Thai Restaurant Thrives in War-Torn Kabul

K A B U L, Aghanistan, July 16, 2003 -- Kabul is still not a destination for tourists.

During its heyday in the 1970s, it was a common stop along the "hippie trail" and earned renown as one of the three K's (Kabul, Katmandu, Nepal, and Kuta in Bali, Indonesia). But after years of devastating war, the Afghan capital is not known for its night life.

Western Europeans and Americans are returning to this city of 3.3 million as U.N. employees, nongovernmental organization workers, journalists, and employees attached to the various embassies that have reopened since the fall of the Taliban 18 months ago. When they do venture out in the evening, they are mostly likely found at Lai Thai.

Warlords and Spring Rolls

Lai Thai, as the name implies, is a Thai restaurant. It serves every Thai dish one might find on a menu in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, complemented with wine flown in from Australia and prawns (shrimp) shipped weekly from Dubai.

The Wazir Akbar Khan section of Kabul, where the restaurant is located, is a desirable area of town with large homes. It's believed to have been the neighborhood of choice for members of al Qaeda when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan.

Whether dining in the restaurant's courtyard or main dining room, one can eavesdrop on conversations in German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, French, Japanese, Russian and, of course, English (American, British, Irish, Canadian and native dialects).

The cacophony of laughter and so many multilingual conversations carried on by Kabul's expatriate population, estimated to be roughly 1,800, makes visitors aware that they are at the epicenter of Afghan "night life" for foreigners.

Despite spotty service, flashing Christmas tree lights in the courtyard — occasionally known to create headaches for diners — and Western prices ($4 for spring rolls and $7.50 for pad thai), patrons wait in line to be seated at Lai Thai, night in and out.

Chain Stores for Combat Zones

Lalita Thongngamkam is the owner and founder of Lai Thai and it is not her first restaurant.

In fact, it is not her first restaurant in a region where major combat operations have been completed. When asked if running a restaurant in a former war zone is risky business, she responds curtly, "Hardly, it's no big deal."

Compared to the locations of her previous restaurants, it's not hard to believe her. Ten years ago she opened her first restaurant in Cambodia and since then she has opened eateries in Somalia, Rwanda, East Timor and Kosovo.

She has a basic business model: Follow U.N. and NGO workers who are trying to rebuild areas decimated by war and supply them with quality Thai cuisine as an alternative to the local fare. It helps to be the only game in town.

Despite Thongngamkam's refusal to divulge any financial details relating to Lai Thai, it's obvious her business is thriving. And she is not shy about sharing the secret of her success: "In stable places there is a lot of competition. In crazy places I'm the only Thai restaurant in town."

Next Stop — Liberia?

Business is so good that Thongngamkam has no plans to pack up her Thai restaurant caravan and move it to Baghdad anytime soon. While the U.N. role remains undefined in postwar Iraq, she will certainly not venture there.

She believes it would not be a good business decision. "The U.N. pays more than the military, and they actually go out to eat. The military does not go out to eat," she says.

Perhaps Liberia? "Perhaps, but business is very good here now," she says.

Will she ever settle down and open a business in a "safe location"?

"No way," she says, "in a safe place there is too much competition."

For the near future, as Kabul attempts to regain a semblance of the secure city it was 30 years ago, "Lai Thai" is the night life for Westerners living here.