Tapas Cafe
Soi 11 (in loop soi opposite)
Sukhumvit Road
Tel: 02 651 2947
Website

I had heard about Tapas for a long time but as I understood it was open all day I had been intending to try it out one lunch time, when I wanted to get a late lunch. However it never happened and finally I trundled in on a Sunday evening. I knew Vaughan had fled Melbas (formerly Alex's) deciding the high-so-ness was all too much for him. He had just started here with a nice normal English owner with no pretensions!
This side soi is strangely reminiscent of a London mews and many will have visited the strange bar on the corner know as Cheap Charlies. However the main sign on Soi 11 is to the Sabai Sabai massage parlour. Also in this small soi is the Pickled Liver pub, dedicated to George Best, and the doctor used by many to get a medical certificate to say they are alive! But all in all this is a good central location close to the Sukhumvit Road but away from the traffic and bustle thus a pleasant back water. There is a move afoot to pedestrianise this small street in the evening and that would improve it more, not that, I might add, there are many vehicles anyway!
I have to say I found the decor had a distinct unfinished look with concrete floors and the building skeleton very much in evidence. Then the tables and chairs are very much cafe style. However on the other hand the bar positively shone and there are some big original oil paintings that really stand out and show some real class; designer unfinished could be the style description!
I had booked, which I seldom do on a Sunday evening, and although there was space Vaughan told me that a short while earlier the place had been packed and no seats available! We were given the window seat at what can only be described as a cafe style table. Perfectly comfortable and no table clothes and napkins for hovering waiters to grab and stick on your lap for them to fall off and hit the floor minutes later. So from that point of view I was more than happy!
The wine list is very interesting because it contains entirely Spanish wines, but that should not suggest it is anything other than adequate. There were seven whites, two rose, fifteen reds and surprise surprise sherry, including Tio Pepe, an aperitif that was very popular in the fifties and sixties in England. Well so I am told! We settled for a Muscat-Chardonnay, described as gentle quaffing wine which it was, and a Tampranillo-Cab. Sauvignon-Merlot blend to follow which could have been similarly described.
Now to the food which is generally Tapas style dishes. I do like this food because it encourages picking and sampling different tastes and presentations. There were plenty of such dishes and all priced in the 100-150 Baht range, the exception being special ham from the Pata Negra, the black foot pig! Also there was a small selection of Paellas, which were the sole specific main courses and were produced for two and up. They took half an hour to cook, which is a good sign.
The two of us munched our way happily through nine tapas dishes and felt more than full at the end. Our dishes included tortilla, garlic prawns (gambas), two different croquettes, aubergine with ham, mussels, and meat balls. The dishes were ordered in two tranches; a very comfortable meal with interesting food.
Tapas Cafe is not fine dining by any means but it is good basic food served in suitable surroundings with good wine options and the staff proved to be more than up to the job. If you not trying to impress visiting firemen, or some hi-so princess, I can think of few places that are more amiable.