El Tapeo : Madrid Chic Style Tapas Bar

           Once we enter into the restaurant, the tapas bar on the first floor gives us a different feeling from the outside. It feels like we are in some bar in Madrid, not Bangkok. Spanish music is played along. The high chairs are provided along the bar, suitable for people who come and grab a drink. Also, there is a lot of wine bottles and there are small tables and chairs, allowing customers to enjoy their drinks, surrounded by Spanish atmosphere, to the fullest. 

          On the second floor, the atmosphere is a little different from the first floor. This floor is decorated in southern Andalusian style. A big picture on the wall showing Plaza de España in Sevilla. Moreover, the ceramic tiles which are placed on the wall and the stairs resembles a unique style of a blend of Arabian and Gothic influences. Plus, the table is bigger and each table seems to be more separated from one another. It gives a feeling of more semi-privacy than the first floor. 

          On the third floor, you will again have another feeling. It is decorated in a more modern style than the other floors and the wall is full of black and white pictures of  Madrid’s views of the city, especially in the old square. A big window allows the light to come through. So, this floor is bright and open. Although the decorations are modern, the chairs and tables are very much traditional which reminds the visitors of the old traditional Spain. 

      It can be seen that in every floor, it has its own style of decoration which provide a different atmosphere. Thus, people who come to this restaurant, they can enjoy Spanish food and experience the differences of the atmosphere of Spain.

Tapas & More

       The menus are varieties from which you can choose. You can either enjoy the lunch menu courses, salad, cold soup, cold cuts and cheeses, Raciones or food that is suitable for sharing, and rice dishes such as Paella. El Tapeo also serves various Postres or desserts such as Turrón and Churros.

         If you come here at lunch, there is a ‘Menu del día’ which is a set of lunch contains 2 or 3 courses and the price is very friendly. This menu is served from Tuesday to Friday from 11.30 to 14.30. For 2 courses, it costs 280 THB per person. Dessert is available as an additional option with the cost of 80 THB. 

Gambas al Ajillo (160 THB) is one of the most ordered food in this restaurant. Its famous reputation becomes sensible when we taste it. It is a very nice simple dish which can be ordered by anyone who may not know Spanish cuisine well. Thai people would find this dish very easy to have because it is simple and delicious with simple well-known ingredients like prawns, garlic, chillies and olive oil. The prawns soaked in olive oil, with the sidekick of a little spice, is full-flavored. However, if you are Spanish, you may find this dish a little spicy, since it is adapted by adding more spice so that Thai people can enjoy this dish as well. This dish comes with bread so aside from the prawns, you can also dip the bread into the spicy olive oil to enjoy its bold taste.

Paella is a typical Spanish rice dish originally from Valencia. Paella is one of the best known dishes in the Spanish cuisine. The original recipe of Paella Valenciana consists of round grain rice, varieties of green beans, rabbit, chicken, a variety of lima or butter bean and snails. However, as it is served in Thailand, the chef changes from using rabbit and snail to use chicken and seafood instead.

Paella Valenciana (750 THB) is the second one you should not miss! Firstly, we are impressed by its texture. Its paella is very crunchy and crispy, which is very unique compared to paella from other restaurants. It is not too soaky and the rice is well-cooked. Secondly, the rosemary’s smell kicks our nose right after it is placed on our table. When we taste it, we can also smell the seafood in the rice itself. Thirdly, the taste is incredibly delicious and rounded. It does not have any flavor extraordinarily standing out. However, when nothing is too powerful, the mixture of chicken, seafood, vegetables and rosemary mixed together very well that the flavor becomes rounded and tasty. 

This is a typical Spanish dish originally from the Region of Murcia, Castilla La Mancha and Extremadura. It is made of tomatoes, onions, eggplant or courgettes, green and red peppers and olive oil. It resembles ratatouille and is usually served warm as a starter or to accompany another dish.

Pisto Manchego (160 THB) is another dish we would like to recommend. It is a Spanish ratatouille served with potato chips. This dish is highly recommended for those who likes to experience a dish filled with vegetables such as tomato, chilly and onion.

A churro is a fried-dough pastry and snack. Churros are traditional in Spain and Portugal, from where they originate.

We decided to end our meal with Churros (220 THB), Spanish famous dessert. El Tapeo’s Churros is accompanied by a thick chocolate dip. Churros comes in small sticks which you can share with all your friends on the table. The crunchy small sticks dipped in hot thick chocolate may make you eat them until you realize that your stomach is now too full. 

For the service, the waitresses and waiters are very well-informed and they introduced us to the spanish cuisine in detail. Even though you might not know the cuisine before, El Tapeo is very helpful for you.

Our impression

          This little Spanish restaurant in the middle of Thonglor area can make you feel as if you are in Spain with its Spanish decorating style. You can come for a drink and tapas with you friends, or you can come for lunch and dinner with your family. The variety of its decorations allows you to enjoy the different atmospheres across various regions in Spain, such as Madrid and Sevilla. The food is simply delicious, which can be enjoyed by both Spanish and foreigners. The price is not too high, even though it is located in the middle of the luxurious area. 

Location : 159/10 Sukhumvit 55 Thonglor 7-9 Klongtan Nua, Watthana, Bangkok 10110

(1.5 km from BTS Thonglhor)

Contact : TEL 0-2052-0656, 09-7045-1945

Website: eltapeobkk.com

Facebook: eltapeobkk

Price : 500-700/person

Office hour : Tues. - Sun. 11.30 a.m. - 11.00 p.m.

Bibliography

El Tapeo. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.eltapeobkk.com/.

Bkk. (2018, September 26). El Tapeo (ทองหล่อ) ร้านอาหารสเปนและไวน์บาร์โดยเชฟส่งตรงจากมาดริด. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.bkkmenu.com/eat/we-recommend/el-tapeo.html.

El Tapeo. (2019, July 30). Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://bk.asia-city.com/restaurants/bangkok-restaurant-reviews/el-tapeo.

Barcelona Gaudí: Legendary Authentic Catalan cuisine

Barcelona Gaudí, located in the middle of Sukhumvit area, is serving Spanish-Catalan cuisine to the table of the Bangkokians.

            When you first walk into the restaurant’s area, you will notice the unique and eye-catching architectural style building among the contemporary style building in the heart of Bangkok. The outside is designed to resemble to the Casa Batlló which is the building in the center of Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudí.

This is a painting of The Basílica de la Sagrada Família, also known as the Sagrada Família, which is a large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica in Barcelona, Catalonia, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.

       The restaurant mainly has three floors. The ground floor is the reception, where the cashier is located. Moreover, there are a cake display fridge where you can see desserts, cold-cut and cheeses, where you can grab those home. We feel cozy from our first step inside the restaurant as it is decorated like an ordinary Spanish house, with painting of Gaudí’s architecture. It also has an area of high tables and high chairs where you can come grab a glass of Spanish drink like Sangria and a small plate of Tapas such as Croquetes. There is a big wall painting of Barcelona sunny view. Moreover, the counter is decorated with a mosaic of colored ceramic tile which looks like ceramic tile by Antoni Gaudi at his Parc Guell in Barcelona, Spain. 

On the second floor, this is where the dining area is located. This floor even gives the customers the feeling of eating-at-home more than the ground floor one. Several tables are placed close to one another. The room is decorated with paintings of Gaudí’s modern style buildings, Spanish surrealist paintings by Salvador Dalí, a wall decorated with colored ceramic tiles in the style of Antoni Gaudi at the Parc Guell, shelves full of artistic magazines and decorations and a big TV broadcasting a Spanish cuisine such as Paella cooking process. Customers will surely feel like they are eating at home due to its cozy and informal atmosphere. Lastly, the third floor which is the wine cellar. This floor is exclusive to restaurant’s staff.

The Temptation of St. Anthony (painted in 1946) is a famous painting by Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. The painting is now at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, in Brussels, Belgium.

            This restaurant gives the glimpse of Barcelona style where decorations and artistic creations are all over the place. Its concept stands out and is recognizable for those who enjoys art. From the outside building style to the inside decorations are full of Spanish cultural details and stories such as Antoni Gaudí, surrealist Salvador Dalí and Spanish gastronomy imported products such as wine, cold cuts, cheese and desserts. 

Spanish-Catalan cuisine

              Barcelona Gaudí does not offer fancy food. Instead, they opt to offer us home-made Catalan food which will let you enjoy an enchanting cuisine while making you miss your dinner at home, at the same time. Many people that have never tried Spanish food before might be afraid of how it tastes, but this restaurant tends to adjust some flavor to suit the taste of Thai people.  

Salmó salad (285 THB) offers a lot of flavour that people can enjoy. It is sweet because of the fruits and honey, it is sour because of the balsamic vinegar and it is a little bit salty from the goat cheese. This dish is a light dish where people can have it in the summer (or in the case of Thailand, you can have it all year round because of our all year round summer!). It is a dish filled with fresh salad vegetables, fresh seasonal fruits, salmon, and goat cheese. This small bowl of salad allows you to enjoy the smell of mediterranean balsamic vinegar salad dressing within the context of tropical fresh vegetables and fruits. 

Paella is a typical Spanish rice dish originally from Valencia. Paella is one of the best known dishes in the Spanish cuisine. The original recipe of Paella Valenciana consists of round grain rice, varieties of green beans, rabbit, chicken, a variety of lima or butter bean and snails. However, as it is served in Thailand, the chef changes from using rabbit and snail to use chicken and seafood instead.

Paella Valenciana (620 THB)

             Barcelona Gaudi’s Paella Valenciana has an authentic, simple and home-made style which is suitable for everyone. Its flavor is a little bit salty due to its chicken and seafood stock. The rice is well-cooked and there is a slight element of crunch in the bottom of the plate. What is unique of this restaurant is that they do not use typical Spanish rice. Instead, they use Japanese rice. So when this Paella enters your mouth, you will both get the intense flavor of chicken and seafood stock, and at the same time, the chewy and soft feeling of the rice texture.

"Bolet" which is a Catalan word, is translated into mushroom. A croquette is a small breadcrumbed fried food roll containing vegetables or meat. Mashed-potato-filled croquettes are often served as a side dish in winter holiday meals, such as Christmas. In this case, this dish is a vegetarian version of croquettes, stuffed with mushroom.

Bolet (95 THB) 

    This restaurant also offers vegetarian Croquettes (Bolet) which contains mix mushrooms, grilled pumpkin and potatoes. The vegetable stuffs are very creamy allowing vegetarians to enjoy this simple Spanish dish. This dish is highly recommended by us! 

Our impression

        Its cozy and warm atmosphere makes us feel like we are having dinner at home. You can come here for lunch and dinner, with you family or your friends, having a good time surrounded by Barcelona atmosphere. The artistic decorations in a modern style is playful and enjoyable. You are invited to investigate the Spanish modern surrealist paintings. Instead of serving a fancy food, this restaurant serves simple dishes where you can fully enjoy as if they are cooked by your family members. The restaurant offers various options of Spanish food, including Catalan cuisine. It is also vegetarian friendly as it offers vegetarian options for a lot of menus. The waiters and waitresses always come check on us whether we need anything, and are willing to introduce you to Catalan and Spanish cuisine. Lastly, the price is not too high, compared to its location, it is reasonable. If you have time, we would recommend you to try the Spanish-Catalan food here, at least once in your lifetime!

Location : 13 Soi Sukhumvit 23, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110 (Five minutes walk from MRT and BTS Sukhumvit (500m)

Contact : +66 2 661 7410

Website : https://barcelonagaudirestaurant.com/

Price : 300-500 THB/Person

Office hour :

Mon. - Fri. 11.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m.

Sat. - Sun. 12.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m.

Bibliography :

(n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://barcelonagaudirestaurant.com/.

Barcelona Gaudi Restaurant, Bangkok - Asoke - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Reservations. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293916-d7274421-Reviews-Barcelona_Gaudi_Restaurant-Bangkok.html.

Barcelona Gaudi: A Spanish restaurant specializing in paella and Catalan dishes. (2019, July 30). Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://bk.asia-city.com/restaurants/bangkok-restaurant-reviews/barcelona-gaudi.

Team, B. (2016, November 4). Barcelona Gaudi. Retrieved November 10, 2019, from https://www.bangkok101.com/barcelona-gaudi/.