Broken Eggs : Gastrobar and its extraordinary Tapas

Breaking away from the restrictive reputation of Spanish-sounding names and cliche decor, Broken Eggs is a hip Spanish tavern that’s unafraid to inject a contemporary spin to tapas bites - Theeraphong

Credit : https://goo.gl/maps/hhqmBVQPvyX3kLHMA

             People might be familiar with Spanish restaurants with full course dishes, serving cold cuts, Tapas and Paella. However, Broken Eggs, a name of Spanish traditional dish Huevos Rotos, is different because it is a gastrobar where Tapas is the heart of this place. A drink-centric tapas gastro bar offers a combination of old and new tapas creations by chef owner, A Galicia native, Jacobo Astray. Although he used to be a chef at elBulli, one of the best restaurants in the world with three Michelin stars, the food here is rather fun and informal, with the fusion and creative mixture of ingredients. 

Astray was cutting the Iberian ham right in front of us when we were interviewing him. He also gave each of us a piece of this famous ham to try. It was very delicious.

             The atmosphere of this gastrobar is truly informal and friendly for everyone. It makes us feel like we are in a gastrobar in Spain where we meet our friends and have a pre-drink before we go out to enjoy our night partying and clubbing. 

            Inside the restaurant, on the right side of the restaurant, we will encounter a long bar where high chairs are placed. On the left and the middle parts, small high tables and chairs and a long table are placed allowing a group of friends to hang out and have a drink and Tapas. One of the restaurant’s features is a massive wall painting by Spanish artist Sath, which is a painting of a huge elephant chef cooking with an enormous octopus helper, accompanied by a chicken who are laying eggs. 

Astray told us that an elephant represents Thailand, while an octopus represents a region of Galicia where he came from. At the bottom of the picture, there is a hen with a ton of eggs representing the name of the restaurant, Broken Eggs.

La comida española : Spanish food

Broken Eggs offers a variety of drinks, such as Thai craft beers, Galician beers (Estrella Galicia), wines, sangria, cava, sweet wines, gin and tonic with its classic formulas and premium. 

              90 % of the food here is Tapas served in small plates. They are mixtures of different tastes and textures which reflect Jacobo’s mix and match creativities. The other 10 % is a Spanish traditional rice dish Paella. Because this place is gastrobar, its tapas are not simple, but it is a creative dish with good quality products. 

Sangría (160 THB/glass) : Sangria is an alcoholic beverage from Spain. This Spanish punch traditionally consists of red wine and chopped fruit. Sangria is one of the most popular drinks from the Spanish cuisine.

Paella Valenciana (520 THB) : 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.

Our first favorite dish is Burrata cheese with raspberries, pistachio and basil oil (360 THB). It is a fusion dish with an influence from Italian cuisine. The dish is light and sweet, combining with a rounded taste of Burrata cheese. We decided to order this dish because it is recommended by the chef although it is not originally from Spain. Well, as always, the chef does not disappoint us. We can only describe its taste through the Spanish word "suave" which we find it quite hard to translate the feeling into English. But if we have to, we would translate it to soft, smooth and refined.

Burrata cheese is a fresh cheese found in a typical Mediterranean diet.

Our second most-loved menu is Eggplants with honey and miso (180 THB). Again, this is not a authentic Spanish dish we are all familiar to. The chef plays with the fried eggplants served with tasty sauce made with honey and miso. It is also a light dish which you can enjoy, with the feeling of healthiness, and also vegetarian-friendly as well.

This fried eggplant with honey (Berenjenas con Miel) is a popular tapas throughout Andalusia in southern Spain, also known locally as berenjenas fritas con miel.

Although the majority of the food is a small dish served in a form of Tapas, Paella Valenciana (520 THB) is astonishingly impressive. However, the taste is unique. When the first spoon of Paella enters our mouth, it reminds all of us suddenly of Tom Yum Gung or Thai shrimp soup. Although it is not that spicy, its smell and texture is quite similar to our traditional dish (Tom Yum Gung fried rice). With the glimpse of lemon juice, the dish becomes more sour and therefore, quite flavorful. Spanish rice is plump full of the flavor of chicken stock. We decided to ask the chef whether he has adapted Paella into Thai people's preference of Tom Yum or not. Unexpectedly, he said no. So we decided that there might be some similarity between Spanish rich dish and Thai famous ingredient. In this case, we guess that it must be the sour taste from lemon, the red color of Paella, and the fact that these two dishes are so full-flavored.

After we finished our meal, it would be incomplete if we do not order dessert. We decided to let the chef design for our dessert. The chef served us with Arroz con leche or as we know as Spanish traditional rice pudding. However, the chef decided to hide some playful element in our dish - the mango. By combining Arroz con leche with mango, this fusion dish reminds us of Thai sticky rice with mango. Although it is not completely authentic like Spanish rice pudding in Spain, this plate is bold because it dares to adapt a Spanish traditional dessert and put it in a new context of Thai setting. We completely love this dish. Also, highly recommended!

Arroz con leche is the Spanish version of Rice Pudding. However, it is widely believed that this dish has origins in Moorish cuisine.

Our impression

          Among all Spanish restaurants we visited, we love this one the most. Not only its Tapas are impressively rich in flavor, but also its atmosphere is authentic and playful that it reminds us of Tapas Gastrobar in Spain. Broken Eggs is an informal gastrobar where you can visit anytime, whether to enjoy the drinks or to taste its simply delicious Tapas. You can also follow the Spanish culture of the youngsters of doing bar-hopping. First, come to Broken Eggs, grab some drinks and have some Tapas. Next, you go out, enjoy your nightlife, among the most famous nightlife area in Bangkok, around Thonglor-Ekkamai.

Location : 112/7 Ekamai Road, Klongtan Nuea Wattana, Bangkok 10110

Contact : 02 047 7811

Website: http://brokeneggsbangkok.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brokeneggsbkk/

Price : 300-500 THB/person

Office hour :

Tues. - Sat. 5.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m.

Sun. 12.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.

Bibliography

Theeraphong, P. (2018, March 30). Broken Eggs. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/restaurants/broken-eggs.

Moonsiri, T. (2017, October 18). Broken Eggs แกสโตรบาร์ที่จริงจังเรื่องทาปาส. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.soimilk.com/restaurants/news/broken-eggs.