Because sometimes, we all like to mix it up a bit and personally, I like a bit Tex-Mex, but only very occasionally.
Now Tex-Mex in the middle of Bangkok doesn't get any more central than Sukhumvit Soi 11. Walk down this Soi and you'll see 'Cheap Charlie's' bar on a little street off to the left. Take a left turn past Cheap Charlie's and carry on around to the right and you'll see Charley Brown's Mexicana Cantina a little further up on the left hand side.
This side street reminds me a little of Heddon Street in London's Picadilly, just a bit more scruffy and a lot less sophisticated. I guess this is what adds to the 'Bangkok charm' that so many tourists and expats love.
There's seating outside if you can stand the heat, or step inside to a cool air-conditioned, fairly brightly coloured restaurant.
My friends (W & Ms. E) arrived for an early 6:30pm dinner, so we were pretty much the first ones there. In fact, they are the ones giving an excited thumbs up in the above picture.
The menu is a one page drinks and food menu, with items clearly laid out in their respective categories.
We all went for the 'Chipotle Chicken' quesadilla since they were doing a 'buy 2, get 1 free' deal that night. This place offers a promotion from Sunday to Thursday nights from what I remember. But you'll have to go to their website to see their deals. And they offer lunch deals from 150 Baht.
It didn't take too long for our quesadillas to come out. Looking a bit like a toasted upside down pizza base, it wasn't the most appealing of quesadillas. It came with a serving of sliced jalapeños, sour cream (which had the consistency of goat cheese) and tomato salsa.
It wasn't a bad quesadilla, but it certainly wasn't the best. In fact 'W' questioned whether the chicken tasted like tuna. I had to question this myself as I picked at the meat before rubbing it between my fingers, sniffing at it like a sniffer dog and discerningly examining it with my bad eye sight. Yeah, I can be a really pleasant person to eat out with sometimes!
Nope, definitely not tuna, it wasn't fishy enough and the meat was chicken white. It really was chicken, but rather chicken that resembled the texture of tinned tuna. For 190 Baht, could one expect more? Maybe, but then again, it's not exactly expensive by Western standards and I hear that their sangria is good and strong.
The outside area became busy with expats coming by for drinks and a bit of food. The staff are friendly and polite. Overall, I'd like to come back and try their specials and a bit of dessert. Charley Brown, is this really your name? If so, how cool!
Charley Brown's Mexicana Cantina
1/23 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66 (0)2 651 2215
Nearest BTS: Nana, exit 3
HOURS
Mon 5:00pm - Midnight
Tue-Sun: 11:30am - Midnight
