WHERE TO EAT

CAFE DE LAOS

Breakfasts don’t get much better than perfectly poached eggs on toast with a piping hot cup of coffee from Cafe de Laos. Order the siphon coffee for two and you’ll be beamed back to chemistry lessons as a teenager as a barista fires up a small gas flame, places it under a glass bulb and heats up the water before it filters into a glass hopper held in place by a metal clamp. The siphon technique for brewing coffee emerged in France in the 1840s and, while it has been refined many times over the years, the result is the same: a delicate, aromatic cuppa. cafedelaos-burasari.com

STREET FOOD NIGHT MARKET

After spending the day sightseeing and exploring the Old Town, there is one small backstreet that most in-the-know visitors flock to. It’s located just at the start of the Night Market, next to Indigo House hotel (look out for a lady selling fruit trays). Follow your nose down the busy alleyway and take your pick from more than a dozen exceptional vendors selling delicious, cheap and freshly cooked food. There’s a particularly good veggie buffet halfway down that costs 20,000kip (Dhs8) per plate.

THE GREAT HOUSE RESTAURANT

For a special treat, head to one of Luang Prabang’s fanciest restaurants, The Great House. It’s part of the five-star Rosewood Luang Prabang hotel and requires a tuk-tuk to reach (hotel staff can arrange a complimentary shuttle back). The journey is well worth the effort as chefs serve an outstanding menu of traditional Laos dishes brought into the 21st century. Highlights include phanaeng kai (chicken coconut curry), oor lam gnoua (braised water buffalo) and laap phet (pounded duck mince). Service is faultless and the setting is stylish. rosewoodhotels.com