Like I’ve said many times, there is nothing quite as wonderful as a city weekend in the middle of summer. A few weekends ago I went to two Michelin star restaurants, ran 12 miles, and cooked up a storm. And I ADORED every second of the city.
The second Michelin star I attained on my city weekend was a random spot that I wanted to cross off due to the fact that I had so-so expectations. I therefore had no intention of saving it for a special occasion. When I mentioned to a group of my favorite foodie friends that Laut had a star, I was met with a number of astonished faces. According to many of these friends, the food at Laut is good Thai/Malaysian cuisine but there is nothing extraordinary about it. After dining there, I am inclined to agree. I do think I’ll go back in cooler weather and try one of the noodle soups or even head there for some of their very affordable lunch deals. After all, the food is good and affordable. But from my dinner there the other night and with my limited expertise as a want-to-be Michelin critic (I’ve now dined at 22 of the 54 total spots), I just don’t think Laut has what it takes to merit a star. I feel that the food and overall experience of a Michelin restaurant should make it worthy of going on a special evening.
For starters, when I walked into Laut I was inundated with blasting top 40 music. I would seriously consider asking them for their playlist for my iPod run mix, as it would definitely have made my 12-miler more enjoyable. But for a restaurant, I HATE fast paced music because I tend to eat and drink to tempo. If it is intentional to keep the tables moving, I would at least appreciate if it were a bit more subtle than it was at Laut.
The service is okay at Laut. Things arrive but not necessarily with any mind to timing or presentation. It took a while to get our beers on each round…just about long enough both rounds to leave us wondering whether or not our waitress forgot our drinks. Laut is no-frills dining…no amuse bouche, no complimentary bread starter, and only a ginger candy as a send-off after the bill is settled. I’m not trying to say that any of these things are required to merit a Michelin star, but to me the food better be earth-shatteringly fabulous if there is no element of dinner-theatre type style and no extras. Call me crazy but I prefer to go out for the full experience.
The menu is rather long at Laut (Appetizers, Salads, Noodle soups, Noodles, Rice Dishes, and Entrees). I had read online that the must-haves were Roti Canai and Coconut Rice. We started with the Roti Canai and after my first bite I thought “Well this place might just prove me wrong…if everything else tastes this good than I’m 100% for their Michelin star”. The Roti Canai comes with a thin roti pancake to dip in a chicken curry sauce. The roti pancake at Laut is sweeter and slightly more crisped than any I’ve ever had before and it had this Belgian waffle-like aroma and flavor hint. I LOVED it. And then I tried it dipped in the chicken curry, and I ABSOLUTELY ADORED IT. The coconut undertone in the sweet and mildly spicy curry resulted in a dip made in heaven.
My favorite thai dish is definitely Pad See Ew. So I figured I would try out Laut’s version with beef and see how it stood up. The noodles were just the way I like them and the sauce was very good as was the beef. But one of my favorite parts of Pad See Ew is the broccoli and there was nowhere near enough in this dish. Also, the flavor was good but nothing better than I’ve had at any other thai restaurant. We also ordered the Malaysian Chicken with Coconut Rice. The chicken curry was good but nothing close to how good the chicken with the canai was. The chicken was nice and moist but nothing so amazing that I would order it again. The coconut rice was perfectly light with a lovely coconut flavor. I was delighted to find that it was not stodgy at all like some other versions I’ve had and been disappointed in.
I’m wondering if I need to find more things on the huge menu that wow me as much as the roti canai, but I can’t help think that everything on the menu of a Michelin star restaurant should warrant a wow.
I guess I just don’t see what all the noise is about.
The second Michelin star I attained on my city weekend was a random spot that I wanted to cross off due to the fact that I had so-so expectations. I therefore had no intention of saving it for a special occasion. When I mentioned to a group of my favorite foodie friends that Laut had a star, I was met with a number of astonished faces. According to many of these friends, the food at Laut is good Thai/Malaysian cuisine but there is nothing extraordinary about it. After dining there, I am inclined to agree. I do think I’ll go back in cooler weather and try one of the noodle soups or even head there for some of their very affordable lunch deals. After all, the food is good and affordable. But from my dinner there the other night and with my limited expertise as a want-to-be Michelin critic (I’ve now dined at 22 of the 54 total spots), I just don’t think Laut has what it takes to merit a star. I feel that the food and overall experience of a Michelin restaurant should make it worthy of going on a special evening.
For starters, when I walked into Laut I was inundated with blasting top 40 music. I would seriously consider asking them for their playlist for my iPod run mix, as it would definitely have made my 12-miler more enjoyable. But for a restaurant, I HATE fast paced music because I tend to eat and drink to tempo. If it is intentional to keep the tables moving, I would at least appreciate if it were a bit more subtle than it was at Laut.
The service is okay at Laut. Things arrive but not necessarily with any mind to timing or presentation. It took a while to get our beers on each round…just about long enough both rounds to leave us wondering whether or not our waitress forgot our drinks. Laut is no-frills dining…no amuse bouche, no complimentary bread starter, and only a ginger candy as a send-off after the bill is settled. I’m not trying to say that any of these things are required to merit a Michelin star, but to me the food better be earth-shatteringly fabulous if there is no element of dinner-theatre type style and no extras. Call me crazy but I prefer to go out for the full experience.
The menu is rather long at Laut (Appetizers, Salads, Noodle soups, Noodles, Rice Dishes, and Entrees). I had read online that the must-haves were Roti Canai and Coconut Rice. We started with the Roti Canai and after my first bite I thought “Well this place might just prove me wrong…if everything else tastes this good than I’m 100% for their Michelin star”. The Roti Canai comes with a thin roti pancake to dip in a chicken curry sauce. The roti pancake at Laut is sweeter and slightly more crisped than any I’ve ever had before and it had this Belgian waffle-like aroma and flavor hint. I LOVED it. And then I tried it dipped in the chicken curry, and I ABSOLUTELY ADORED IT. The coconut undertone in the sweet and mildly spicy curry resulted in a dip made in heaven.
My favorite thai dish is definitely Pad See Ew. So I figured I would try out Laut’s version with beef and see how it stood up. The noodles were just the way I like them and the sauce was very good as was the beef. But one of my favorite parts of Pad See Ew is the broccoli and there was nowhere near enough in this dish. Also, the flavor was good but nothing better than I’ve had at any other thai restaurant. We also ordered the Malaysian Chicken with Coconut Rice. The chicken curry was good but nothing close to how good the chicken with the canai was. The chicken was nice and moist but nothing so amazing that I would order it again. The coconut rice was perfectly light with a lovely coconut flavor. I was delighted to find that it was not stodgy at all like some other versions I’ve had and been disappointed in.
I’m wondering if I need to find more things on the huge menu that wow me as much as the roti canai, but I can’t help think that everything on the menu of a Michelin star restaurant should warrant a wow.
I guess I just don’t see what all the noise is about.
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