“Hello, Papi!” was the very enthusiastic greeting from Willy Trullàs Moreno, the quirky and highly energetic chef behind new tapas restaurant El Willy Kitchen.
Located on Soi Sukhumvit 51, the restaurant is as welcoming as its owner. A playful collection of pop art and boldly colored decor inject life into an intimate space mostly decorated with retro-style furniture.
This Bangkok endeavor follows El Willy’s original branch in Shanghai, which opened back in 2007. You can say that serendipity is behind this second outlet—the pandemic found Chef Willy stranded in Bangkok in 2020 with his family and an eventual familiarity with the city planted the idea of expanding his culinary empire.
“I want it to have the concept of a happy Spanish kitchen where people can come and enjoy fun and sexy food,” Chef Willy says. “It’s always the thing I wanted to do back in the beginning of my career 14 years ago.”
As the 44-year-old chef explains, “sexy food” is part of El Willy’s brand identity and DNA. “We want to make things fun, sexy and happy.” And spicy—the dishes served at the Bangkok branch have more zing to them to please the Thai palate.
Explosion de Salmon y Trufa (B460/4 pieces) seems to be a favorite. The starter pairs smoked salmon with silky-smooth yogurt and truffle-infused honey drops. It’s a fantastic way to kick off the evening’s meal. For something lighter, go for Tira de Vieira (B580), where fresh scallops are soaked with mashed avocado and tiger’s milk sauce—or Tostada de Atún (B260), a crispy corn tostada topped with tuna, avocado, and smoked chili.
Follow these up with the mixed seafood paella (B1,490), which can be served dry or with a bit of sauce, or the charcoal-grilled Spanish rib-eye steak (B490/100g), which uses Vaca Cebona beef.
Though El Willy Kitchen specializes in à la carte dishes, the restaurant can also prepare a set menu experience specially curated by Chef Willy.
Currently, the restaurant is open from Tuesday to Sunday for dinner (17:00 to 22:45), but is also open for lunch on Saturday from 11:30 to 15:00.
