Bali Street cafe by The Koi Way — Restaurant in Dallas

I recently visited The Koi Way in Allen, Texas, and it was a delightful experience! I was on the hunt for a place to celebrate my mom's birthday with a group of 18 fun-loving folks, and The Koi Way came to the rescue.

Linda, the super friendly owner from The Koi Way, was the first to respond to my post on the Asian grub hub on Facebook. She assured us that they could accommodate our large group and make my mom's birthday special. We were thrilled to hear that and decided to check out the restaurant.

Surprisingly, The Koi Way was just a short 10-minute drive from our house. Convenience score!

Now, most of us weren't experts in Indonesian cuisine, but the menu looked fascinating. We decided to dive into the appetizers, and boy, were we in for a treat. We ordered ayam kalasan (crispy fried chicken with a delightful crunch), ayam lengkuas (featuring galangal, a unique flavor), turmeric rice, nasi goreng (yummy Indonesian fried rice), rendang (a flavorful beef stew), chicken satay, risol (Indonesian egg roll), and batagor (a combo of fish cakes, steamed and fried).

Our top picks were the chicken satay, the tender beef rendang, and the scrumptious ayam Kalasan. First-timers, take note! The restaurant had a fresh and modern ambiance with a slight suburban strip mall feel, but it was comfortable and pleasant.

The best part was the warm and personalized service. Linda helped us navigate the menu and made us feel right at home. She even took the time to chat with our group, making the evening even more enjoyable.

My family and I had a great time, and we're definitely planning to return. The Koi Way is a fantastic choice for trying out Indonesian cuisine in Allen, Texas. If you're in the mood for some tasty and adventurous eats, give it a go!

FYI they have the option for halal meat and have different meat counters for pork items! A plus, for anyone looking for...

Recently opened near my house and was excited to try it. Staff was friendly and attentive. Now the food: the crab rangoons were thick and the cream cheese was cold in center. The wonton soup was good but wontons again were thick and chewy(best way to describe). The menu on paper was very brief and limited compared to online. Order Governors Chicken and also sweet and sour chicken. As you can see my governors looks like general Tso chicken sauce over sweet and sour chicken. Not my expectation and I don’t like breaded chicken like this, I prefer the way it normally is with orange/general Tso/thin crust. The sweet and sour on the menu says it comes with green peppers, onions, and pineapple…we asked were it was and was told it doesn’t come that way. Fried rice was extremely underwhelming but edible. The water tasted fresh. All in all not likely to comeback. No pictures of the dishes and the full menu wasn’t presented, didn’t ask if we wanted something more than water, didn’t ask if we wanted chop sticks, and their menu items listed for the dish isn’t...

The Koi Way served other types of Asian food as well but we went specifically because of the SE Asian Indonesian cuisine. We ordered a variety of dishes to share among a group of 4. Soto Ayam. Flavorful and aromatic balance. Lots of tasty surprises in the soup/stew. Pork (babi) sate. Tender, juicy. Peanut sauce hit the right spot. Both had lots of flavor. Nasi Kuning (yellow rice). It was a journey back into childhood eating at my neighbor's. What a balance of spices and herbs in every part of the plate. The rice, the vegetables, the chicken, the sides were all good. Cendol. Drink with coconut and green bean jelly. Yum. I appreciate the authenticity in the Indonesian food. It was truly a wonderful taste adventure. Got to talk with owner who shared her passion to use farm to kitchen ingredients and to share her south-east asia food culture. It is different from other Asian cuisines and a welcomed one into the metroplex. My family will be back to savor more delights...