Koh Lanta turned one and I was there to see it. They invited everyone to an informal tasting to celebrate it. If you want a bit of background, here’s the first post I wrote about them.

I had a lot of fun, tried old dishes that I already loved and some new flavours that didn’t disappoint me at all.

The place was crowded in and outside and the staff rose up to the occasion by wearing traditional Vietnamese hats.

I was very impressed by the first thing I tried, a Green Curry Beef Dumping. Very smooth in texture while full of flavour.

They kept taking dumplings out, but I decided I was better inside, as close to the kitchen as possible. Not the best spot for grabbing the food, but a privileged position to observe everything that was going on in there.

I could see them preparing the delicious Burger Baos that I had eaten not even a week before. The meat was cooked perfectly, and I noticed a little bit more Sriracha in the mayo, which I loved.

Although only the staff was wearing the hats, I managed to grab one for a minute and take the picture to feel part of it all. I don’t know, I have this thing with hats and sunglasses that I feel the urge to try them all. Always.

You know what they say about restaurants? “You come for the food, stay for the service”. Well, in the case of Koh Lanta, even if the food was bad (which is not at all. And I’m really serious, AT ALL) you’d have to go back for the service. Ana and Gonzalo always make me feel at home, as well as the rest of the staff and cooks. Really nice people there. Their food is incredible because they are also great and that is something that rocks.

I can’t talk about the dish above, because it was the only one I didn’t get to try. Although it smelled amazing and I heard it was veggie, so I’m sure I’d loved it. What I got to try but forgot to take a photo were the Matcha Truffles. Why I forgot to take a photo? Actually I didn’t, I just needed to eat them and decided I had enough pictures and enjoyed the moment. Believe me, they were everything you want in a chocolate truffle with just a bit of matcha on top to make them irresistible.

I really enjoyed the experience of a very informal night at Koh Lanta. It almost looked like a refined tapas bar or like a very elegant family meal (with a huge number of family members) You could feel the celebratory mood in the atmosphere. They were happy, they were cheerful and we the “audience” were glad they’ve made us a part of their life.

Special mention deserves this delicious mussel. Very fragrant and with a hint of sweetness. I would definitely order them if they had them in the menu.

Koh Lanta came here to stay and I’m proud to say they deserve to stick around for a very long while. Congratulations guys, you deserve the best! Have fun and keep fooding!