Hi Friends, I hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Friday night, we weren’t quite sure where we wanted to eat – much less what we wanted. All I knew is that I really wanted to get out of the house and have a good meal (I work from home so I am at home A LOT, can you say cabin fever?)
All I can say is that I am really happy with our restaurant choice.
Just as a side note – One of our go-to restaurants in the Raleigh area was Buku. They closed almost a year ago and I think it goes without saying – we were REALLY bummed. Not only was it a “safe zone” restaurant for me and my food allergies, but it was also one of our very first dates.
We heard another restaurant was going to be opened up – but for a while we weren’t sure when or where…..
kō än
As we were walking into the restaurant, there were two really friendly men who greeted us and opened the door (later I found out one of them was the owner’s father – how freaking cute is that!?).
The restaurant decor was beautiful. It has a really elegant and relaxing vibe. Even the table settings were evidence of the attention to detail. Ps. I’m so obsessed with their chopsticks and small plates.
The menu isn’t too long which I love. I don’t know about you but I get overwhelmed when I go out to eat somewhere and the menu is more like a novel! Anyway – the menu had plenty of food options for food allergies/preferences. There was no separate allergy friendly menu, it was listed all on the same menu.
I am not vegan, but I always get excited when I see that as an option because I know that it won’t contain dairy (milk). That is also great for those with an egg allergy!
Our server was really nice and she was really familiar with what dishes I was able to have based on my gluten and dairy allergy. If she didn’t know something, we just went to the kitchen to find out. I felt really comfortable with that.
For the appetizer we ordered the Larb which was braised duck, lemongrass, cucumber, thai chile. It was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. You would expect for it to be a warm dish right? Well, it was cold. This dish was gluten free and dairy free.
For dinner, I ordered the Pho: shaved wagyu short rib, rice noodles, herbs, marrow oil, fragrant broth. This was the best pho I have ever had. The marrow oil was a really nice touch. This dish was gluten free and dairy free.
First off, let me say that I ate the entire thing – broth included. The bowl was EMPTY by the time I was done. The waitress said she’s never seen anyone finish it. I told her I am a savage 🙂 What can I say, I love GOOD FOOD.
Mike ordered the Yakisoba: fried oysters, cabbage, bonito, kewpie, ramen noodles {with veg option}. Obviously I couldn’t try it but I HAVE to show you this video of when the food came out – it looked like his food was alive. It was hilarious.
The Overall Experience
We’ll definitely be back. The staff was incredibly professional and so friendly. So was the owner. He’s actually the one who took us to our table and let me know that they were really accommodating with food allergies.
I really like the menu. This restaurant is meant to celebrate asian cuisine and it really shows. The food quality is top notch. If you are a foodie, I highly recommend this place! It’s definitely a great date night spot too. We didn’t really dress up when we left the house but when I walked in there, I wish I had. Not because there was a dress code but more because of how I felt walking in there. It has a really great vibe.
One of the owners of Buku opened up kō än. If you live in Raleigh and you were a fan of Buku – expect the same creative style (for the menu) and the same food quality. Thank you for such a wonderful experience.
Note: their menu specifically calls out vegan and gluten free options, however they are rather flexible with other food allergens. I don’t believe that have any separate prep stations so cross-contamination is always possible.
Remember, when going into a new restaurant – tell your server of your food allergies. You can even talk to kitchen staff if necessary. Don’t be shy to address it! Your server won’t know unless you tell them.
Checkout their full menu on their website https://www.koancary.com/
As always, thank you so much for reading 🙂 feel free to drop a comment below to tell me about YOUR experience at kō än.
xx
Your Food Allergy Guide
ALL OF MY COMMENTS ARE BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE AND MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRODUCT BASED ON THOSE EXPERIENCES AND WHAT CAN BE READ ONLINE. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF I HAVE ANY DETAIL WRONG AND I AM HAPPY TO CHANGE ANY INFORMATION GIVEN 🙂
Like this:
Like Loading...
