Kokobana

            Story Time: Dinner at KokoBana

Hello again, how have you been? Today, I am writing another blog post for you guys, all the way from Suriname in South America. This Story Time is about the dinner that we had at KokoBana.  Located in the northern part of Paramaribo, alongside the famous Wilhelmina street, you will immediately notice this cozy spot called KoKoBana.  We were looking for just the right food spot in the city when we came across this place. The atmosphere and the view are two of the main reasons why we picked this location.  It was busy, but not as crowded as all the other restaurants that we passed by. This place is located in a tourist and nightlife area of Paramaribo.  Since we went out the night before the Chinese New Year, most restaurants in the city were occupied.  

But we were hungry, and KoKoBana looked like an attractive place to enjoy food. So it was time to put their skills to the test and to see if they would not disappoint. We walked into the restaurant. When you enter, your temperature is measured, and alcohol for disinfecting is available. 

If you want to drink alcohol, then you need to find your way to the bar.  A friendly waitress approached us, and she told us we could pick a place to sit. We decided to sit outside on their terrace.  More for the fresh air, and the view, and there weren't a lot of people in that space. We haven't gotten Covid yet, so we figured that it was best to play it safe while we are out exploring the world.  The waitress brought us our menus, but keep in mind that you need a fully charged phone when you visit this kind of restaurant. Also, make sure you have a QR code scanner, or you won't be able to view the menu. I did have one on my smartphone for my luck.  But that's mostly because of my lifestyle, I work a lot with tech, planning, documenting, and organizations. But my little brother didn't have a QR code scanner on his phone, so he couldn't open the menu. Basically, they give you a neat carton with a dark design and three QR codes. One is for the drink menu, one is for the snack menu, and another QR code downloads and opens the Main menu.  Because we could only access the menu on my phone, it took us a while before ordering food.  By the time the waitress came back, we still hadn't finished viewing all three menus. 

The restaurant has free internet, and they provide you with a password when you are seated. But who wants to go all the way to the app store just to download a QR scanner, knowing the slow download and upload speed of our local internet provider on a busy night? I don't feel like mentioning their name for free, even though there is an image of one of our guests with their logo behind it on Story Time.

   

The second time that our waitress came back, we were finally ready to order. I wanted to get a pina colada. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know I love Pina Coladas! Can you blame me? I live in a South American country that is also part of the Caribbean. 

If that isn't a good excuse to have Pina Coladas as often as I can, then I don't know what is! 

But to my disappointment, they didn't have any. Imagine going through all that trouble to read and download a menu, and so many of the items aren't available? That is frustrating, especially when you are hungry! Take the feedback, KokoBana, and turn it into something constructive.  

Anyway, the boys ordered Amaretto, and I had to look at the menu once again.  I decided to order myself a Sex on the Beach. Not that kind, keep your perverted mind at ease. We're not operating that kind of blog.  Bots, if you are reading this, it's not my fault that they named the drink like that!  For food, I ordered grilled chicken with cassava wedges. The boys ordered a spicy chicken burger with garlic fries and crispy chicken sliders with regular fries. 

The restaurant was filled with people, but not over-crowded like other places. Still, it took a while for the food to be ready. I waited so long that I regretted not eating before going out to eat. I think a lot of people know what that pain feels like.  They brought us our drinks first, and I have to tell you that sex on the Beach packs a sweet and sour punch.  Be careful with those,  especially if you can't handle a few punches on the beach.

Sex on the beach cocktail

Two glasses filled with Amaretto

Anyway, it took a while before our food arrived, and I impatiently turned around in my seat. But you could see that the staff was doing their best. We are all human after all.  When the food finally arrived, my battery was too low to turn on my flash.  That's why you can clearly notice the nighttime vibes in my vlog. One thing you should keep in mind is that if you don't like loud noises, this isn't the place for you. While we were waiting for the food, we kept ourselves entertained by watching the sound cars driving and parking right across the street while blasting loud music. If you love to see different kinds of pretty and sometimes even exotic cars, and you love to listen to cars sound battle each other, or you just enjoy hearing the sound of blasting music, then this is the place to have food.  Speaking of food, I kind of picked at a little bit of everyone's food. We all agreed that the highlight of the night was the Grilled chicken. 

If you come to KoKoBana, I definitely recommend you get this. The chicken is spicy, but so well seasoned. The broccoli and pepper bells tasted so divine that I couldn't get enough of them. The fact that my food had no problems going down my tummy is a plus! The chef definitely knew what he was doing when he made the grilled chicken. The burger was good, but the sliders were a bit average tasting. The egg, fries, and wedges tasted delicious.  Overall, the dining experience was worth the wait. 

The delicious spicy grilled chicken with corn

The spicy chicken burger

Crispy chicken sliders

I liked the fact that the burgers came with guacamole and chips.  We enjoyed the taste of it. I asked my little brother what he thought about the food. His reply was " A waka!" That is Sranang tongo, slang for it is awesome. Here is a short video of our experience. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel.  Don't forget to hop on board the Story Time U.F.O, that way you won't miss any new stories.  I can't wait to see you again!