Let’s be “opened” with Kannika Kongkaew (Kung) at Taburete

A lot of Thai people have known or been to Barcelona. So, just as you are reading this article, it should be asked: What do you think of when we mention Barcelona?

No matter what have you just thought of, a Thai chef like Khun Kannika Kongkaew (Kung) would surely think about “Taburete” (a stool) for answering that question when she was about to open her own restaurant in the same name in Bangkok. The name came from a bar stool in a tapas bar in Barcelona, where Khun Kung used to study culinary skills. The restaurant Taburete is a lot of things for her, including a reminder of her decade in Barcelona, Spain. In those ten years, Khun Kung usually saw a tapas bar that was packed with people. Some were standing, and the others were sitting on the stools. This might be considered as a strategy for the bar owner to receive a bunch of customers all at once. Khun Kung didn’t know that, but she did know that the “sit-back-and-relax” was not a thing at the place. It was different from her home country. There was not even a bathroom! What a strange way to eat something at a restaurant! But she kind of also thought, “Well, is it a restaurant though?”.

Khun Kung, later, learned that a tapas bar would be like an appetizer. After the appetizer, Spaniards would eat actual dinner, not at 6-7 p.m. like in Thailand, but 8 p.m.; sometimes, it was already 9 or 10 p.m. and some still didn’t eat. Lunchtime was also different from what she had expected. Spaniards would have lunch at 2 p.m. On the weekends, at noon, they might go out with friends to “tomar aperitivo” or “tomar una copa”, meaning to have a drink to increase their appetite. Then, they’d have lunch at 2 p.m. All this depended on individuals too. This new culture might be weird for Khun Kung when she first encountered it. But, she clearly got inspired by this wonderful experience she gained from Barcelona since now Thai people get to have that in the Silom area in Bangkok.

Taburete is just so similar to a tapas bar in Barcelona that Spanish customers are left in awe. The inside simply has the ability to teleport the customers to the city. It’s small, narrow, brown, warm-hearted, casual and rustic. “You can just sit here and drink a 70-baht beer. You can chill with 200 baht in your pocket”, suggested Khun Kung. The bar is certainly filled with stories Khun Kung has had from Barcelona.

However, not every bit of Khun Kung’s experience from Barcelona can make it to Bangkok. It’s because the customers here are not quite familiar with the concept of both the culture and the food itself. It’s not sitting and leaving like in Spain. Instead, Thai people like to chill and relax in a tapas bar in Bangkok like Taburete. One may find this very cute because this is a good example of how people eat differs from one place to another though the food is the same. Anyways, Taburete is always filled with many people, conversations, and laughter in the air, especially on Friday, just like any tapas bar in Barcelona.

Having heard this, one might think that she hates the crowd but it’s actually the opposite. She loves it so much because she likes to see a lot of strangers sharing tables together and ask each other “What are you eating?”. After that, the strangers just know each other before they even realize. Hence, no tapear? Never mind. Khun Kung has this little community in her bar to resemble her experience in Barcelona. Although that “What are you eating?” lasts quite forever, the community is just enough to suffice. So nice, right!? But then, some of the customers asked Khun Kung if this restaurant was Mexican... Blank. What was the thing that Khun Kung supposed to answer? Khun Kung, though, described the fact to them; and, they just didn’t believe it. Khun Kung kind of froze and interjected “Oh” a little out loud.

In terms of the customers, there is an average of each nationality though when it was first opened foreigners came more than Thais. Khun Kung guesses that it may be because more Thais have traveled to Spain, so they know about Spanish cuisine more nowadays. Khun Kung also believes that it is getting better with Thai people. They even become more acknowledging and try to season their food less.

As a chef, within Spanish cuisine’s context, Khun Kung views that the flavor of products will not be the same each day. It’s another type of challenge for Spanish cuisine. That is why we need to “play” with them when cooking Spanish food. For example, tomatoes can be sour or sweet some days. Potatoes are sometimes very sweet, sometimes flavorless, and sometimes sour. But, she won’t solve the problem by adding oyster sauce. Another thing is fish. Usually, it’s salt and peppers that go with the fish. Somebody does not understand. They may ask, “Is it too little?”. Well, that’s actually the charm of Mediterranean food, adds Khun Kung. It is absolutely not little because, for Khun Kung, she thinks that Spanish tongues like the flavor that is round, soft, and suave, while Thai food that has many flavors that give out a sense of “listening to a melodic song that has many pitches” said Khun Kung.

Due to the difference in the preferred taste of the two cultures, several Spanish restaurants in Bangkok have made an attempt to adjust the flavor of the food for Thai people; but that doesn’t happen very much with Taburete. The only thing Khun Kung adjusts is to have a slightly higher degree of doneness in a few recipes. Thais are not really a big fan of Spanish ham. The ham just does not match with the conception of doneness of Thais. Another thing she needs to lessen in each dish is olive oil, the beloved ingredient of Spaniards. The Spanish amount of olive oil in a dish makes Thai people weep. They just can’t submerge a piece of bread in olive oil and eat it as Spaniards do. Nevertheless, apart from those two things, other preferences do not seem to affect the restaurant much. What about spiciness? Khun Kung saw some Spaniards add peppers in their gambas al ajillo too, so that doesn’t count. If they want, they can put it in themselves. She will only cook what she thinks authentic for them.

With the culinary skills Khun Kung has accumulated for 15 years, Taburete is a place she can express her passion for Spanish food, which has also been her specialization. For others, this might not mean anything, but, for us, Khun Kung is a living human raised in one culture but emerging from another. It is more than amazing since she is able to live a life seeing how the two cultures have been operating through gastronomy. The two perspectives she has had and shares with us here are not going to be truly understood unless we are the ones who cook like her. This article works its best just to record her words of experiences, but that is just sufficient for readers to see the value of food culture in which actually has been right next to us all along.

The only thing we need to do is:

“Be opened first. Don’t think too much. Sometimes, Spanish cuisine has its charm in its products. Don’t be too afraid. Don’t try to compare one cuisine to another just for the sake of praising one and devaluing the other since each of them has its own uniqueness”, said Khun Kung as a way to end the interview.

Let’s go “tapear” with Jorge Arnanz at El Tapeo

Approachability, not only in terms of the right price but also the right place and the right kick, is the thing that Spanish food needs when it wants to stay among those colorful, spicy, and cheap curries in Thailand, indeed. Jorge Arnanz has to bear it in mind since the “how” to transport the favorite dishes of los madrileños to Bangkok is not so simple.

The madrileño like Jorge has had El Tapeo as his own restaurant to be the place for sharing Spanish food culture for about 2 years now. The name derives from a Spanish noun that doesn’t have a direct translation to English, but it signifies an act of sitting down in a bar that serves pieces of bread with different kinds of toppings on each one. The name of the bread is tapas. The tapas culture is somehow so deep-rooted in Spain. Jorge always says to his friends, “Es la hora de tapeo” or “Vamos a un sitio de tapeo”. They mean “It’s time for tapas” and “Let’s go for tapas”, respectively. In addition, recently, there has even been a verb invention for that culture in the country. It is called tapear, meaning to have tapas. There we go. We are a little bit less ignorant now when we look up to the giant logo in front of the restaurant!

Jorge and his wife got the passion from his best friend, Rubén. Rubén followed his dream to open his tapas bar in Madrid, then Jorge’s wife worked there, came back to Thailand and decided to open a restaurant with Jorge. They were aware that this was not going to work if they didn’t select the right place. The two spouses strategically planned to open it in Thong Lor, where there is plenty of Izakayas--Japanese bars that are similar enough to a tapas bar. Without any doubt, El Tapeo has had Japanese people in Bangkok as its major customers since the very beginning. In addition, they can meet with the concept of approachability by situating the restaurant in the Thong Lor area either. Jorge mentioned that people in the area “don’t have to think twice” before coming in since the price is “affordable”. No, the “affordable” is not cheap, but the people can afford it. Yet, this does not mean that Jorge wants to go for a high-class presentation of it. He only wants to have a nice image of Spanish gastronomy and culture together with delicious food, which people can still pay for it, although the price is high to some standards. The Thong Lor area seems to be the perfect flexibility for those intentions and conditions.

However, all that only achieves the goal to sell very well. Another box that El Tapeo needs to check is to make Bangkokians understand what it means to be a Spaniard through its atmosphere and food. Due to the condition of tall buildings around Thong Lor, Jorge did not really have a choice but to make use of the narrowness of the building. With tiles and other materials from Chatuchak market and Index Living Mall, the couple decided to decorate the third floor like those woody taverns in Madrid, the stairs down using Andalusian-style tiles, the second floor to have the view of Plaza de España from Seville, and most importantly, the ground floor to have wine cellars and a bar to Spanishly welcome the guests. Hence, the customers can choose what kind of Spanish atmosphere they would like to have while eating dinner each night. Additionally, not only this magnificent vibe from the interior design helps Bangkokians understand how Spaniards are, but also the food. Thai people can learn about Spanish culture by trying the food in El Tapeo. The staff are kindly informative about Spanish food; they are always ready to tell the stories of Spanish food as good as the Facebook Page of the restaurant which always posts interesting notions about the Spanish kitchen. This will more or less help them understand how Spanish gastronomy is.

Unfortunately, since a good number of Thai people are not familiar with Spanish cuisine, there are pitfalls to avoid; but fortunately, Jorge and his wife managed it even before they opened the restaurant. So, there is no problem with the high level of saltiness or too little spiciness in gambas al ajillo (shrimps in olive oil). They have done their homework very well on that.

In these recent years, Jorge views that Spanish food has become more popular for Thai people, and it is easier for him to find Spanish food to eat instead of listening to the song Home by Michael Bublé. It might partly be the case that Thai people go abroad more nowadays and try Spanish food in those overseas countries. Jorge, moreover, hopes that there are more and more Spanish restaurants. “I think the more Spanish restaurants are there, the more it will benefit all of us because together we can make Spanish food popular among Thai people. And once they like it, they might like to try things in different places. And maybe they would say ‘I love the tuna in Broken Eggs’, ‘I want to go back for gambas in El Tapeo’, ‘I want to go to Barcelona Gaudí because of the croquettes’. You see, it’s good for everyone" said Jorge.

After all, Jorge can be considered the one whom we should thank for his positive visions to run El Tapeo and his goodwill to share Spanish food culture via it. He has also gained interesting cultural tastes from the Thai side. In spite of the fact that he loves paella valenciana, fideuà, and all Spanish dishes so much, he grows the love on Khao Soi, the northern-style noodles in Thailand and Kaprao Moo Sab. He even points out that croquettes for Spaniards are just like Pad Kra Pao for Thais; when they don’t know what to eat they just order those. Moreover, he really does like how sharing is embedded in Thai and Spanish food culture. Compared to other European countries that individuals will have their own portions, Thais and Spaniards have food in the middle of the table and it gets distributed to each person’s plate. Though there is the difference that Thais would be shocked by rabbits in paella or that Thais are not familiar with how Spaniards season the food too little, the similarity between Thai and Spanish food culture about sharing is delightful enough to know.

To end the story of El Tapeo, Jorge would like to tell us something about Spanish cuisine:

“Spanish food, compared to other types of food, is not very pretentious. We like to make the food very honest focusing on the flavor. We cook with any types of ingredients. Spanish food is easy-going and playful with the products” (Arnanz, 2019).

A special Spanish class with Jorge Arnanz

1. Estar como un queso = To be like cheese = To be (attractively) hot

2. Ser un pulpo = To be an octopus = To be too touchy (in a club, maybe?)

3. Se te ha pasado el arroz = The rice is overcooked. = You’re too old (to do something).

* Please do not forget to conjugate the verbs for using these idioms properly*

Let’s “go for it” with Jacobo Astray at Broken Eggs

“Why do you remove it? It’s the best part!”, said Jacobo Astray when he saw someone remove the fat out before eating Iberian ham.

Well, we can imagine the spirit of Chef Gordon Ramsay scolding someone for that. The fat really is the best part of Iberian ham. Jacobo, as a Spanish chef from Galicia and the owner of Broken Eggs, seems to be passionate about cooking what Thai people would like except for that part of removing the fat, of course. Before, Jacobo had been a private chef in a company named “Gula” for 5 years. The name Gula is in Spanish and means gluttony. There was nothing wrong with the occupation, though. He just needed a place for preparing something prior to going to a house to cook there. Then, the idea of a gastrobar just came up to him.

The origin of Broken Eggs seems so random, however, one can absolutely tell that he is loving his gastrobar like his own son! I mean, look at the painting on the wall when you have a chance to go to the restaurant. There is this octopus that seems to be cooking for the elephant that is happily holding the octopus itself. Under those two buddies, there are eggs; and some are broken. Get it now? The octopus comes from pulpo a la gallega which is a popular Galician dish. The elephant symbolizes Thai people; and, the eggs are broken. Yes! It means the Galician chef or Jacobo himself cooks Broken Eggs for Thai people. How neat that is!

Not only this sweet wall painting can show his affection for the restaurant, but also a concept that is developed along with. It is not the case that it is not good for Jacobo to work as a private chef. He even admits that he makes more money with it. However, sometimes one just needs a little bit of a tapas bar. Private dining and fine dining are the exact opposite of that. We can’t speak too loud when we go to a fine-dining restaurant. We can’t really share food and talk to strangers when we have our own chefs at home. Those tend to be the nature of Spaniards and even of any person who simply wants to just casually have fun while having dinner. A gastrobar or a tapas bar is the perfect choice for Jacobo to choose for that reason. When he talked about this with us, we just felt so moved by his words because they were so honest. We felt that we could relate to that.

This is not to mention the freedom to do what he wants there in the restaurant. He proudly presents that Broken Eggs is not a typical Spanish restaurant that only serves traditional Spanish food but a Spanish-based gastrobar that serves traditional Spanish food and fusion Spanish food. Take the Burrata cheese with raspberries for an example. The cheese is more Italian but because you spread it on a piece of bread, that piece of bread becomes tapas. Because of this, we can see that Jacobo enjoys using his creativity and learned techniques of cooking to make dishes more meaningful, more interesting, and more than food.

Certainly, Jacobo cannot have that high-level autonomy to do what he wants because he is still caring for the customers. But, the way it is now is just enough for him to enjoy. That’s why to add more from the fact that Thais like to remove the fat from Iberian ham, there is still the predictable formula for Jacobo to cook for Thais, which is to make it spicier and less salty (for some menus). I know right? Why does Spanish food have to be so problematic just for Thai people!? Well, we discussed this with Jacobo and received some interesting cultural notions from him.

Thai people may get to be surrounded by good herbs, but they are not so lucky to get to practice enduring the heat in everyday life just in case they are going to hell after their lives end and they won’t feel a thing down there. The climate of the country is significant for the equation here. The heat somehow makes it harder to maintain good products and to some extent to grow plants or to raise animals. That is why Thai people need to season their food very strongly in order to make it work.

However, that’s not a bad thing for Jacobo, though, because it makes Thai cuisine what it is, and he loves it. Once you get used to the strong flavor, you get to enjoy Thai food, according to him. Also, it requires a culinary skill to get those various flavors under control. This only gives the difference between Thai cuisine and Spanish cuisine. While Thai cuisine needs to effectively combine those flavors, Spanish cuisine needs to elevate the essence of products. In Spanish cuisine, it is as simple as good tomatoes with olive oil and salt; and that’s a salad. Whereas, for Thai cuisine, we need tons of ingredients, spices, and sauces to mix before it becomes a bowl of curry.

Moreover, the products are very seasonal in Spain. Spaniards tend to pay attention to that though we all now have global markets providing everything all year round. Good seafood is in winter; and good tomatoes and good pimiento de padrón are in summer, for instance. So, is this not a problem for Jacobo cooking Spanish food in Bangkok? Again, he is not cooking traditional Spanish food; he is cooking Spanish fusion food. In terms of any specific or seasonal ingredients that cannot be found here or are too expensive, it’s more flexible because cooking Spanish fusion food allows him to use the more various kinds of ingredients. (It’s not the case for Iberian ham, though. This one is too good to exclude from the menu! Jacobo still needs to import it.)

The journey of Chef Jacobo is not yet to end. It should be believed that a whole lot of experiences in cooking for Thais and running a gastrobar await. Learning and experiencing tend not to be a problem for Jacobo since he stated boldly that he would not get bored with this in spite of the nature of a restaurant that is quite tricky to manage.

For the last thing to point out, Jacobo loves Iberian ham so much that if he could throw a party for the hungriest people in the world, he would choose the ham to be the food.

Anyway, the ham is good, guys. Don’t remove the fat when eating it. Try it until you are gordo/-a como un ceporro! Well, Jacobo said it’s healthy fat. We don’t know that for sure, but we know that the black label on a ham tells us that it’s the best kind of ham in the world. Therefore, “¡A por ello!” (Go for it!), Jacobo would say.