Chiang Mai – Rioja 2 (Spanish Restaurant)

Via: Chiang Mai Mail

The proprietor of Rioja 2, Khun Ael, whose mother is from Chiang Mai, used to manage Bangkok’s Rioja for over a decade, and has traveled to Spain and back. She is warm, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. The restaurant takes its name from a wine-producing region in Northern Spain, which is used in the restaurant’s excellent Sangria.

This place is very easy to find: it is a 1 minute walk south of the STARBUCKS at Thapae Gate.

The menu offers Tapas (2 pages), Salads, Sausages and Cheeses, Cold Appetizers, Hot Appetizers (2), Rice and Pasta (2), Fish, Meats, Veggie Menu, and full page of Desserts. I say skip the Paella and order adventurously, as most of my friends extolled Rioja 2’s authentic taste of and
approach to the food.

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The standouts of the meal were the Squid in Black Ink, the Iberian Ham, and the Iberian Salami. The Ham and Salami are complete knockouts, with gorgeous coloring and a texture that is perfectly “melt in your mouth” smooth. They are served alongside sliced bread topped with tomato tapenade.

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To finish the meal, we indulged in the Catalan Custard Cream and the Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream Cake. The Custard was a novel twist on Crème Brule. The ceiling of the custard is seared with a torch and perfectly crisp, and the rest softly whipped with a hint of lemon and cinnamon. The Chocolate Cake was recommended by Khun Ael, and had us pleasantly surprised by it’s light and consistent texture.

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Rioja 2 is open Tuesday through Sunday Noon to 11 p.m. Closed Mondays. Reservations can be made on 081-8223813.

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Read more, HERE:

http://chiangmai-mail.com/current/dining.shtml

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