Take your taste buds on a joy ride to the Greater Mekong region with a trip to Khong River House. Known for paying tribute to this glorious region, comprised of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China, there is now one more reason to visit — their Guest Chef Series. This monthly dinner series has brought in some top toques from around the country like — Hung Huyng of The General, Catch & Catch Miami; Chef Dale Talde from Talde Brooklyn; Chef Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar; and Trevor Kunk of NYC’s Blue Hill — and allows guests the opportunity to experience their fabulous cuisine without jumping on a plane. This month, it was all about Chef King Phojanakong from New York City and Tanduay Asian Rum, and guests were treated to Tanduay cocktail pairings at each course. 
This month, it was all about Chef King Phojanakong from New York City, where he runs the kitchens at both Kuma Inn and Umi Nom. While cooking at these restaurants (and at this special Khong River Dinner), Chef King incorporates many of the Thai and Filipino flavors he grew up with, along with skills learned from his time spent at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and from working with the area’s top chefs. Since we’re Thai food fanatics, we jumped on the opportunity to join him for this special dinner at Khong — and we were treated to five courses of deliciousness. Each course was served with a specialty Tanduay Asian Rum cocktail, thanks to our friends at Tanduay (An Asian rum that was established in the Phillipines and is produced from world famous Negros Sugarcane — and is now the 2nd largest selling rum in the world).
First up, was our welcome cocktail “Made in Manilla.” The silky, smooth Tanduay USA silver was mixed with fresh mangosteen juice and kalamansi puree (kalamansi is an Asian citrus fruit & also the secret ingredient to many Filipino dishes), a refreshing way to get things going — and it paired nicely with Lumpia Shanghai (crispy pork spring rolls), perfectly melding sweet and savory into one.
The evening continued as we delved into some of Chef King’s signature dishes like the Pork Belly Adobo Tacos with pickled onion & a Thai chile lime sauce; Pancit Canton with stir-fried egg noodles and a medley of sausage, chicken, shrimp & garden vegetables; a whole grilled branzino (my favorite of the night) with atchoro — many of which were served family-style. Each of these dishes came with a cocktail pairing, thanks to our friends from Tanduay, adding a spirited punch to each dish.
After an evening of bonding with friends, new and old, getting our Asian food fix from Chef King and sipping on unique cocktails made with an Asian flair — our night was about to come to an end. But before it did, we found a traditional Filipino favorite — the Turon (plantain fritters with coconut ice cream) — set before our eyes, leaving our tastebuds glowing in delight.
The price for this dinner was $75 + tax and gratuity.
For details on future dinners at Khong River House, visit the restaurant’s website or their facebook page. Khong River House is located at 1661 Meridian Avenue in Miami Beach; (305) 763-8147.