Luna Cafe is the creation of Beau and Golf who are originally from Bangkok. Leo Beer are helping Phanganist to discover some of the island’s treats so Luna was next on the list.
We were welcomed with sweet smiles and affection from the couple, made ourselves comfortable like they insisted us to be whilst Golf made us a refreshing iced coffee.
We all sat down to find out more of the story of Luna Cafe…
So what is your Koh Phangan story?
We’re originally from Bangkok but came to Koh Phangan a couple of years ago for Songkran and fell in love with the island. We officially moved here last March.
And what is it that you fell in love with?
When we stayed on the island we felt something special, something that is different from other islands like Phuket or Samui. People ‘live’ here more, they make it their home rather than just being a tourist.
Where did the idea for Luna Cafe come from?
The idea came from the fact that Golf loves coffee! We would always go to cafes in Bangkok at the weekend and our dream was that one day we would love to have a cafe.
And the name Luna?
When people think of Koh Phangan they think of the Full Moon party, there’s Half Moon, Beautiful Moon, Black Moon…
But for us, Luna means the moon also.
You have this wonderful shipping container as part of the cafe…
Yes we used to work in export so we had the thought of working with the containers, it’s a cool idea, it’s easy and like a gimmick.
We brought everything from Bangkok to Phangan inside the container!
What do you offer at Luna?
We have breakfasts, European and Thai food and also a kind of fusion food. Here on the island it’s not only tourists and these people love Thai mixed with European.
Thai people like the fusion food?
Yes! Good fusion is quite hard to find on the island, it’s either authentic thai or authentic western food.
Where did you learn your coffee skills?
In Bangkok, there are many coffee schools there now.
How do you want people to feel when they’re in Luna Cafe?
We want people to feel like it’s their living room, they can come in, open their laptop and sit and work for a long time if they wish. We have many plugs in our comfortable seating area that are available for everybody.
And what do you like to do in your free time on the island?
We do sports as there are many activities here. We love running and driving to the mountains, also spending time on the beach.
It’s the kind of life that many people dream of.
Finally, what is your message to the people and visitors of Phangan?
You are very welcome with us, you are not a tourist but instead you are our family and neighbours.
Everybody is cool with us here at Luna Cafe.
Beau and Golf really are one of the sweetest couples we have met recently, they are part of this new phenomenon of young, cosmopolitan thai people from Bangkok that have discovered Koh Phangan and decided to make it their home.
They bring with them traditional values yet the modern, coolest Bangkok city vibes with enthusiasm to match.
We tried two dishes which were the caesar salad and the salmon cream cheese baguette served with crinkle fries which were delicious.
The salmon was generous and complemented by the cream cheese and fennel with subtle bursts of caper, green shoots and fish roe. Beau discovered adding the fish roe in Bangkok and it combines wonderfully with the salmon.
The baguette itself was doughy yet not heavy and this was all washed down with a sweet, citrusy passionfruit soda which is a work of art in itself and refreshes the palette.
One thing we noted was that Luna Cafe is air conditioned but not too cold like a lot of aircon establishments can be, you can also choose to sit outside in their cosy seated area.
There are comfy pillows with sturdy tables to eat or work on and a touch of vintage quaintness in the decor.
Luna feels nice, fresh and clean with an airy feel owed to its huge windows. Inside you cannot hear the traffic but can still enjoy watching the world go by.
We then moved on to our caesar salad although we had enjoyed dipping our fries into the caesar sauce already!
The salad consists of a pile of superbly fresh greens, vibrant and sweet cherry tomatoes with salty crispy bacon and a healthy portion of parmesan and thin white onions.
Served with the dressing which is thick and indulgent it makes the salad leaves almost succulent.
It was a relaxing visit to Luna Cafe and Beau and Golf really do make you feel at home, they have enough integrity to converse with you and then let you relax, eat or get on with your own work.
A perfect place to come for a chat with a friend or get on with some work whilst enjoying coffee and food.
We wish them all the best!
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