Our monthly, new restaurant discovery night took us to Kaandela, a hidden gem in the heart of the Casco Viejo area. Turns out, it's actually the restaurant for the Hotel Amarla, located above the restaurant.
From the entrance, one can easily miss it as the sign is not that obvious when driving by at night (had to make another pass by in our Uber to find the front entrance). We are greeted immediately upon entry and escorted to our reserved table in the dining area, located just past the bar. Ambiance is comfortable, mid century Caribbean resort setting with gentle lighting allowing for an intimate setting, regardless of where your table is located.
With so many interesting dining options, we went with a Chef Tasting menu, that included 3 appetizers, 2 main courses and a desert. We did it without the wine pairing, as my wife isn't a wine drinker.
There wasn't a misstep across any of the dishes we tasted, but I'll give a bit more detail on the standouts for us.
Pork Belly Pops - a spectacular appetizer that made a huge impression on us. Delicious and certainly something we would probably order multiples of!
Zapato de Langosta - a lobster rice dish that was phenomenal, a real treat for sure.
Buscando Guayaba - an excellent closer as the desert. We've never had guava like this before.
Overall, this was an excellent dining experience and that exceeded our expectations. Again, everything was fantastic, including our servers who were super friendly, timely and made us feel like special guests. If you are looking for a top of line awesome experience, you won't go wrong here. A hidden gem that true foodies need to experience.