Vientiane Café is quite possibly West Philly’s most beloved BYOB. It’s primarily a Lao restaurant, but its menu features all of the classics of Thai cuisine as well. The Penang curry deserves every bit of its stellar reputation, and everything else I’ve ever eaten there has been excellent too. So having made the disclaimer that the entrees leave nothing to be desired– having eaten my vegetables– I can now move on to dessert.

The first person in history to try combining bananas and chocolate must have been a genius. Vientiane’s Banana Chocolate Spring Rolls are a tribute to this genius. I order them even when I’m full, and doing this always makes me wonder why it never occurs to me to swing by Vientiane after dinner, just for dessert. (But, again, the entrees there are so good, that I would wonder why I hadn’t just given up any attempt at home-cooking for the night!)

The Banana Chocolate Spring Rolls come freshly prepared in their thin, crispy spring roll wrappers, and served in a puddle of peach sauce. The chocolate is melty; the banana is creamy. My most recent time there, a woman sitting at the table next to me, in Vientiane’s cozy setting, leaned over to ask me what the spring rolls were. They looked so good, she had to order them for herself.

Vientiane Cafe
4728 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19143
(215) 726-1095