Now, a foreign restaurant in the neighbourhood gets Spaniards excited with its opportunity to try something new. Price is usually not a problem, since the local food tends to be expensive anyway.

Just the same, it wasn't easy for Thai cuisine to make inroads there. The average Spaniard thinks it's the same as Chinese food. So local and Thai entrepreneurs had to break down a wall and challenge taste buds.

There still aren't many Thai restaurants around - only 20 or so in Madrid and Barcelona - but one, Thai Garden, is quite successful.

Its location in the heart of Madrid certainly helped, but its authentic Thai design is quite impressive. The menu is varied, but most patrons pick the "snacks", no surprise in a country where finger food is a form of art and nibbling a variation on dance. So, easily handled dishes like shrimp balls are popular at Thai Garden.

Its six-page menu begins: "In Thailand, like other East Asian countries, eating is a daily celebration in which all dishes are displayed on the tablet to be shared and enjoyed. We invite you to try all these delights and participate in this Thai celebration."

The introduction makes it clear that an ideal choice would the combination plate, which costs ¤31 (Bt1,550). Depending on who's in the kitchen, it might include chicken satay, kanom gib, tod mun or any other goodies from a wide selection.

Young people on a limited budget tend to go for the set menu, but they're keen to try everything, all in one outing if possible.

Some Spaniards will tell you that Thai restaurants have become popular in recent years because Thailand has become better known in Spain, thanks in large part to King Juan Carlos attending the 60th-anniversary celebrations for His Majesty the King last June.

Other European countries are getting tough on immigration, but Spain has gone the opposite way. It's a generous country that has always welcomed foreigners, and thousands of Asians have sought permanent residency status.

Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipinos and Thais find the country likeable and accommodating. Walking along the streets of Madrid, you often encounter Asians selling goods alongside Africans.

In the competition for Spanish hearts and bellies, though, Thai food has yet to catch up with French, Italian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

The last two were introduced there hundreds of years ago. It wasn't until the 1980s that Thai dishes came to Madrid. Before that, Asian food was either Chinese - found everywhere - or Japanese sushi, again because it's bite-sized and can involve Spanish favourites like squid and octopus.

Things could well change. There are more Spanish tourists than ever visiting Thailand - they rank fifth among Europeans coming here, after Britons, Germans, Frenchmen and Italians. Some 70,000 Spaniards came to the Land of Smiles last year; that's 70,000 more (hopefully) positive reviews of Thai food being circulated.

By comparison, only about 2,000 Thais visited Spain in 2005.

Three years ago Fusiom opened - Spain's first spa services with Thai masseuses (28 of them). It does a brisk business, and in fact must be the biggest service enterprise in Europe in terms of the sheer size of the place and the staff.

It's interesting that Spain has become a leader in Thai spa service, offering traditional massage, royal Thai massage, pop nuad Thai, Thai herbal heat, oil massage, aromatic massage, Balinese massage, Hawaiian lomi-lomi massage and more. To win over Spaniards, a very good assortment of "Thai tapas" will be needed.

Cookman Redux

The Nation

The writer can be contacted at cookman@nationgroup.com.