In the middle of the red light district known as PatPong, Spanish on 4 sits just inside Silom Soi 4 with bright canary yellow outdoor chairs and an equally bright yellow and red awning. These being the patriotic Spanish colours.
Step inside and you are greeted to a modern cafe style eatery, with arty pictures adorning the exposed concrete walls. A huge chalkboard hung on the wall next to the bar lists weekly specials alongside the dessert menu.
Having arrived at lunch time, this place was rather quiet. And having been taught to be wary of quiet eating establishments during prime meal times, my initial reaction was one of trepidation. Nevertheless, I had read that this place boasts a chef from Spain so it was now or never.
My dear mother, and I were immediately greeted by friendly staff who led us to a window table. They handed us a couple of menus and at first glance, there was a large enough array of different tapas dishes on offer.
I love tapas, but am in no way an expert. My mother on the other hand had never even eaten a morsel of Spanish food. This was going to be interesting. She made me do the ordering, so the pressure was on!
I ordered the 'Goat Cheese Salad' (150B), some Patatas Bravas (100B), which is fried potato in spicy tomato sauce, Chipirones Plancha (150B) - grilled baby squid, Pinchito Moruno (195B) - grilled lamb, Berenjenas Fritas (130B) - fried eggplant.
When the 'goat cheese salad' salad arrived, I was a little disappointed. All I could see was a pile of salad and a couple of little footprints of goat cheese. Not quite what I had hoped for which was a salad with a decent amount of goat cheese. Still, the salad was delicious with the balsamic and olive oil dressing, and the grilled goats cheese on toasted slices of french bread were indeed, yum!
The patatas bravas came next. With tomato salsa and a dollop of sour cream on, it didn't look the most appetising. The sour cream wasn't listed on the menu as an accompaniment, but I won't complain, too much!
The cubes of potato were gorgeously crunchy and hot. The salsa had a somewhat smoky flavour which I wasn't expecting. Certainly different from any patatas bravas I have ever had. My mother loved it, so happy points for the patatas bravas.
When the grilled lamb came out, it was still slightly pink and juicy which is just how I like it. However, some pieces of meat were rather fatty, but the taste of the lamb was divine.
The plate of grilled baby squid was cooked to perfection, tender, tasty and oh so yummy-licious. My favourite so far, and another one that pleased my mother.
The fried eggplant came out looking a little like an afterthought. The description had no mention of bread of prosciutto, yet this dish came with both. Not good for the vegetarians then?! The eggplant didn't have much seasoning, the prosciutto was lovely, but overall, I think I could have given this one a miss, and my mother agreed.
All in all, my mother and I really enjoyed the food. The ambience and the attentive service were both good.
A really nice touch was the complimentary slices of french baguette. Our waitress even came back to with another complimentary plate when she saw us polishing off the last of the first batch. Now, you don't get to see much of that in Asia.
Staff are welcoming and ensure that you are looked after well. Overall, the food was tasty and filling. I want to come back for their chorizo and paella. Word of warning though, the paella takes 45 minutes to cook, so be prepared to wait and drink lots of Sangria!
'Spanish on 4' is a pleasant, relaxing and peaceful getaway from the busy Patpong street. This place really should have been busier for a lunch time though, but then I guess Silom Soi 4 doesn't get going until sundown when all the revellers come out to be merry.
Spanish on 4
78-80 Silom Soi 4, Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66 (0)2 632 9955
BTS: Sala Daeng
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