Category — Cafes

Well, this is the first official restaurant review by yours truly.  All the review writing tips books out there said a good review begins with telling the readers a little about your background so they can better understand things so here goes.

I’ve travelled around the world at least 10 times over, totally on pleasure, have lived for more than 1 year in New York, Orlando, San Diego and Irvine California, Rio De Janeiro Brazil, Bangkok and now Chiang Mai, Thailand.  I’m a former US Marine and I LOVE food.  I have no particular experience in the food industry nor do I intend to.  I simply like food that tastes GREAT (and I’m trying to yuppie it up and learn more about wine too!).

Name: California Wraps
Cuisine: Mexican, International
Location: Kad Farang Shopping Centre at Hang Dong, Chiang Mai
Contact: 053-432-413
My Rating: 9/10

My Thoughts:

I must admit I’m cheating a bit here.  This is a restaurant that I already knew I loved the food and I decided it should be known to all.  I did not tell the owner about my intentions to publish a review until after I had my latest order in hand.

Pat runs the show over at California Wraps, a native of Bangkok who has been at the helm about 2 years now.  California Wraps is located about 13 kilometers from Chiang Mai city center down the 108 or Hang Dong road in a quaint and somewhat high end little shopping center called Kad Farang.

The menu had a bit of everything a westerner could want with emphasis on their Mexican food. At least it caught my Mexican food-loving eyes!  Every morning I order two huge breakfast burritos and they are exactly what you’d expect even if you were traveling through the American south!  The right amount of everything stimulates your taste buds and even the bacon inside is top-choice.  I’m a stickler when it comes to slimy, overly fatty bacon and the bacon inside their breakfast burritos definitely makes the grade!

Since I decided I was going to make my first review about California Wraps I knew I had to order more than the breakfast to get a better idea of the depth of this appetizing little place.  I had some ground beef tacos and a hot tamale that was recommended by an American lady eating there with her son.

The tacos were slightly smaller than I’d prefer at first sight but I soon forgot when I tasted how perfect the beef mix exploded with flavor in my mouth.  It seemed a perfect mix of the frying process and onions that did the trick and stuck in my mind.

I’m not much of a tamale fan but this was quite good as well.  The corn capsule of the tamale is inherently dryer than say an enchilada and I’m much more inclined for juicier Mexican food.   Therefore I don’t think it fair for me to review the tamale but I promise when I go back tomorrow I will definitely be trying the enchiladas and quesadillas and will update this post!

All in all this is a splendid restaurant with a lot of depth and definitely farang-learned cooking style that will not leave you wondering why you sought out western food in Asia!

Gusto is a local Thai-Chinese family run cafe located at the foot of River Heaven Condominium development.  It has a nice flare, adorned with Mac and Apple magazines and books and even a large plasma television on the wall.   The beans are fresh and from the North of Thailand giving a medium to full strength flavor with only a short finish.  The service is very personable and they serve not only fresh brewed coffee and espresso but a range of favorite Thai snacks as well.   If you’re traveling ever in this part of Bangkok which is situated near Rama 3 road stop on by for a fresh cup of joe and a nice atmosphere be it inside or al fresco in the slight breeze!

UPDATE: This quaint little mojo stop has closed down.  Apparently their location nestled away only next to a large condominium complex wasn’t enough visibility for clientele.

Locations

Bangkok, Central Silom
Pattaya, Central Pattaya

What We Liked

I always drink the same kind of coffee.  Iced Americano, no sugar.  This is not only healthy (15 calories) but it allows you to taste every bit of the beans it was made with.  My Italian friend recommended Segafredo Zanetti as the closest to authentic Italian coffee he’s had in Thailand.  It’s a mild taste to me, yet still gripping and slightly complex (now I sound like I’m making wine notes!  I don’t pretend to be a connoisseur, I’m just sayin’!).

Also, this place makes the coffee the fastest I’ve ever seen in the world.  I haven’t taken notice as to how they make it so fast, but it’s always ready at least 3 minutes before I expect it, and it’s not pre-made.  Amazingly fast.

What We Didn’t Like

The coffee bean is not rich enough for me.  I prefer it to be stronger.  That’s just my preference.

What Could Be Improved

A selection of different bean types would be nice, but not even Starbucks offers such things.  It would be nice if coffee  cafes could adapt to this.

Summary

I wouldn’t go out of my way to get Segafredo Zanetti coffee.  But when I’m in a mall that has Segafredo Zanetti, I’d choose it over other places such as Coffee World.  The only coffee franchise I wouldn’t choose it over, and I say this somewhat ashamedly, is Starbucks.  Something about their Kenyan beans that rocks!

Link to the official post on Segafredo Zanetti’s site regarding their Thai franchises is here.