 |
|
 |
EATING OUT & RECIPES BY NOI |
|
My Happy Place for Pizza!
Koh Lanta Pizza

By Chris Sujarit
Koh Lanta Pizza on Nimmanhaemin Soi 5 is my unwavering Happy
Place for Pizza. Walk up the stairs to the small
cobblestoned courtyard and be prepared to waft in the
fragrant gifts the wood- fired brick oven offers you.
Koh Lanta Pizza offers 17 types of pizza. Standards such as
Pepperoni, Carbonara, Margherita, Salami, Ham, Hawaiian,
Sausage, and Triple Cheese are offered next to novel options
such as Salmon, Tuna, Bolognese, Anchovies, and BBQ Chicken.
One tantalizing genius option is the Capriciosa- bacon,
mushrooms, ham, onions, green pepper, tomatoes. Capriciosa
must be Italian for aroy mak mak!
They offer crust options- Koh Lanta style (crispy on the
outside, dougy on the inside), Thin and Crispy, and Thick
and Soft. The Koh Lanta style dough is crispy on the outside
and soft and doughy on the inside and is about 1.5 cm thick.
Your pizza pie is served on a wooden cutting board
immediately after being lovingly flamed in their
professional calibre wood- fired brick oven.
The toppings and sauce do not overpower the pizza, and the
slices are never greasy. However, the cheese is still laid
on indulgently thick and creamy. Topping gluttons may feel
under bludgeoned, but everyday folks will be completely
satisfied. I’ve tried the Pepperoni, Hawaiian, and BBQ
Chicken pizzas, and each is harmoniously seasoned and the
flavors balanced. Sans fancy flourishes and exotic
seasonings, Koh Lanta is unpretentious, honest food. Koh
Lanta pizza serves its pies in three sizes, 6”, 8”, and 10”.
The 6” serves one, the 8” two, and the 10” two
scintillatingly hungry “food lovers.”
I prefer Koh Lanta’s salads over those of Salad Concept,
mainly for one feature: the large bowl of pesto and olive
oil so generously served with the salad. This pesto is
lively, joyful, tasty, and amazing, and they give you a
whole bunch (save some to eat with your pizza). All the
veggies are crispy, fresh, and just plain pretty. Try the
Mixed Salad or Greek Salad for a nice fibrous counterpoint
to the substantiality of the pizza.
Two standout appetizers are the Spinach baked with Cheese
and the Spicy Chicken Wings. Spinach baked with Cheese is
exactly what it sounds like, lovingly baked in a small
casserole dish. The cheese on top is crunchy golden brown.
Inside, the medley of lovemaking of green leaves and deep
yellow stingy, perfectly chewy cheese will leave you
lean-in-the-back-of-your-chair satisfied. Each piping hot
fork full of spinach and cheese is lightly buttery and
deeply savory. Try it! The Spicy Chicken Wings are tender
and meaty, marinated and coated with natural- tasting tangy
bbq sauce with a hint of honey.
On the best of days, I like to order a few appetizers and
get a 10” pizza so I have leftovers to take home and enjoy.
The owner is a 30- something tall man with a handsome face
who speaks English and wears jaunty hats. The waitress has a
porcelain complexion with rosy cheeks, adorable freckles,
enviably bone structure, and often wears her hair in
inventive yet casual braid hairdos. Koh Lanta Pizzeria is
definitely my paradise for pizza, salads, spinach cheese
combinations, and sometimes pasta, all with lots of love
from Tabasco on everything. Ti soot ching ching!
Koh Lanta Pizza is located on Nimmanhaemin Soi 5, between
Hollywood Hair and Moshi Moshi on the left.
http://www.kohlantapizza.com/ (contains full menu). Open
12:00pm - 15:00pm and 17:00pm - 22:00pm every day. For
delivery, call 053-212-022, 089-632-6223.
|
|
|
RECIPES BY NOI: Kang Salae
I
am a little bit late in writing about Kang Salae because its
season is from January to March. Salae is the name of a
climbing plant and we use only the flowers to eat. It is
possible to find it in a market now but will be 3 time more
expensive (200-300 baht per Kg) than in season. We believe
that eating Salae heats up the body and increases appetite.
Strangely, we can’t find Salae in the wild or mountains. It
seems like someone brought it here and it likes to grow in
the garden only.
This vegetable can be steamed and eaten with chili paste,
stir fried with meat and oyster sauce but the best way is to
cook it in curry with pork or dried fish.
Let’s start by pounding our fresh chili paste with shallots,
garlic, shrimp paste, salt and dried chilies then stir fry
in cooking oil. Add chopped pork and stir fry for a couple
minutes more. Then add water. When the water is boiling we
can add the Salae and tomato.
Salae is very easy to cook so we might need only 5 minutes
cooking.
Some people like it to be sour so they add tamarind in the
curry. Also be sure and choose young Salae for good taste
because the old one is too chewy.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |