After successfully bringing mantis shrimp to Soi Ruamrudee from Rayong, Kang Banphe has branched out to a tastefully twee Thai-Spanish tapas bar at Thonglor’s Seen Space 13 dubbed Thaipas.
Like its first establishment in Bangkok, Thaipas excels in simplicity and boasts local produce and wild-caught seafood, offering arguably the most affordable range of small bites and fulsome sharing plates in the area.
Try the croquettes (THB180/2 pieces) in which chef Anupa “James” Kavindrakolvajira uses fresh wild mantis prawns and stuffs them with crispy and savory fillings. Or, order the duck liver pate baguettes (THB95/4 pieces) topped with fresh-made blackberry jam — a surprising favorite — to share.
During our visit, James brought out his 20-hour, dry-aged sea bass to the kitchen counter and slowly sliced away the fresh from its bones before pouring Peruvian citrus marinade leche de tigre on top. The result was a refreshing, plump sea bass ceviche (THB180) with a satisfyingly bouncy texture. Boiled wingshell with maldon salt (THB120), meanwhile, saw dog conches served with lemon and Thai spicy seafood sauce.
The highlight, however, is a large sharing pan of arroz negre, or black paella (THB420), tinted black with squid ink and accompanied by a wide range of seafood — think hefty Kang Banphe’s mantis shrimp, fresh prawns, and clams.
Wash it all down with kluay tak (Rayong dried banana) ice cream (THB75) featuring tiny bits of caramelized banana in every bite, a perfect complement to the creamy caramel flan (THB120).
Drink-wise, Thaipas offers wines by the glass, including Follador Prosccco (THB150), Villa Martina Pinot Grigio (THB220), and Penfolds Max’s Chardonnay (THB250); and a fancy Dom Perignon that runs up to THB18,500.
Thaipas also doubles as a seafood noodle shop at noon, so stop by earlier to taste its Michelin plate-recognized mantis shrimp or wait until 5:30pm to have fun with these new bites.
FIND IT:
Thaipas
Seen Space Thonglor, Soi Thonglor 13, Khlong Tan Nua, Watthana
061-3633367
5:30pm – 11:30pm, Thursday through Sunday
