Khâluna, Minneapolis Minnesota
Restaurant: Khâluna
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
What's it about: Laotian food presented beautifully by someone who actually gives a shit.
Who's it for: People who like to try new things, experience new and bold combinations of flavors. If you like Thai food then good chance you will like Laotian food too. If you don't like Thai food…..well then there is no hope for you.
Drinks: Definitely not your average bar/drink menu with a unique selection of signature Cocktails & Craft Beers to match the island vibes. The two Cocktails we had (LOST IN LAOS & TALK PISCO TO ME) were both very good, well balanced with a mix of flavors using ingredients I've never heard of (white male with middle school level vocabulary so that's not hard).....but I saw it had "Lime" and "Coconut" so good enough!
Food: A great mix of island dishes that should cover anything you're looking for, be it Curry, Noodles, Fish, Chicken, Spring Rolls, ect. We did the Basil Wings, Shrimp rolls & Duck Fried rice and boy (or girl) let me tell you......
-Highlights: The Basil Wings are top 3 wings I've ever had! God damn between the flavor and the fry on the wings I could have eaten 20 of these damn things!. The fried up pieces of jalapenos add a nice spice to the dish as well. Definitely a must order.
The Shrimp Springs Rolls were not only delicious but also beautifully presented in a very colorful wrap. The shrimp was fresh and the dipping sauce to go with it was a great addition.
Last but not least was the Duck (dunno if it was Donald, Daisy or one of the kids) Fried Rice. Being a lover of all things that once lived being killed and served into fried rice, this came out perfect. Duck was tender and even mixed into the rice and still didn't feel overly heavy.
-Ights: My stomach capacity (and bank account) wouldn't allow me to order more food to try.
-Lowlights: it's 2,000 miles from where I live. 😢
Dessert: Hell yeah I got dessert! The Steamed chocolate cake was an amazing end to an overall fantastic meal. The cake was moist, rich and paired great with this caramelized pineapple sauce that worked to break up some of the richness of the cake. It also came with a scoop of banana ice cream that really brought it all together.
We had an amazing dining experience here. Great atmosphere and beautiful theme. Special shout-out to the bartender who served us, he took the time to explain everything to us in detail on drinks and food along with the valet guy who ran inside before we parked to see if there was any open seating (I didn't make a reservation, I live my life on the edge).
Overall I give Khâluna 5 out of 5 whatever the fucks.