by Larry G
(Falls Church, VA, USA)
Elegant Koal Keel
My wife and I spent 2 weeks on Anguilla in May 2007 for our anniversary. Koal Keel was by far our favorite restaurant and one of two restaurants we returned to for a 2nd dinner (the other being at Ku). Several months later, my wife still misses Koal Keel. The food was exquisite, the setting romantic, and the staff wonderful.
It's not inexpensive, but by far THE most expensive restaurant we tried was Pimms at Cap Juluca. Though the setting at Pimms is beautiful and romantic, it was very expensive, the food quality was only average, and the service was somewhat on the stuffy side rather than relaxed and friendly.
Other restaurants recommended to us that we did not have time to try were Caprice and Hibernia.
Larry G.
by Shoshana Lombardi
(Washington, DC, United States)
I must recommend is Koal Keel. It offers the best combination of ambience, decor, service and food.
We drove by it one night after eating at Roy's and noticed how beautifully decorated it was - crisp white shutters with candlelight peeking through, refurbished limestone walls and sage green siding with cream accents - just beautiful.
But most interesting of all was a perfectly made bed we glanced at, perched on one of the restaurant's open patios.
Later that night, we were skimming through the newspaper and read about a happy hour and free appetizer event at Koal Keel on Thursday nights. We decided to give it a whirl the next day!
We arrived for happy hour. As we walked up to the renovated 17th century plantation house, we were greeted by Ambrose, an extraordinarily pleasant gentleman who told us that the happy hours had been cancelled weeks earlier. He offered us a tour of the wine cellar and invited us to a free rum tasting in the room adjoining the perfectly made bed, we had seen
the night before.
We discovered an unbelievable find in Koal Keel! After seeing more than what I would guess to be 3,000 bottles of wine (and a report from Wine Spectator ranking it on their world restaurant guide) and being treated to a very informative rum tasting, we decided to stay for dinner.
But first we sipped what my friend Sarah described as "Anguilla in a glass." The most perfectly fruity drink on the island has to be the "Koal Keel." Highly recommended, Nori (for your Dad!).
And the food was just as delicious -- refined yet comfortable - steamed mahi mahi with coriander, a lobster salad of fresh chunks of meat, sun dried tomatoes, red peppers and mixed greens, and a tuna tartare appetizer that was fresh, light and scrumptious. And the coconut rice was prepared to perfection! All of our dishes arrived with perfect timing.
The waitstaff were the nicest and swiftest on the island. Ambrose made the evening so much fun with his jokes, well-versed history about the site of the restaurant, Anguilla and local cuisine.
Also, Nori, I want to commend you on putting together such a wonderful Website. Thanks again for all the great information on your site!
Best,
Shoshana Lombardi
