Eating out with peanuts

CHARLIE BROWN, his pet beagle Snoopy and their friends are on hand to welcome fans of the comic strip at a brand new restaurant in Mega Bangna. Their presence is everywhere in Charlie Brown Cafe – on the walls, in the corners and even in the food. Here you can tuck into mousse cakes in form of Charlie Brown, drink a cup of coffee topped with Snoopy-patterned steamed milk, or snap up a pancake dressed with Snoopy’s sidekick Woodstock.

Located on the second floor of this super-sized shopping mall, the store is impossible to miss thanks to the large fibreglass sculpture of Charlie Brown at the entrance and the Snoopy sculptures and dolls that stand guard in every corner. The 200-square metre comic strip themed cafe is decorated simply in white and finished with Peanuts characters on walls, doors, counters and glass panels. It can accommodate about 100 people who are free to lay siege to whatever style of furniture suit their moods – from divans for more laid-back sofas, to stools and wooden chairs. 

“There are themed cafes like Hello Kitty and Barbie but they seem to be more for the girls, Charlie Brown and his friends, on the other hand, are unisex and most people love them. Each character also has its own persona and that allows us to get creative with the menu, the interior design and the collectible items,” says co-owner Rabhi Chakrapeesirisuk.

Charlie Brown Cafe originated from popular comic strip “Peanuts” by American cartoonist, Charles M Schulz, who gave birth to the Peanuts family in 1950. Now a major franchise, the themed cafe concept made its first appearance in 2006 in Hong Kong with quickly draw families, friends and tourists. Bangkok is the 33rd branch in the chain and the third largest. Open for just two months, it’s always packed at weekends.

“We’ve paid particular attention to replicating the cartoon characters for the decor. The Peanuts crowd has been winning the hearts of people for 64 years and there are differences in the hand-drawn lines of each period. Before we could put all the characters together – Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Sally, Marcie and Schroeder – we had to send the graphics to the US licensing company for approval to be sure that each character appears in the same period. For example, Snoopy must be featured with his collar and the fonts must be identical to the strip,” says Rabhi.

Based on the principle of “think global, act local”, each branch is unique in its menus, architectural style and interior design thus serving the different needs and tastes of customers in different locations. 

“We don’t go overboard on the cartoons to ensure that adults feel comfortable here. Our aim is to offer a welcoming and heart-warming place for all members of the family,” says Rabhi.

“Food is the priority and the cartoon characters are the value added. This is not a place that’s just designed to please Peanuts’ fans or for taking pictures to post on social media. We are concerned about the way the food tastes and we want our customers to come back for more.” 

Rabhi and his partner Veerachit Jaruthanadech work closely with the chefs to come up with menus that will please the Thai palette with premium ingredients sourced both locally and from overseas. Natural condiments are used wherever possible and the food contains no preservatives or artificial additives, he says.

The signature cake set (Bt495) offering four mousse cakes in four flavours, is moulded into shapes of four cartoon characters. Charlie cake is made from dark, milk and white chocolate while Snoopy is caramel cheese. The crabby and bossy Lucy is done with strawberry and bubblegum and the little yellow bird Woodstock is a combination of vanilla and passion fruit. The cakes can be ordered individually for Bt135 each.

Red bean and green tea cake (Bt130) is shaped like Snoopy on the top and the chocolate brownie comes as Woodstock (Bt105). Also worth trying is Snoopy gelato ice cream, which offers chestnut flavoured ice cream in a Snoopy shape and is served with your choice of hot pancake for Bt215 or with chocolate lava for Bt235. For something softer, try Japanese cheesecake (Bt135), which is moist and not too sweet. Those who prefer savouries can choose from a list that includes crostini ham (Bt75), croissant ham cheese (Bt105) and mixed grilled sausages (Bt195). 

The signature drinks and available only at this branch are the Charlie Brown’s favourite (Bt135) – a smoothie with pineapple and candies – and Ruby Rooibos, a caffeine-free, cold-brewed rooibos tea (Bt75-Bt95). Other options are mango passion smoothie (Bt135) made with 90-per-cent fresh mango and passion fruit puree and New York soda in different flavours from grape berry, apple kiwi to strawberry lemonade and orange (Bt85-Bt95). Hot milk, chocolate, coffee and tea are also served at prices ranging from Bt65 to Bt140 a glass. 

Charlie Brown Cafe also has a private party room that can accommodate about 15 people and costs Bt4,500 for three hours. Collectible items of the lovely characters will be available soon.

 

 

SWEET ON SNOOPY

>>Charlie Brown Cafe is on the second floor of Mega Bangna (opposite Ikea). It is open daily from 10 to 10. Call (02) 105 2076 or check out Facebook.com/CharlieBrownCafeThai.