Gotham Meets Galicia

El Osito Bangkok

It may at first seem an odd marriage – deli by day, tapas by night – but restaurateur Billy Bautista’s menu mash-up of sandwiches, salads and Spanish classics seems to have struck a chord particularly amongst the professional lunchtime crowd for whom embassy and office hotspot Wireless Road is but a briefcase toss away.

Large crusty rolls are stacked with 4-year old Jamon Iberico de Bellota or handmade pastrami, the classic Caesar Salad comes with aromatic bacon fresh from the on-premises smoker, while the Reuben sandwich is a warm and juicy Gotham joy of toasted light rye ram-packed full of home-corned beef and melted Swiss cheese (insider sandwich intel – substitute pastrami for corned beef and coleslaw for sauerkraut and you’ve got yourself a Rachel sandwich). Who knew!

As night falls, the spacious, polished cement, warehouse-chic deli morphs neatly into a post work hang with a great range of Rogue artisanal beers, Spanish wines and of course, a menu to match. With everything from small bite Basque Pintxos to plates like Gambas a la Plancha with rock salt, and the iodine-rich signature Black Ink Paella studded with calamari and astringent lemon wedges, the little bear (El Osito) is making quite a big roar in the Bangkok jungle.