10 Bangkok restaurants serving up can’t-miss, authentic Spanish flavors
Take part in Spain's upcoming national day by sampling some of the region's homestead cuisine
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At Arroz (which is Spanish for rice), chef-partner Victor Burgos (previously of Thyme) proudly presents a variety of rice-centric dishes. Think paella (Spanish fried rice cooked in a shallow pan) and arroz meloso (a more brothy form of rice dish), on top of familiar staples like cold cuts (of course, there’s iberico ham), gazpacho soup, croquettes and garlic prawns. Don’t miss the black ink paella with octopus and clams, and the chickpeas and pork stew with brothy paprika rice.
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This Spanish restaurant is perhaps Bangkok's only Catalan specialist and also serves a range of Mediterranean and Thai-Catalan fusion dishes. The specialty is the paella, which is available in many different flavors. Other highlights include homemade croquettes, garlic prawns, Iberico ham, Spanish omelet and crema Catalana. You can also sip sangria while watching your favorite La Liga team on the big screen.
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El Tapeo is the sister restaurant of Madrid’s 12-year-old El Rinconcito de Juan. That restaurant’s chef, Ruben Gonzalez, teamed up with husband-wife duo Manatsanan Charoensuk and Jorge Arnanz to give the three-story space on Soi Thonglor a Spanish makeover with beautiful patterned tiles and yellow accents, and serve authentic flavors. Do order the arroz negro (imported squid ink paella with seafood), which serves 2-3 people.
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Head chef Emiliano G V Alverellos (past employers: Mugaritz and El Bulli) takes on the pointy end of Spanish dining at this luxurious restaurant and tapas bar. Dishes like the garbanzos con chorizo (chickpea stew with chorizo and slow-cooked egg) and oven-cooked Rubia Gallega beef deliver simple, produce-driven flavors, while its new lunch set features a little bit of everything, such as josper grilled Spanish seabream, slow-cooked pork ribs and Barcelona-style vegetarian cannelloni.
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This restaurant manages to combine two restaurant concepts in one. By day, Osito plays the mild-mannered Clark Kent type with its deli sandwiches and salads, while come nighttime it turns on the superpowers with its Spanish-influenced menu of tapas and paella, in homage to Californian chef/owner Billy Bautista’s heritage. The seafood paella is also highly recommended.
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The sounds of vibrant live guitar and flamenco music can be heard well outside the restaurant’s humble interior when things get going on weekend evenings. Step inside and you’ll find walls lined with colorful knick-knacks, dark wood chairs and a mosaic tile floor, which all add to create a quintessentially Spanish vibe. Food wise, the family-run restaurant dishes out regionally-focused classics, like Valencian paella, huevos estrellados con chorizo (broken-style eggs with potatoes and sausage) and Galician-style octopus with Spanish paprika.
9/1 Sukhumvit 20, 02 663 4466. Open daily 11am-10pm
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Sitting on Nang Linchi Road, Thyme Eatery & Bar has firmly established itself as a neighborhood favorite. It offers an all day dining experience coupled with modern aesthetics and a casual-chic atmosphere. Go for one of the staples like their chicken and chorizo paella, or be more adventurous and try the black ink spaghetti with Galycian octopus. Whatever you do, save room for desserts, especially the Torrijas and Churros. Whether you stop by for afternoon coffee, or swing by late, Thyme has something to offer.
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Tapas y Vino’s plates are much more sophisticated in their presentation than you’d find in your average tapas joint. For example, the classic diced potatoes, patatas bravas, are artfully presented as six small hollowed out, inch-long cylinders stuffed with a wonderfully tangy mayonnaise. The sophistication isn’t just in the plates, either. There’s a certain sense of occasion to dining under the big Spanish chandeliers, with a wall of wine to one side and the cooks busying themselves behind a long zinc counter on the other.
Alfresco 54th-story views complement a fresh, Mediterranean decor that feels anything but stuffy. It's a fitting backdrop for an equally laidback menu of authentic tapas: some 40-odd treats like Joselito ham, live Boston lobster sashimi, oysters, Cochinillo suckling pig or wild porcini mushroom croquettes. Thirsty? There are whopping 36 wines by the glass here.
54/F, Centara Grand at CentralWorld, 999/99 Rama 1 Rd., 02-100-6255. Open daily 4pm-1am. BTS Siam
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