Sticky Rice, East Colonial Dr

I went to this Laotian street food restaurant across from a Dollar Store on East 50 (near Mills Ave) over a week ago at lunch. It was interesting. Only about a dozen items. Communal tables. Order at the counter. I had an order of pork inside a tapioca dumpling for $5. *All prices are approximate. My receipt doesn't say and I've forgotten. There were 5 dumplings. They were a cross between bao or those fluffy Chinese balls and steamed dumplings like har gow. That makes it either the best or worst of both worlds. I don't like the fluffy balls, so, I guess I would have liked them better if they were in a thinner and steamed shell. The pork was sweet. It was covered in peanuts. I also had an order of diced chicken in a lettuce leaf called laab. It was also $5. I cut my teeth on this kind of dish at Mr Chow in Beverley Hills. They use squab. This wasn't close. It was a huge portion of bland chicken that only tasted of citrus. It reminded me of a zero mayonnaise chicken salad I used to get at some place in the Hamptons. That one had pine nuts and pesto in it though. Wish I could remember where the hell that was. That was a good chicken salad! I also had to toss in a sticky rice dish since the place is called that. It cost $3 and was just sticky rice (good) with pork skin and chili paste on top served in a leaf. It came with two sauces - chili paste and spicy vinegar. I have to admit that maybe one or more of those sauces were meant for other dishes. The place is painted gray. There is a mural on the side wall. It seats about forty. The mix was a few Caucasians with southeast Asians or Indo Chinese. I'm not sure what is the right term or the one that explains it better. You get both the old and new designations. Parking can be had on the street or around the side. But, there is a big lot out back and I think it is their's. They opened in December. It's not as exciting as Mamak or some other places around there, but, I'd go back. Wish it was closer to I-4 though.  Hate the traffic there. And maybe the menu could expand? I don't know if the recipes were followed faithfully. I'll assume that Laotian food isn't very flavor forward. Who can eat spice bombs all the time anyway.

*3/15/19 - Went back and tried three more things. All disappointing. Spring Roll ($4). Coconut Beef Skewer ($6). Curry Soup ($7). The rolls (2) were stuffed with pork like a corn dog. Could use some veg or something inside. The skewers were tender. The sauce was tacky. Too little content for the price. The curry soup (ground pork) was bland and too milky. Tasted like a warm glass of milk. I added grilled chicken breast pieces and some pasta to the remaining broth the next evening and that helped.