It’s been a while since I’ve talked about one of my restaurant experiences. This is a good one for two reasons: I went twice and it’s Asian. It was my mum’s birthday a while ago and we all went to celebrate to Koh Lanta, a new restaurant in Coruña.

I’ve taken a while to write about this because I’ve been busy with other stuff I had in mind, but I think it’s about time because their food is worth taking the time.

I love Asian food. You may have noticed from previous posts on my Instagram. I think it’s one of the best cuisines in the world.

As soon as you get nearby the restaurant, you can’t miss it. The wood decoration outside is complemented with large green plants. It took me to many Indonesian places I’ve been to. The first time I went there they had opened two days before and I was glad I could be one of the first to try their food.

That first time I went with Carlos in between a working day. We had to do stuff and we weren’t going to have lunch in a restaurant because we didn’t have enough time for that. Then, I saw the place and used my big begging eyes on him saying: “But they have Pho, Carlos”. He couldn’t resist that. I mean the Pho, not the eyes.

So there we went and we ordered a Pho and a Nasi Goreng. The Nasi Goreng was nice. The rice was well done and the flavours were good. I felt it needed more Sambal Oelek, so I asked them for a bit more chili. They brought me a big bottle of Sriracha, and Sílvia was happy again. They explained to me later that they had in mind adding that to the tables in the future in order to let the costumers use the amount they wished, because not everyone likes chili in the same quantities.

I’m aware of this, especially in Spain. Whenever I go to a restaurant I keep hearing costumers asking for non-spicy food. I understand it’s a cultural thing, and that’s why I always understand whenever something is spicy in most Spanish restaurants I go to, it doesn’t mean it’s spicy anywhere else.

The Pho was just perfect. The star aniseed was very present in the spice blend. The amount of every ingredient was balanced. It was very rich in textures and everything was cooked exactly how it was supposed to. It was very flavourful. Much more than the Nasi Goreng. You don’t really expect that from a soup, but that’s what makes it so good. Spiciness was good, I didn’t have to add Sriracha.

The service was nice. A really lovely waitress, smiling all the time, was very interested in our food being served as we wanted it. She was nice, warm and very efficient. Another waiter took some of his time to tell us a bit about the place and how they would love to know our opinion on the food in order to make it better. I thought this was a nice thing to do on the first days after the opening. He did it in a nice way, without imposing or being a fake, like they do in some other places.

The portions were perfect for one person (maybe a bit on the big size for us, I could eat with just one Pho, if I wasn’t greedy and wanted to try the Nasi Goreng) What was really amazing was the prize. It was very affordable, but the place doesn’t look cheap at all. I’ve said before that I don’t really mind paying more for a good meal. Well, this was an excellent Pho, and I didn’t have to pay too much for it.

The second time I went, for my mum’s birthday, I was sure I needed to try some of the other dishes. My dad asked for some Pho, though, so I tried it again. Although there were less ingredients (My father ordered it without chili, but they didn’t use scallions this time), it was as good as I remembered it. No disappointment at all.

We also ordered some dumplings, a burger bao and chicken satay as entrées. As a main, we shared Pad Thai.

Dumplings were very well done. I don’t know if they make their own wrapping, but it was a good one, perfect consistency.

When my parents and I travelled to Thailand almost 19 years ago, I remember it being the first “exotic” destination I’ve been too. I became fascinated with the food there. I was very young, but I tried everything they had to offer. You know Thai food is awesome…well, it was the first Asian food I tried in its own environment. I remember most of the smells, so whenever I smell them again, it brings me back 19 years ago and I can still feel the flavours in my mouth. Pad Thai was one of the dishes we always ordered in Thailand. We all loved it. Blame the peanuts, we’re a family of peanut lovers (especially my dad). Chicken Satay was our obsession a couple of years later, when we went to Bali. Now, whenever we find those two dishes in the menu, we order them.

Although I loved the Pad Thai, my favourite dish of the day was the chicken satay. One problem that you usually find in chicken dishes is that they overcook it and ends up being too dry. Not the case. This one was tender, sweet, savoury and full of flavour. I’ve tried them different, and equally good, but I couldn’t say I’ve tried them better.

The Burger Bao was surprising. Whenever I see a dish with fried onion (the one they usually use for hotdogs) I’m disappointed. But not this time. The sauce was really nice, and the onion wasn’t overwhelming. The meat was perfectly cooked, pink on the inside as I like it. Tender and juicy. My mum likes it well done so I didn’t share with her…for her own sake and my own satisfaction.

We were full by the end of the meal, but we needed to try dessert. My father ordered for the only one that wasn’t on the menu, roasted pineapple with ice cream. In my case, I spent three minutes deciding.

The question is, if they offer you Matcha Tiramisu and Yuzu Mochi…what would you order? Exactly. What about both? I couldn’t eat that much after such a great meal, I hate when I feel full after a nice meal, it kind of makes me forget about the flavours and makes me remember the awful sensation of not being able to walk afterwards. Addicted to matcha as I am, I had to let it go this time. I ordered the mochi. Two little beautiful mochi came to the table. Looking gorgeous and promising to taste even better. They did taste better than they look. The texture was as mochi-like as you would want them to be. The flavour was amazing and the tangy sourness a great way to finish a lovely meal.

Although we were full, we went to a park afterwards and I gave my mum a cake that I made in literally 45 minutes. I thought we were going to have dinner, but my mum said let’s go have lunch an hour before. So I grabbed anything I had at home (only one egg and no butter at all) And made a nice nutella, lemon and olive oil cake withouth even measuring most of the ingredients. It turned out to be spongy, moist, flavourful and we all enjoyed it. I was really surprised it came out good…seriously. But I guess when you cook for the ones you love, you become better. No, actually I think nutella is pure magic, end of discussion.

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A post shared by Sílvia Fooding 🥑 Here for the food. (@silviafooding)

So, if you ever visit Coruña, or if you are living there, don’t forget to visit Koh Lanta and order some nice food. If you don’t like it…I’m sorry, but I truly doubt it.

Have fun and keep fooding!