felt prawn was a bit over cooked. There were only 3 pieces of prawns.
Beef tenderloin was amazing.
Service was very good. Everything came very fast.
Just when we called the hotel to book the table, we were told it’s fully booked. But through Zomato we could book a table immidiatly.lol
I would like to come back again and try different dishes.
The best Vietnamese food!
Great ambience, delicious amazing food. Service is perfect, the place is lovely. Very recommendable. My husband and I loved it
Absolutely outstanding food and amazing service great staff and very friendly had to come a few times and try half the menu it’s that good and very reasonably priced
Thank you to all the staff for your outstanding hospitality
enjoyed a completely vegetarian vietnamese meal, served with a lot of love and we were really taken care of very well, celebrated a friend's birthday and really enjoyed sitting outside in the great weather, the fried rice, and the pho both are worth a mention and the saigon crepes . definitely a place to go in Dubai.
Celebrated my birthday here last week. The ambience is so warm and welcoming. Their food are one of a kind and very scrumptous. The service is excellent. The staff and crew are very accommodating specially Kamal, Mishu, Ruby, Resi and Simon. They help made my birthday a memorable one. Thanks!
lovely place, nice service, very good food and atmosphere! We went for the special 4 course menu, and we loved everything! The terrace is very nice for winter times
Went over to celebrate a birthday. Despite making a short notice booking, we were accommodated and welcomed. Our server Mishu, although a little raw for the caliber of the restaurant, was amazing: courteous and exceptionally sweet. Very well spoken and pleasant, though a little quick to pick up dishes and cutlery off the table while some were still eating.
The pho was exactly as it should be, the crispy fried onions on top was a great addition, and the beef was tender.
The Zomato gold was also well received: we enjoyed our 2+2 on drinks.
I just wish they had more authentic food options from Laos itself. This was pan-Asian and my husband and I were a bit disappointed as we spent 10 days there for our honeymoon and were hoping to reminisce over dinner.
Cannot fault this place. Second visit to dubai and second visit to Lao. We always save it for our last meal and wish we'd gone earlier. Delicious food, great service. Highly recommend it.
I had a dinner here. I visited this place first time & I am very impressed with the staff service & the food quality. I ordered prawns & some chiken stuff.
They really had a good taste
I suggest u toh visit this place once
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My review for Lao – Vietnamese cuisine is limited here in Dubai, and I have been craving a good pho soup since I moved away from home where there were so many authentic Vietnamese restaurants. I had the pleasure to try the Vietnamese dishes here, but I found them to be toned down for flavours for the tourists who do not know the flavours of Vietnam well like I do.
I got sample tasting bites of the shrimp rice paper crisps, fried crab spring rolls, and the prawn fresh spring rolls so the presentation of this dish was not nice as the three samples were just placed on a plate. The one that stood out the most would have to be the prawn fresh roll, as this is one of my favourites from Vietnam. However, the other two were lacking Vietnamese flavours.
The portion sizes of the pho noodle bowls here are tiny compared to a small size in Vietnam or the ones I had in Canada. The pho bowls are a single soup size like how you would get soup at any restaurant. The soup base was bland, and keep in mind, I’m always comparing to the authentic flavours in Vietnam and Canada. The noodles in the soup were good though.
My favourite dish would have to be the tiger prawns, even though it was battered and fried, the prawns were still juicy. The sauce was absolutely delicious as it was creamy and brightened up my outlook of the dishes here.
Finally, the mango sticky rice dessert was not bad. This is my favourite South Asian dessert and I found that the sticky rice here was a perfect sweet and the mangoes were fresh. The light drizzle of the coconut sauce was good. It was interesting to see the sticky rice green in colour, rather than the original white colour.
This restaurant deserves a rating of 4/5.
I ordered the shrimp rice paper crisps for 30DHS, fried crab spring roll for 40DHS, prawn fresh spring roll for 65DHS, vegetarian pho noodle soup for 40DHS, tiger prawns for 140DHS, vietnamese garlic egg noodles for 55DHS, tofu for 30DHS, and the mango sticky rice for 35DHS.
The pricing of the dishes here are higher than average for a Vietnamese restaurant but since it is located in a 5 star hotel, it makes sense.
The service was excellent here, with the hostess giving us a good first impression of the restaurant. The acting manager was great at making sure our experience was wonderful. He was able to understand that I am a pescatarian and was able to replace my set tasting menu to dishes that I can actually eat.
The ambience of the restaurant was gorgeous and situated inside the Waldorf Astoria hotel, it fitted in perfectly. For me, this place is a little far from where I am situated, but it was well worth the drive. The restaurant is located in the Palm Jumeirah area and once you are inside, the warm and dark colours were inviting, with very elegant decor.
I had a lovely evening at Lao, i enjoyed the food and absolutely loved the ambiance. The staff was extremely welcoming, friendly and polite. The staff even helped us decide our meals recommending the best to us. And the meals were absolutely amazing. Dinner was exceptionally amazing and My dinning experience has been memorable.
Lamb chops and clear spring rolls were a stand out for me.
The Culinaric Adventurer
+3.5
Good vietnamese restaurant with good service. the portions are a bit on the smallish side and the prices are a bit higher than one would expect even taking the location in the Waldorf Astoria into account. On the drinks front the signature cocktails are original and of course taste very nice .
Perfect for a romantic outdoor dinner! If you are planning a special dinner date then this is definitely an option.
The food is delicious, though the menu options are limited.
We ordered :
Prawn lollipop
Chicken siew mai
Veg roll
Seabass
Chocolate molten cake
The prawn lollipop is interesting cause you don’t find it in many places and it was very delicious.
The chocolate molten cake was another stand out for us. Gooey in the Centre it was jus perfect with the ice cream
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Tried Lao a Vietnamese restaurant at the Waldorf Astoria.
Loved the food and the service.
The hits:
Vietnamese rice paper crisps with chicken, peanuts, carrots and shallots. The Vietnamese take on a taco with a lighter touch.
Crab meat with mushrooms fried rolls with sweet and sour sauce. Perfect crispy texture on the outside and soft meat inside.
Beef Henry: beef wrapped in King Henry leaf with peanuts. Full of flavors but tiny portion and only 3 pieces. You can only split 3 by 1 and 3!
Black pepper and garlic beef tenderloin. Super soft and full of flavors.
Egg fried rice with veggies as good as you'd expect them to be.
The miss:
To start with, the portions of the appetisers are tiny.
Green mango and crab salad although it's one of their most ordered salad it wasn't for me. Maybe coz it was called a salad :) I'm not sure what that taste that I didn't like in it. It reminded me of something I had on my trip to Vietnam.
The dumplings: not sure how I felt about them.
Overall the food was very good. Would recommend for a date with someone who likes to try new things, don't take someone picky or someone who nags about food. Use zomato gold for 2+2 drinks.
Elegant outlet with beautiful design and decoration. The ambiance is warm. It offers tasty Vietnamese food and fresh cocktails. Welcoming manager. Friendly and helpful staff. Excellent service.
Had such a great experience at LAO. Our host was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. He recommended many choices and we gave Philip the freedom to choose our menu for the night. We did not regret it in fact we were extremely delighted with his choices.
Lao it's juts a hidden gem in Palm Jumeirah.
It's located inside Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the Ground Floor.
It was originally Vietnamese restaurant with some other asian influence, but recently turned into a proper Vietnamese restaurant.
All the food presentation and flavors it's just perfect!
The Head Chef is a lovely Vietnamese woman calles Mai that makes you feel so close to the concept and culture.
They organically grow many herbs for their dishes, and then have beautiful lemon grass drinks!
You have to try the beef, the dim sums, the salads, the lobster... and i can't remember the name i think chicken Kun PAO! amazing!
Can't wait to go back again! All staff is always professional and perfect!
Lao – a fine dining Vietnamese restaurant located in the prestigious Waldorf Astoria, Palm Jumeirah. It was my first time trying Vietnamese cuisine and I discovered that it is one of the healthiest cuisines. They use a lot of herbs and balance with natural ingredients. The interiors are pretty much how a fine dining should be – very elegant and classy with comfortable seating. They had an open kitchen and you could occasionally see the stir-fry flames which can be quite entertaining. Full review in the link below!
Engineer With Flair (Sidrah) Food Blogger
+4
Lao a Vietnamese restaurant located in the beautiful property of Waldrof Astoria Palm Jumeriah. I must confess that it was my first experience to introduce my palates to the Vietnamese cuisine. The idea of trying out new cuisine is always exciting but at the same time it keeps you at the verge of skepticalness.
Vietnamese cuisine is one of the cuisines that I have never tried in Dubai before, though I’ve tried it couple of times in USA. There are very few Vietnamese restaurants in Dubai. So this Friday, I had a dinner date with my hubby at LAO. . Located in the beautiful property of Waldorf Astoria in Palm Jumeirah, LAO is a Vietnamese restaurant. Their Vietnamese chef Mai, uses traditional cooking techniques with modern presentations developing unique and sensory experiences.
Lao is the fine dining restaurant located in the beautiful Waldorf Astoria in Palm Jumeirah serving traditional Vietnamese cuisine infused with modern presentations developing unique flavors and sensory experiences. As far as I know, Lao refers to the traditional Buddhist people inhabiting the area of the Mekong River in Laos and Thailand so I think they chose a good name for the restaurant.
One of the finest properties in Dubai is the Waldorf Astoria and yet again here I was this time to try a Vietnamese restaurant – LAO. Since I haven’t tried much of the cuisine, tonight was going to be an experience. Located downstairs of the hotel the restaurant as you entire notice the dark and classy interiors, wide wooden table and long comfy sofas. For a Thursday night the place was getting crowded by time.
TheShazWorld (Syeda Shanaz Hussain)
+4.5
Taking its inspiration from the 1st millennium tribe that settled across Southeast Asia, LAO reflects the rich culinary traditions of the LAO people, heavily inspired by the natural beauty and intrinsic cuisine of Vietnam. Introducing an authentic Vietnamese family dinner experience at LAO. The experience is composed of a set menu, which includes a variety of traditional flavors through starters and soup, main courses and desserts, all served on a sharing basis.
With so few Vietnamese fine-dining restaurants in the Emirates, it’s a refreshing choice of cuisine for the Waldorf and one that certainly pays off. Indulging in a set menu of Lao’s signature dishes, we’re taken on a dining journey from the coastal waters of Vietnams Halong Bay to the mountainous rice terraces of Sapa.
The food is absolutely amazing! The vegetables are so fresh which gives the food a very authentic feel, a long with the natural herbs and spices. The staff and service is absolutely amazing and the staff is extremely friendly... I would strongly recommend people to come here!
One of the best restaurant in Dubai we have ever tried, the food and service here is at top, but the worst thing is too far from the city, I'm personally recommend this restaurant for anyone who loves food and experience the difference of food!
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Lao is one of the nicest Vietnamese restaurants that I have come across in Dubai and that’s largely because of their sweet motherly like Chef, who’s willing to go an extra mile to ensure you have a meal that truly satisfies you.
We were a complete vegetarian group and while their menu has a few different options, we wanted more, so we requested to speak with the Chef and we were so pleased with her attitude and graciousness. She immediately agreed to do a couple extra dishes and everything tasted really nice.
They offer a good spread on their menu, which is largely seafood and meat based with some good vegetarian options as well. The staff and service are A class! They are polite, courteous and efficient and happy to go the extra mile.
They offer a very nice and elegant indoors and a large outdoor seating that’s relaxed and beautiful in good weather. The place is a tad bit expensive but the Waldorf tag justifies the premium prices.
Would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a nice Vietnamese meal in a sophisticated, elegant setting.
Lao doesn't have chefs and waiters - it's got the people of Vietnam giving you an authentic tour of their culture and cuisine. The head chef sent us on a stroll down memory lane with her appetizer platter. I didn't realize so many flavors could co-exist on the same plate. The beef noodle soup tastes like a mother's hug in a bowl. The duck main is legendary - take one bite of it, and you'll know why.
We stayed at the Waldrof for 2 nights and decided to come here on our second night.
The place is very nicely decorated and the staff are very very friendly.
I had the Green tea cocktail which was really good! Do order it!
For appetizers we ordered the money bags (not on the menu). Basically dumplings filled with chicken and beef.
For main courses we ordered the Duck and the Short Ribs.. my husband really liked the short ribs and I loved the duck. I also ordered a rice that is cooked with duck fat and cucumber to compliment my duck dish, which was also excellent.
I do highly recommend this place although I know it is a hike to get out here even for people who live in Dubai, but do make the trip and I hope you'll think it's worth it.
Visited July 2014
Was staying at Waldorf Astoria and found this gem. The staff is courteous and the restaurant ambience is brilliant.
For starters we ordered Prawn lollipops, chicken Shu main dim sum and fritters. If I've to rate the prawn Lollipop separately, I'll give it 12 on 10.
The dim sum were also brilliant.
For mains we went for the fish stew claypot that is prepared using ginger and galangal. The dish had a great caramel flavour and the the other ingredients were infused into it perfectly.
For dessert we ordered mango Sticky rice which had the most delicious mangoes.
Overall a fine meal and an absolute value for money for a fine dining.
Lao Restaurant experience has been on my back logs for almost a month now since obviously, I have been buried to other things beneficial for a living. BUT, I’ve been meaning to definitely write a review about this precious gem hidden somewhere in Dubai. Lao Restaurant is a Vietnamese slash Asian restaurant resting in Waldorf Astoria The Palm. Originally, we are eyeing to dine at Social by Chef Heinz Beck but they are not operating during Ramadan (something lamentable). So, since the hotel is far off downtown our only option is to choose between restaurants inside the hotel. My good friend, who’s a Waldorf baby suggested this restaurant to us hence this is where hubby and I had our anniversary dinner.
Went to Lao for dinner and had a very lovely time. Loved the menu, so many Asian goodies to choose from! The food was really good except for the fish clay pot ( the sauce tasted really strange), so I didn't enjoy it. But the crepes and the mango sticky rice was very nice. Great service.
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We’ve stayed at Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah and absolutely loved our experience there. I actually even gave it a 5 out of 5 rating (which I’ve only ever given to 1 other hotel), so I was really looking forward to trying out one of their other restaurants, Lao. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it, and my friend Christina and her hubby went on our behalf. See what Christina has to say about Lao:
I am a HUGE fan of Asian food (especially Thai food) so my husband and I were super excited to go to Lao at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai last week. Weekends on the Palm can be quite busy so we opted for a Monday evening dinner date which I thought would be pretty empty especially at the far end of the crescent on the Palm; but the place was packed on a workday evening! Definitely a good sign of things to come!
The restaurant boasts an open kitchen so you see your entire meal being prepared in full view of the guests. I watched the chefs for a few minutes before we started our meal and was really impressed with their presentation and coordination with each other. When the waiter seated us he explained that Lao was a South East Asian fusion restaurant of traditional dishes from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam with a modern presentation. We were both starving from a busy day at work and decided to start off with some appetizers to give us some more time to decide on dinner.
The restaurant maintained warm light of orange and reds all over which made the atmosphere cozy and comfortable. Although cozy, we both somehow still got the feeling that most of the diners, if not hotel guests, were business colleagues or perhaps conducting client dinners. Quite a few groups seemed to come straight from the office or maybe still carrying on business matters after the work day had finished. As well as being a romantic place, I guess its also a great spot for business dinners!
Soon after we placed our order for dinner, the appetizers; Steamed Lobster Rice Roll and Stuffed and Grilled Calamari arrived. My first impression was that it was quite small, but very well presented. The presentation was 5-star worthy for sure and the taste left us wanting more but such is the name; an appetizer– so we waited for the main course which arrived shortly after.
My husband and I shared our order as always to maximize both choices of the Grilled Mixed Seafood and the Muscovy Duck Breast with Pad Thai as a side dish. The duck breast was tender, juicy and delicious with the honey and ginger marinade. It might have been the best duck breast we have ever had! I can’t say the same for the grilled seafood plate though, honestly. It was a bit dry; nothing a squeeze of fresh lemon can’t fix, but also a much smaller portion than my husband (or I) expected when he read the description and ordered. The Pad Thai was very tasty and prepared a bit creamier than either of us had ever tasted before. We loved it.
Here’s what we had:
Appetizers:
Steamed Lobster Rice Roll with avocado, chili and onions
Stuffed and Grilled Calamari with octopus, prepared with mango, garlic, ginger, onion and dill
Main Course:
Honey and Ginger Braised Muscovy Duck Breast with radish and jicama as garnish
Grilled Mixed Seafood (shrimp, squid, salmon, scallops and a half lobster)
Pad Thai as a side dish (bak choi, bean sprouts, tamarind sauce with shrimp, egg)
Dessert:
Trio of Crème Brulee: Passion Fruit flavor, hazelnut flavor and pistachio flavor
Exotic fruit plate: Papaya, honeydew melon, strawberry, mango and lychee
When you visit Lao you MUST try the Trio of Crème Brulee…you can thank me later. The flavors were deliciously rich and distinct of passion fruit, pistachio and hazelnut. We ran into the same situation with the exotic fruit plate again though as the portion was quite petite. Lao is definitely the place to go if you find yourself looking for a classy restaurant to entertain more formal relationships such as colleagues or guests from out of town-especially since you can also treat your guests to an amazing view of the Dubai Marina skyline and also Burj Al Arab which is always sure to impress.
Ratings (0-5):
Staff/Service: 4
Ambience: 5
Food: 4
Presentation: 5
Cleanliness: 5
Value for money: 2.5
Overall Rating: 4.25
Worth Trying?: If you are looking for an appropriate place to take business associates and clients OR for a fancy Asian restaurant with impeccable presentation, then this is your place!
We had a really nice meal here, the restaurant was empty though so lacked a little atmosphere and in turn the service was extremely attentive as there were a lot of bored staff I think. Our main waiter was very helpful with menu recommendations, standout for me was the lamb rendang with coconut, mmmm delicious. I would definitely come back, maybe when the weather is cooler and you can sit outside as inside was really quiet.
Delicious food, good dumplings. Comfortable atmosphere. Kids are allowed and they thought about some colorings to keep them occupied. The service was fast and efficient. Duck for main course is a must!
Went for visit on thu night for the wife's b day, called an hour in advance to book n ask for a tart or something with a candle, the guy who took the call was sub par.
Once we arrived the ambiance is very nice, staff were very hospitable , particularly our server, I'm gonna say "Ailene" not sure I heard it correctly, but she was excellent all round.
Food was very good, particularly black pepper beef, lamb redang & Kung pow chicken.
Non alcoholic drinks options were a too limited, the mixologist did visit the table to discuss options which was nice.. Stay clear of the ginger drink unless you are very adventurous
No cake, not sure if the phone guy didn't bother or what, but we were in a hurry anyway so didn't bother asking. Would go again for sure.@
Aparna Premnath Pramod
+4.5
We had our annivesary dinner at Lao. The lovely staff showed us to our table. Complimentary sushi was served which was delicious. In spite of the place being busy , the service was prompt and we were served in no time . We had a hot appetiser bua chu - grilled chicken with vermicelli noodles..yumm!!!! followed by some fried rice and kung pao chicken ...Both delicious! Overall a lovely dining experience !!
4.5/5! Excellent food, really nice and good variety to choose from. Sitting outside in this lovely weather was also a plus. Staff was friendly too. Would definitely go back!
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After watching a tense movie at the cinema, it was time to nurture the soul with some grub! we arrived with high expectations as the Waldorf in Ras-al-Khaimah was a beautiful property and provided a level of service you rarely come across. Safe to say, all the pleasantries were there, from valet to seating at our table. The restaurant itself is beautifully appointed with good use of wood and an open kitchen which evokes the senses. Service is top notch, plenty of smiles for the little critic and good advise from the waitress on menu selection.
We opted for the salmon, soy roasted chicken and potato curry, some Dim Sum and the little critic had steamed salmon with rice. The food arrived at a pleasant hour and was presented with a modern twist. Flavors were subtle compared to other Chinese restaurant and this was a warm welcome, seasoning was spot on. The salmon which was cooked with wasabi and served with sugar snap was particularly good.
A pleasant evening and one for those who are looking for a more refined Chinese dining experience. Recommended by the little critic who was fast asleep on the way home!
We went there for a birthday, four of us, shortly after they opened. It was still quiet and the staff was getting used to the place, but the food was really good.
I think the chef is still working on the menu but some of the dishes were really impressive, like the lemongrass beef which used a lemongrass piece as a skewer and was served atop a traditional charcoal mini-barbecue.
I'm sure it will get even better in the coming months, but it was already a good experience. Vietnamese food is really a different approach, loads of flavors and a healthy as well.
Great ambience and atmosphere, perfect to make u feel like ur in a typical Chinese restaurant.
The location is pretty far since it's all the way in the Palm Dubai. Anywho, we ordered dumplings for starters which were ah mazing!! The shrimp and chicken dumplings were so soft and delicious.
For the main course we got the red sauce shrimp which came across like a curry dish along with their grilled pomfret! Both were delicious but the portions were relatively small for a Chinese menu.
Was good food. But not sure I wud go back ther if craving proper Chinese food!
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