In salsa we trust
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Senor Pico and five other great places to do the Latino shimmy
Senor Pico at the Rembrandt Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 18 is always festive, but it was totally crazy at last Friday's Fiesta Latina Party, which involved too much to eat and dancing to the point of dropping to resident band Fascination.
The really skilled dancers rolled in late, so meanwhile the amateurs got hyped up, first with an entertaining solo performance by one of the chefs and then with free lessons for those who didn't know their salsas from their tangos.
Senor Pico is one of Bangkok's oldest and most popular Mexican restaurants, with nightly live music and occasional special events centred on Latin music.
K-pop rules the airwaves, hip-hop comes and goes, but the exotic feel of Latin beats always lures fun-loving people onto their feet. Bangkok has several great places where you can enjoy Latin music and even learn to dance with the pros without spending a fortune.
For a sure-fire Latino party any day of the week, head to the Tapas Room Club (02 234 4737, www.TapasRoom.net) at the lip of Silom Soi 4.
The place can be trusted to crank out terrific music from early evening to late (and very late on weekends). The best parties are on the weekend, when all three floors are packed and Num from reggae group T-Bone is banging away at his percussion kit on the second floor.
No dance lessons at the Tapas, but you can pick up the moves and hone your skills at Flava, the restaurant at the Dream Hotel (02 254 8500) on Sukhumvit Soi 15.
La Rueda Dance Studio hosts a salsa night at Flava every other Friday (like tonight) for its students and anyone else who drops in. The fun starts at 8pm with a free lesson, and then at 10 you can watch the pros and see what you're up against. The rest of the party is salsa, bachata and upbeat jazz so you can keep moving.
La Rueda Dance Studio itself (02 261 9669) is on Sukhumvit Soi 18 and holds its own parties as well as lessons, sometimes free. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays have salsa classes for advanced and intermediate dancers from 7.30 to 9 and for beginners from 9 to 10. Free if you order a drink.
The studio is fairly small and gets crowded on weekends, so get there early to secure a spot where you can properly observe the instructor.
The salsa they teach is trendy LA style, and there are also paid lessons in tango, Cuban salsa, bachata and jazz dance.
The tavern crowd gets Latin in their own familiar surroundings too. Temples Bar, an Irish pub on Sukhumvit Soi 11 (02 253 1057) is having a salsa night on Monday with merengue, cha cha and bachata, and no cover charge.
For a more upbeat night, drop by the Barbican Bar and Brasserie (02 234 3590) on Thaniya Road off Silom on Friday. DJ Jorge is mixing smoking-hot Latin tunes with percussionist Luis and singer Pepi. Cuban cocktails, mojitos and Brazil's national drink, the caipiroska, are served for Bt150 all night.
