koh phangan + stockholm

dear pals,
what a meal experience I must share! I have been dreaming of taking someone to this restaurant called Koh Phangan for years, maybe about 5 years or so? And in part of my dream date we get to sit in one o fthe special tables that is hut-like or resembles a rick-shaw (sp?). Thanks to a special gift of shing-a-ling (thanks daddio!) I got to take Sammy on said fantasy date AND when I tried to beg the hostess for a special boot I had luck.
So we arrived and were told it would be about an hour for a table. not so bad-I've waited longer to eat at Koh Phangan. On a tuesday night in a contry where folks barely eat out I was rather surprised but also excited that they get so much business! While sammy ordered some drinks I stalked down the hostess and explained to her that we have traveled very far for this date (from the us) and could she please see if any of the more exciting tables would be free for us when our time came. she replied with little hope that I would get what I get when it came our turn. Of course, who am I in this small city with big city importance. stockholm thinks its new york, which to me is so funny cuz you can walk across it easily and it is quaint AND CLEAN! but stockholmers will push you over just as fast as a new yorker if you aren't rushing fast enough to get on the subway or something. yipe! watch it!

So we had a drink & enjoyed the ambiance...resembles a jungle, a black light club and an island, oh and a bar/restaurant.. all split among 3 rooms with hallways. the bathroom was fully splattered with mosaics made from tiles and beer bottle caps.. a supreme thai-west indies-swedish hybrid of ingredients makes up the decor. (they do a few music nights mostly with reggae djs which explains why they add in the west indies decor and signage. On one wall you will see an arrow sign pointing to thailand with the kilometers listed and the other direction will be a location in jamaica. seemingly random, but the flavors mix well.)

The hostess popped out of nowhere 55 minutes after we requested a table to tell us that she had a "lovely table for us, a tuk-tuk! you know?!" Our grinning faces said "oh yes, how great! a tuk-tuk! thank you so much!" (ok--who knows what that is?, but we could tell it would be good!)

She led us back to the coolest room and seated us in something like a buggy /wagon/rick-shaw thing with booth seats & a short roof... overlooking a creeping pond with plantlife & coy fish and a funky wooden bridge that led to the bathroom. YES! boy was I excited! I still am excited because it was such a dream of mine to sit in one of their huts or other interesting seatery! nuthin like a dream fulfilled.
Then there is the food! I ordered red snapper & shrimp in coconut milk red hot curry stuff baked in banana leaves. The presentation was gorgeous with edible flowers and all. Sammy had a wonderful chicken & cashew snowpea spicy thing. I think it took me about 45 mintutes to eat this thing. I started out so so hungry but the pear cider was filling me up I guess since I ususally do not drink n eat.

At one point sammy went to the potty and discovered three metal buckets hooked on the wall with signs above them, reading: öl, vin, non-alkoholik (beer, wine, non-alchoholic). At first when he returned to tell me his story I thought maybe he pissed in some buckets used for emptying bottles and glasses. Upon investigating myself & asking sam to take a pic of it I realized they were just funny clever urinals (not very private, but funny).

During the meal the string lights that were covering our tuk-tuk went out and we wondered what we did...but at the same time we heard thunder and loud sky noises. After about 3 mintues the sun shone & so did our string lights.
what ambiance! totally worth it to pay a little extra to cover their electirc cost of creating such an environment.
Should you ever be in stockholm, find yourself to the southside, follow Götgatan south and turn left on Skånegatan until you see the line out the door...