54
CAFE CULTURE
Oh la la! Annabelle Cafe brings a certain je ne sais quoi to Vientiane’s dining scene. TEXT BY JULIA CASE-LEVINE PHOTOGRAPHS BY PHOONSAB THEVONGSA / ANNABELLE CAFE
MORE INFO Annabelle 1 is located on Quai Fa Ngum in Xieng Yeun village. Annabelle 2 is located next to Panyathip International School in Saphanthong Neua village. facebook: @annabelle.khemkhong @annabelle2.vientiane
W
hen Vientiane’s second branch of Annabelle, a French bakery and patis serie, opened earlier this year, the restaurant’s management planned to limit the first week’s customers to family and friends, choosing not to advertise the new location until after a successful test run. But the plan to have an intimate opening was quickly foiled. The minute passersby saw patrons sipping coffee and munching croissants on the patio, the customers came flooding in. “People were really curious when they saw us setting up and landscaping, ” recalls Lao-Frenchman David Bant of Annabelle
Group. “Some would come by every day and ask when we’d finally be open.” It was with stunned pride – and a touch of panic – that Annabelle’s management watched customers inundate the store before it had intended to officially open. That the restaurant’s premises had attracted anticipatory ogling is hardly surprising. Replete with fountain, manicured hedges, lanterns and garden swings, Annabelle’s terrace transports to a different terrain. Built with Paris in mind, the owners worked with an architect to meticulously craft the new location. In France, people are used to having an excellent variety of bakeries just meters from home. At Annabelle, a mouthwatering selection of freshly baked goods – faithful to French flavors and recipes – is now available in Vientiane. Everything is made from scratch in the cafe using artisanal craftsmanship with only the finest ingredients – without anything artificial or industrial.
