A marvelous find, Coco Asia is a delightful little family-run restaurant, a few steps from Abu Dhabi’s Corniche Beach – but please do not let ‘family-run’ fool you; because in this case, the ‘family-run’ is actually also ‘professional chef-run’!

And it is cute and colorful:

But, really, the reason to go there is not to admire the decor… it is the food!

Because what Chef Panisa and her small team bring out of the kitchen is admirable!

Check this out, and tell me if this seems ‘family-run’ or ‘five-star’…

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Roll, and below, Thai Chicken Sate’

And I’m talking proper, big, juicy chunks of chicken!

And salads – numerous options; as well as rice bowls, again, numerous options – quite a fantastic selection, actually!

All fresh and seasoned with care.

And no short-cuts on the ingredients, either

Creative fusion, too – as highlighted by the sushi maki rolls with Thai Green Curry.

For drinks, go with the fresh coconut!

And presenting Abu Dhabi’s most delicious Mango with Sticky Rice!

Finally, a really delicious Thai dessert… Oh, Chef Panisa? Yes, from Thailand – and a world-traveled professional five-star hotel Chef.

Now everything makes sense!

Owners Samir and Rizwana were passionate about healthy Asian food, and they headhunted Chef Panisa for her incredible talent!

“That’s why the food is so amazing!!!” I remarked. Because I was confused, you see… here I am in a 5-table restaurant/cafe, and here is 5-star food being brought to my table!

How is that possible?

So good that I would drive from Dubai all the way to Abu Dhabi just to have a serving of this heavenly dessert!

You see, sticky rice is not about buying it ready-made and zapping it in the microwave (as most other versions that I’ve tried in Abu Dhabi) – no!

I will dream of Coco Asia’s sticky rice for a long time ahead!!!

Overall, for a humble yet powerful casual restaurant, Coco Asia is a true and rare find!

A little sparkling jewel among Abu Dhabi’s fiercely competitive professional restaurant industry – but Coco Asia has one big advantage: it cooks and serves from the heart as well as relying on professional top-level restaurant training.