Bida Manda
Laotian restaurant · Fayetteville Street
222 S Blount St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Highlights
Bida Manda is a trendy hideaway where Laotian flavors meet exotic cocktails, all set in a chic, earthy atmosphere—perfect for adventurous diners.
Bida Manda is a trendy hideaway where Laotian flavors meet exotic cocktails, all set in a chic, earthy atmosphere—perfect for adventurous diners.
"As young adults, they opened their first restaurant, Bida Manda, to celebrate and re-interpret the Laotian cuisine of their youth; named after the Sanskrit for mother and father, it was dedicated to their parents, who sold some of the family’s land to finance it, and whose wedding photo greets diners at the door." - Matt Lardie
"For the uninitiated, it’s a Laotian sausage made with pork, tons of aromatics, and—surprise!—rice. At Bida Manda, chef Lon Bounsanga makes it with a high-fat blend of ground pork (including pork belly) and jasmine rice, which in the past was used to stretch the meat in leaner times. Bounsanga continues to do this because the rice helps the sausage retain the flavor of the pork fat and all the other ingredients added to the sausage: lemongrass, dill, garlic, scallions, cilantro, and makrut lime leaves. The result is an incredibly complex sausage with a texture that’s somewhere between crumbly and creamy and a flavor that juxtaposes lively, fresh herbs with salty, fatty pork. It comes grilled, sliced, and served with pickled ginger. And I now rest my case for the best sausage out there." - ByAlex Delany
