I went out tonight to watch Spurs play at West Ham. I'm a Spurs fan and also take part in a weekly office football pool. It's just a small pool, everyone puts in 20 baht and makes their picks. No great amount of money is in play, it's just for office bragging rights and a bit of fun.
I live in the far northeast fringe of Bkk, karaoke's are a dime a dozen, but an authentic Italian resto is a rare beauty. Lo and behold a fellow from the Veneto has opened up a place called 'Baan Yai' (his family name is Cassagrande) and he and his wife serve a great Thai menu, and he also has some Italian faves on hand..spag bol, osso bucco...and Milano style pizzas. He also does a nice carpaccio with rocket at a friendly 120 bht.
Anyway, I head to Baan Yai to watch the footy. There's only three of us interested in the fixture, this is Liverpool country and their game starts later. The other two fellas are Thai, and are soon stuck into their tom yam whatever, and a bottle of Regency (yuck).
Stefano, the owner soon comes over with a plate of something he has prepared for his family, rigatoni tossed with sauteed green onions, garlic , italian sausage and truffles. Says he cooked too much, would I take a plate of it. It's fu#king delicious. Spurs are down 1 nil, but man, that rigatoni is taking the sting out of the score. Spurs quickly pull even. I order another beer and a plate of carpaccio.
The game seesaws back and forth. I need the loo. In North American sports this is no problem. With American football, baseball, basketball, and ice hockey there are plenty of time stopages for pee breaks and the selling of beer and pick-up trucks. No time outs in football here. I wait until play seems to be muddled in the midfield and go to the head. I'm washing my hands when one of the Thai blokes runs in and shouts "SaaPur, song - neung!" Hurry, hurry, he tells me, you don't want to miss the replay.
And that's how the game ends. 1-2 Spurs, just the score I picked in the pool.
The Thais guys were well pleased for me and it was all I could do to tear myself away from them after downing offered drinks, and make my way home.
A Nice wee night out; sampled chef Stefano's rigatoni with truffles and sausage, ate an order of carpaccio with garlic bread, downed three large bottles of beer, watched my team win away, and met some nice Thai guys. Total cost: 430 baht.
This is a great place, most of the time.
Anyone else have some good stories?
