The family behind the venture already operate a number of popular restaurants
Bistro Lao on Rodney Street is set to open its doors in January 2026(Image: Andrew Teebay )
The owners of a number of Liverpool restaurants are set to open a ‘unique’ venue. Vikki and Kean Teh first opened Tiger Rock on Smithdown Road in 2016 before expanding the business in 2017 with the launch of their North John Street restaurant in the city centre and a third site on Renshaw Street in 2023.
The restaurant’s delicious menu of small plates featuring Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Vietnamese and Laotian dishes, proved a smash hit with food lovers. Now, the couple plan to open new restaurant Bistro Lao in January 2026 which is believed to be the “first Laotian restaurant” in the city.
The restaurant will be located inside the former Roski site on Rodney Street which closed its doors in 2024. Vikki told the ECHO: “The reason for Bistro Lao is that I was born in Lao, I grew up with the food and my mum cooked it.
16 Rodney Street when it was still Roski
“The menu is based on my mum’s cooking as I was growing up. Then my husband and I, when we were young, we travelled. My husband’s Malaysian. He’s a chef.
“I worked in finance and then we did a lot of travelling around Southeast Asia, to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong. We’re big foodies, so that’s how Tiger Rock was born.
Bistro Lao on Rodney Street(Image: Andrew Teebay)
“Just recently we saw this site [for Bistro Lao] and we thought oh my God, it’s perfect because it’s not too big. And the architecture is very Bistro-y. Laos was colonized by the French in the 1900s. The way we’ve designed it, it’s got a bit of a French feel to it with Laos food.”
The couple believe it will be Liverpool’s first ever Laos restaurant and have started planning their menu. Vikki told the ECHO there customers could expect “lots of salads and barbecues and there’s some noodle soups as well”.
She added: “We are very excited. The logo, it says from Joon with love. Joon is my mum’s name.
“And it’s her home cooking that we’re serving so all the dishes on the menu are from what she cooked when she was younger for us when we were kids.
“We’re all very excited about it.”
Laos if the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia and is famous for its ancient temples and vibrant night markets.
More information on Bistro Lao can be found on its website.