The Lao Restaurant Around The Corner
Interview by: Lasamee Kettavong
Featured: Owners of Sep Lai - Chef Line and Chef Natassia
Edited by Nicole Balderas
Photo: Sep Lai
In late March of 2022, I visited Sep Lai, a delightful Lao restaurant on a street corner in a bustling Montreal suburb. It had been raining lightly and it was cool enough outside to enjoy a walk around town to work up our appetites. My partner and I enjoyed pretending that we lived in the neighborhood, rather than being the tourists that we were. We’ve always believed that the best way to get a feel for a new place is to walk the streets and eat the local fare.
Before our reservation, we stopped at a specialty beverage store, Beau Degat, down the street to choose a beer and wine to pair with a meal that we had been looking forward to since we had booked our flight months ago. The shop staff recommended a lighter beer that had galangal brewed into it (perfect for Lao food, we thought) and a rosé. We’d planned to post up in a window seat and eat for hours, and that’s exactly what we did.
We arrived just before the dinner rush and were able to speak with Natassia, owner of Sep Lai, briefly about our trip, our love for Lao food, and why we were visiting. I had resisted placing an order for everything on the menu, (they actually do have that option) and we ordered the sai oua (Lao seasoned and herb-ed sausage) meatballs and tum mak muang (salade du mangue/mango salad) to start. Chef Line sent out laap het (mushroom salad) for us to try and we were taken aback by just how beautiful the presentation was and how powerful and flavorful the salad tasted. It truly was the perfect blend of hot, sour, salty, and sweet. I couldn’t resist trying the khao poon naam gai (red coconut curry chicken soup with somen noodles) which was the best decision given the clouds and rain. My soul was well fed and warmed that day.
Khao Poon, Photo: Lasamee Kettavong
Line and Natassia took some time to answer questions for us about their wonderful restaurant and their journey with Sep lai.
What has year one of Sep Lai being open been like for you?
Line: The pandemic slowed us down a bit but summer has been very good to us. [There are] a lot of happy customers and new people discovering Lao food. I’m surprised at how many people don’t know that Laos exist. We have a lot of very loyal and repeat customers, so that’s a good sign.
Natassia: I didn’t know how much I didn’t know about Lao food and culture when I first started. I had a lot to learn and Line has been so helpful with this. Sep Lai is so different than my previous restaurant that I really had to start from scratch and reconsider how to approach every aspect of the restaurant. Things have really evolved in the last year and we’re finally starting to settle into a good rhythm.
How did you approach developing the menu for Sep Lai?
Line: We try to choose the most popular Lao meals as well as our favorites.
Natassia: We’ve really dug deep into our childhoods to recreate some of our favorites. We’ve tried to blend my southern and Line’s northern influences into the food. It’s not uncommon for me to get a text or an email at 3:00 a.m. from Line about a dish or an ingredient that she’s excited about. Our menu development is quite organic. We also love to hear from our staff. They often have fresh and unique perspectives on what we do because they’re learning about the food as well and have an important relationship with our guests.
Photo: Sep Lai
What did it feel like to be offered the opportunity to cook Lao food in the way and at the place that you wanted to?
Line: I never trained as a chef but I have worked in the food industry for more than 20 years so this has been a great opportunity for me. I feel lucky that Tass has trusted me with my suggestions and my recipes. We bonded over padaek and kapi, and just food in general.
Natassia: We’re here to educate our guests and that means we also take a lot of time to perfect each dish so that it is the best representation of itself that it can be. I’ve also really enjoyed applying the resourcefulness that is so embedded in Lao culture to Sep Lai. You’ll find that there are a lot of local ingredients in our dishes like the filet mignon, the mushrooms we use for our laap, and the Matane shrimp. We’re presenting our best interpretations of our favorite foods with the ingredients that are close to us.
Why did you go this direction (Machiavelli -> Sep Lai) when the opportunity presented itself to you? What does it mean to you?
Natassia: I’ve always kind of had the thought in the back of my mind that I would love to make and sell my mom’s imperial rolls. If the pandemic hadn’t happened I might not ever have taken the risk to do it but I’m so glad I did. I really wanted to explore and honor my maternal roots and this was the perfect opportunity.
Were you originally trained in cooking French or Italian cuisine? If so, what was it like to cook Lao cuisine for people?
Natassia: I studied French cuisine at ITHQ here in Montreal. Cooking Lao food for people has been fun and exciting because I’m sharing something of myself with our guests. I love watching people’s expressions when they taste something new and I love educating people about this food that I’ve always loved but gets very little representation.
Do you or anyone on your team speak Lao, French, and English? (Just curious, we are impressed by multilingual speakers!)
Line: I speak French, English and Lao.
Natassia: I speak French and English. My mom never spoke Lao at home because as a refugee she really wanted to assimilate to Quebec culture. Line has been very patiently teaching me!
What are your favorite Lao meals?
Line: Tam mak houng, chicken laap, khao piek sen, and sakoo yat sai.
Natassia: Gaeng nor mai, khao poon, and som pak.
Sai Oua Meatballs, Photo: Lasamee Kettavong
What are the most popular dishes at Sep Lai?
Line: Nem khao, kua mee, and sai oua meatballs.
Natassia: Also the khao poon!
What particular Lao meals evoke a strong memory for you?
Line: Khao piek sen! I went back to Laos back in 2013. My mom was already there on a three month vacation. When we met up I really wanted to eat khao piek sen so she found a little shop that had it. I remember eating my yummy soup of fluffy cloud and my mom swatting all the mosquitos eating me. Mommy and her baby back in Laos together after 32 years!
Natassia: Definitely going to my mom’s and her making laap out of literally anything she finds in the fridge. It’s like her version of meatloaf. She makes it with leftover chicken, or pork, or fish. I won’t tell you some of the things she’s turned into laap but they’re always delicious.
What does the future look like for Sep Lai?
Line: We want people to learn about our food and culture. So lots of Lao Lessons reels and cooking videos coming up!
Natassia: Some of my favorite dishes still haven’t made the menu yet so there are definitely some surprises to look forward to!
Besides Sep Lai, what is your favorite restaurant to visit in Montreal?
Line: I feel that I have not discovered enough restaurants in Montreal. I can’t really pinpoint my faves. I do go to Maïko a lot, which is sushi /Japanese food. I love Korean food, still trying to find a really good Korean restaurant, and I’m always craving gamjatang or soondubu.
Natassia: I love Arthur’s for their consistency and the service, Dobe & Andy’s for the BBQ duck and the green onion sauce (that I’ve nicknamed crack sauce), and Paul Patate for my favorite poutine in Montreal. I probably go there at least once a week.
Pandan Creme Brulee, Photo: Lasamee Kettavong