Spanish on 4

[TrongpaiExpat]

I finally got the chance to give Silom's soi 4 new restaurant 'Spanish on 4' a try. I have been walking by and noticing that there's a good amount of steady business. There's a sister location on Suk 11. Several people I know have told me that they found the food excellent but on the expensive side.

The clientele is mostly farang thou at the table next to me were a group a Japanese men who seem to have ordered every item on the menu and were polishing off bottles of wine too numerous to count. The menu is in Spanish and English, no Thai. I am not very well versed in Spanish food but figured out a few items on the a la carte menu that looked good. The items are "Tapas" and I guess if you don't know what that means it's best described as appetizer portions. See first links for further explications.

I ordered a glass of Spanish merlot that had an interesting woodsy finish. I ordered a salad of tomatoes and artichokes and pork medallions wrapped in bacon covered in a red wine reduction. Nice bread came with the order. The salad was seasoned to perfection. The pork was tender and tasty. I could have ate more but wanted to try one of the Spanish desserts and got some sort of almond/orange tart with raspberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream on ice creme. Oh, it was so good I got a woody just eating it.

The bill came to 880B. I guess by Bangkok standards that's on the high side but the quality is worth it in my opinion. They add 10% service charge.

The only criticism I have and it's mostly the same all over Thailand is that your given a menu and in a few min. a waiter is standing next to you ready to take your order. They even do this with menus with 100's of items. The service here is a bit too much for my tastes. The very instant that my plate was empty, or wind glass drained it was bussed away. I began to wonder if they were short on plates and glasses. One of the owners seems to pace back and forth near the bar, I wish he would just sit down. Nice enough guy, but jittery.

Links
http://gospain.about.com/od/fooddrink/qt/tapasdefinition.htm
http://www.tapascafebangkok.com/
http://bkmagazine.com/feature/spanish-4

I agree with your assessment, including the jittery owner. The food is pretty good but a bit expensive - and the service it a tad too attentive. I spent several months in Spain as an exchange student in the 1970s, so I dare to confirm that their "tapas" are fine.

However, I guess their business is not really that good, namely when compared with Telephone and Balcony nearby. That's possibly why the owner is pacing up and down the bar all the time ...

...I guess their business is not really that good, namely when compared with Telephone and Balcony nearby. That's possibly why the owner is pacing up and down the bar all the time ...


The Manager urgently needs to consider changing the menu to Hamburgers, Cottage Pie and Toad in the Hole if he is to compete for the Telephone/Balcony clientele.

Plus have a liquidiser on hand for those patrons who cannot manage anything which has not been turned into a puree and can be consumed via a straw.

:blackeye: :blackeye:

[TrongpaiExpat]

...I guess their business is not really that good, namely when compared with Telephone and Balcony nearby. That's possibly why the owner is pacing up and down the bar all the time ...


The Manager urgently needs to consider changing the menu to Hamburgers, Cottage Pie and Toad in the Hole if he is to compete for the Telephone/Balcony clientele.

Plus have a liquidiser on hand for those patrons who cannot manage anything which has not been turned into a puree and can be consumed via a straw.

:blackeye: :blackeye:

The food menu at the Balcony does not have 'Toad in the Hole' and has a lot more on offer than British pub grub. Perhaps you have not visited lately? I find the the western selections to be very good including the pub grub. Even my BF who is quite persnickety when it come to Thai food likes Balcony's Thai selections very much. They don't list their menu on the web page, but take my word for it, I am there a lot, it's quite extensive.

http://www.balconypub.com/index.html

...I guess their business is not really that good, namely when compared with Telephone and Balcony nearby. That's possibly why the owner is pacing up and down the bar all the time ...


The Manager urgently needs to consider changing the menu to Hamburgers, Cottage Pie and Toad in the Hole if he is to compete for the Telephone/Balcony clientele.

Plus have a liquidiser on hand for those patrons who cannot manage anything which has not been turned into a puree and can be consumed via a straw.

:blackeye: :blackeye:

The food menu at the Balcony does not have 'Toad in the Hole' and has a lot more on offer than British pub grub. Perhaps you have not visited lately? I find the the western selections to be very good including the pub grub. Even my BF who is quite persnickety when it come to Thai food likes Balcony's Thai selections very much. They don't list their menu on the web page, but take my word for it, I am there a lot, it's quite extensive.


Actually, you're right, I haven't been there for a while..

..the noise from the skittles, dominoes and shove ha'penny annoyed me the last time...

..and i tripped over a zimmer on the way out.

I'll try again soon.




:headbang:

ps: don't think I didn't notice "persnickety"

[TrongpaiExpat]

Back on the topic of tapas. The Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok has a tapas buffet on Sat 1800 to 2100 for 900B. Anyone tried this and can advise? Anyone left reading this forum that is not a troll, abusive poster or just plane nuts?

http://www.millenniumhotels.com/th/grandmillenniumsukhumvitbangkok/restaurant/tapasyVino.html

[Brad the Impala]

Back on the topic of tapas. The Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok has a tapas buffet on Sat 1800 to 2100 for 900B. Anyone tried this and can advise? Anyone left reading this forum that is not a troll, abusive poster or just plane nuts?


That would be plain nuts, unless they were airborne.

I am disabled by my absence from the land of smiles from contributing much in the way of hot news on this or other contemporary topics, but I read with interest of the changes in much visited venues or of travel reports on untravelled roads.

[cdnmatt]

I love tapas. There's this one Spanish restaurant in Toronto we always used to go to. There would be say 5 - 8 of us usually, and we'd order say 12 - 20 of those tapas things, which would just get shared around. The staff would bring 3 or 4 out at a time, and it was always good for a dinner out.

[TrongpaiExpat]

That would be plain nuts, unless they were airborne.


Plane Nuts (1933) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024454/

Too obscure, I know.

Thanks for the kind words, now I am off on anther journey. Report to follow, if there's anything interesting.

[Smiles]

Trongpai, was that 880B bill for two, or you alone?
You use the first person throughout the OP so I'm assuming for one. If for two, then 880B is not all that bad for a dinner in Bangkok for decent western-style cuisine.

[TrongpaiExpat]

Trongpai, was that 880B bill for two, or you alone?
You use the first person throughout the OP so I'm assuming for one. If for two, then 880B is not all that bad for a dinner in Bangkok for decent western-style cuisine.

Yea, 880 for just me and I would not call it dinner. Two tapas, a glass of wine, bread and a fancy desert. It was excellent and yes, on the expensive side. I'll go back but will try not to make a habit of it.

[Surfcrest]

IтАЩm not sure where paperboy is in this discussion, but when I was in Spain last year I found some excellent tapas in the Andaluc├нa Region of Spain, especially in my favourite little gay area of SevilleтАжthe Alameda de H├йrcules.

Where we are sometimes inclined to order a bottle of wine with dinner, the concept of tapas is that you order a little food with your wine.

They say tapas originated in the Andalucia Region of Spain. IтАЩve heard that the tradition began in Cadiz, but in Seville many will tell you this is where it all beganтАж.this plus bull fighting and flamenco.

880 baht translates into a little over 19.5 Euros, somewhat steep in my opinion for ThailandтАжalthough I can see tapas possibly catching on in Thailand, with the amount of small meals / day Thais eat. I found the prices to be quite a bit less for tapas in Spain, but then again in 40 plus temperatures sitting outside, I was drinking cheap cold Cruzcampo beer not red wine. HereтАЩs a photo of few dishes I was working onтАжremember each dish is about the size of a small side plate.

As for the wine, I too totally love Rioja wines from the Catalonia Region outside of Barcelona. A Malbec or Merlot might be a bit heavy to compliment tapas. One of the attached photos here is of a beautiful Manzanilla wine called La GitanaтАж.excellent with olives / Aceitunas.

Paella is not really a tapa, and I totally agree with hereforme on this oneтАж.this was my least favorite dish in SpainтАж.and Spain isnтАЩt really known for their cuisine. I found this extremely oddтАжconsidering how close Portugal is and how amazing Portuguese food is. Paella is essentially rice with fried meat or seafood thrown in.

And cdnmatt, IтАЩm surprised you mention a tapas joint in Toronto when we have the best tapas place, Bin941 right here in Vancouver.

IтАЩll definitely give Spanish on 4 , a go when IтАЩm in Bangkok next, thanks for the suggestion.

Enjoy,

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/Sawatdee/IMG_2106.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/Sawatdee/IMG_9556a.jpghttp://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/Sawatdee/IMG_9555.jpg

Spain isnтАЩt really known for their cuisine.
How can you be so cruel? That wretched country is flooded with tourists and tourist traps. But ...

Country: Restaurants with 3 stars / 2 stars / 1 stars / Total Michelin stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Austria: 0 / 4 / 48 / 56
Belgium: 3 / 12 / 79 / 112
Luxembourg: 0 / 2 / 10 / 14
Netherlands: 2 / 7 / 64 / 84
Czech Republic: 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Denmark: 0 / 1 / 9 / 11
Finland: 0 / 1 / 2 / 4
France: 26 / 70 / 402 / 620
Germany: 6 / 14 / 166 / 212
Greece: 0 / 0 / 3 / 3
Hungary: 0 / 0 / 0
Ireland: 0 / 2 / 1 / 5
Italy: 4 / 23 / 197 / 255
Norway: 0 / 1 / 4 / 6
Poland: 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Portugal: 0 / 1 / 6 /8
Spain: 4 / 10 / 91 / 123
Sweden 0 / 1 / 7 / 9
Switzerland: 2 / 14 / 80 / 114
United Kingdom: 3 / 10 / 201 / 230

Tokyo: 11 / 42 / 144 / 197

http://www.3starrestaurants.com/micheli ... -guide.asp (http://www.3starrestaurants.com/michelin-restaurants-star-guide.asp)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bangkok: 0/0/0/0 (1? 2? 3?)
Chiang Mai: 0/0/0/0
Pattaya: 0/0/0/0

Spain isnтАЩt really known for their cuisine.
How can you be so cruel? That wretched country is flooded with tourists and tourist traps. But ...

Country: Restaurants with 3 stars / 2 stars / 1 stars / Total Michelin stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Austria: 0 / 4 / 48 / 56
Belgium: 3 / 12 / 79 / 112
Luxembourg: 0 / 2 / 10 / 14
Netherlands: 2 / 7 / 64 / 84
Czech Republic: 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Denmark: 0 / 1 / 9 / 11
Finland: 0 / 1 / 2 / 4
France: 26 / 70 / 402 / 620
Germany: 6 / 14 / 166 / 212
Greece: 0 / 0 / 3 / 3
Hungary: 0 / 0 / 0
Ireland: 0 / 2 / 1 / 5
Italy: 4 / 23 / 197 / 255
Norway: 0 / 1 / 4 / 6
Poland: 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Portugal: 0 / 1 / 6 /8
Spain: 4 / 10 / 91 / 123
Sweden 0 / 1 / 7 / 9
Switzerland: 2 / 14 / 80 / 114
United Kingdom: 3 / 10 / 201 / 230

Tokyo: 11 / 42 / 144 / 197

http://www.3starrestaurants.com/micheli ... -guide.asp (http://www.3starrestaurants.com/michelin-restaurants-star-guide.asp)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bangkok: 0/0/0/0 (1? 2? 3?)
Chiang Mai: 0/0/0/0
Pattaya: 0/0/0/0

Spain ... nor UK but UK is 3rd in the table :dontknow:

[paperboy]

im not saying anything yet, just enjoying this thread.
i think its funny that you go all the way to thialand and want tapas, and spanish food.
the Cune wine is a very typical common wine.

paperboy

P.S. i have seen looking at menus that wine is very very expensive in thialand
should i bring some from spain, for my new thia frends to try

[Diec]

Oh paperboy, what a silly question. Of course you should bring over the finest wine you can get your hands on. The Thai's are famous for their wine tasting abilities and their many vineyards. I recommend you bring at least 12 bottles. If you don't, you will lose face with your new found Thai wine drinking friends, and I'm sure you don't want that to happen. There is also a shortage of fresh cilantro, if you can manage to bring some of that as well, it would be much appreciated. Do as I suggested and you will have those lovely tan skinned boy eating out of your...you know what I'm saying!

Yes, please bring about 12 bottles with you. And be sure to show them to the friendly Customs man at the airport.

[Surfcrest]

i think its funny that you go all the way to thialand and want tapas, and spanish food.
the Cune wine is a very typical common wine.

should i bring some from spain, for my new thia frends to try

I think youтАЩll find that once you are out of Spain and eating tapas elsewhere, that they are likely to take on the flavours of the country they are being served in. There are probably tapas joints in Israel, but they probably arenтАЩt eating pork there at the proportions you guys pack away. YouтАЩll find that itтАЩs more so a Spanish idea, rather than Spanish foodтАж.thank goodness.

Like I said, itтАЩs something that might in the long term catch on in Thailand especially with how frequently Thais eat small meals throughout the day. The wine part, the slow eating, talking, drinking thing? I doubt it. Eating out on the sidewalk in Bangkok with clouds of diesel exhaust encasing you for spells at a time are a far cry from the relaxing open air plazaтАЩs of Espa├▒a.

As for the Cune, that was a wine tasting event in Sevilla. IтАЩve yet to try a bad Rioja though, especially since there is very little difference between any one and another. At about $15 a bottleтАж.undoubtedly one of my favourite cheap wines.

You are right about the lack of good wine in Thailand. This is where I had my first and last taste of California wine. I find myself bringing bottles of liquor and cigars for my farang friendsтАж.not wine for the Thais. The Thais are happy with a bottle of whiskey on the table.