The Mexican food at Los Cabos is as authentic as the venerable Siamese house that the restaurant occupies
Mexican cuisine is nothing new in Bangkok, but if what you want is the authentic Baja California-Mexican fare - in a laid-back atmosphere and with an extensive choice of cocktails - the clear choice is Los Cabos, just opened this month and the first of its kind in Bangkok.
It's run by Howard Cummings and chef Robb Vaughn of Great American Rib Company fame.
Cummings has lost count of the restaurants he's opened in San Francisco and Beverly Hills, but guesses 50.
The two want Los Cabos to be more than a restaurant. Among other grand expectations, it's destined to become a cultural venue for the Mexican embassy.
Los Cabos is set in a classic Thai house built of timber in the early 1900s for the Kannasut clan, direct descendants of the founder of Thonburi, King Taksin.
The French ambassador who bought it circa 1950 had the distinctive honour of being named governor general by King Rama VII.
Today the century-old trees remain in place, and a recently added patio is the chief nod to modernity.
Vaughn, insisting on authenticity, shows us a box of poblano pepper flown in from California. Corn, avocado, rice and nuts are the staples of Mexican cuisine, and imported Hass avocado goes into Los Cabos' guacamole appetiser.
Vaughn makes this chip dip by mashing avocado in a molcajete - not unlike the Thai-style mortar - and adding tomatoes and seasonings.
Crispy mini-tacos are another ideal starter for Bt150, served with cooled chicken, avocado and grapefruit, or with chilled shrimps and salsa.
You should ideally arrive in a group so you can try all of the savoury starters and mouth-watering main dishes stacked on platters.
The Fiesta Feast for four to six people looks stunningly royal. The works costs Bt1,195, and half a feast is Bt650.
There's a full rack of pork ribs smoked over mesquite wood and a jalapeno barbecue sauce that's just as smoky, a whole grilled and marinated Margarita chicken, beef or chicken mini-tacos, honey-and-jalapeno-grilled shrimps on a skewer, grilled corn, Mexican rice, spicy fries and asparagus.
The grilled chicken, served with "Holy-Mole Sauce", is something special, and the tacos stuffed with beef and chicken go well with Vaughn's own home-made red chilli sauce.
There's a choice of combo meals served with Mexican rice and beans, perfect for lunch or dinner.
Vaughn recommends the Blue Marlin Combo for Bt375, which includes a crispy chicken taco, cheese enchilada and beef tamale - one of those steamed corn husk treats stuffed with chillies and cheese - plus red beans and rice in a cheese enchilada.
An enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with chilli sauce. It might have a filling of meat, beans, potatoes, vegetables or seafood.
Vaughn's insistence on fresh ingredients shows in his California Poblano Chili Relleno, a Bt325 classic: a roasted pepper stuffed with cheese and fried to perfection.
"You don't have that big chilli here like they do in California - these cost Bt80 a piece!" he says. "It's like, if you open a Thai restaurant in California, you need to import the original ingredients from Thailand."
Los Cabos serves all sorts of cocktails, but the Margarita Supremo (Bt130 per glass, Bt395 per pitcher) is not to be missed.
