Monday, March 24, 2008

Tamarind Cafe

Eating vegetarian in Bangkok isn't especially hard. But it can get a bit monotonous; enter Tamarind Cafe. A vegetarian restaurant with an impressive array of Western and Asian fare, with many items available vegan.

I read about the restaurant in the vegetarian section of Not Just a Good Food Guide: Bangkok, which I picked up at Asia Books for 425 Baht. According to the guide Tamarind is "[r]eputed to be one of the best international-style vegetarian restaurants in Bangkok." Tamarind isn't in my neighborhood, but with that recommendation my husband and I made a special trip to Sukhumvit... two in fact.

The Food On our first visit we were immediately impressed with the selection of thoughtful dishes. Vegetarian dishes are the focus here, rather than a hastily compiled after thought. We were so impressed with the selection in fact, that it took us at least fifteen minutes to decide what we wanted to eat. In the end we decided to start with the Malay Quesadilla and the Sesame Crusted Stuffed Falafel which we polished off with a couple of cocktails. I really enjoyed the quesadilla, especially the crispy crepe wrapper and peanut-y filling. For dinner we both went for one of the whole-wheat organic pasta dishes. I had the Athena which included baked tomatoes, olives, feta, and pine nuts. I thought the dish could have benefited from a little more olive oil but overall it was very satisfying.

Having left so much un-sampled on our first visit, we came back a week later to try out a few more dishes. This time we started with the Bruschetta and Caesar Salad. The Bruschetta was definitely the standout: toasted but slightly chewy bread topped with fresh and delicious whole tomato slices. For mains we had the Lasagna and the Gratin, of which the Lasagna was our favorite. I also tried out one of Tamarind's fruit smoothies (available with a protein boost). I went for the Velvet Underground which boasted an interesting ingredient list including beetroot, orange, and mint. The smoothie was a beautiful shade of red and refreshing drink on yet another hot-hot Bangkok day.

The Price Not including drinks, both meals came in around 750-850 Baht. More than we usually spend on a Bangkok meal but about what we would expect to pay back home for a similar meal. At that price we won't eat there every day, but possibly every time we're in the neighborhood!

Other Activities The Cafe seems to have a lot going on besides food In fact both times we showed up the person who greeted us at the door seemed to have forgotten they had a restaurant! The Tamarind is home to the F-Stop Gallery and on opening nights the tables on the main floor are pushed aside while food is served on the second floor loft and the rooftop terrace. The second time we arrived the main floor tables were also pushed aside, this time for a salsa lesson. The Tamarind also boasts free wireless internet access.

Location The Tamarind is located at Sukhumvit Soi 20, which is close to halfway in between BTS stops Phrom Phong and Asok. According to the website it is located 300 meters off of Sukhumvit Road.


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