Spago is on the move

[MeMock]

Spago has always been one of my favourite restaurants in Ubon and has some of the best pizza anywhere. My only gripe was the location and parking etc.

Well that is all about to change as they are on the move and opening in what I consider a much better location into the most amazing premises. The fit out must be costing a fortune and I can't wait to try it.

They are even putting a wine cellar in! New location is the down stairs area of the You Hotel, formally the Montana.

I understand that they hope to open Mid September. 

[MeMock]

Forgot to mention that John, the former owner of Peppers who did some great things with that business is also joining in with Franco with the new venture. With Franco in the kitchen and John running the floor I think this new restaurant is going to really raise the bar in Ubon.

[Michael Hare]

Good luck to both Franco and John. Looking forward to bringing guests to the new location. Downtown Ubon needs sprucing up. For far too long this area as become a little run down and in some parts a bit seedy. In the old days all the good restaurants were located in and around the central park. Hopefully the opening of Spago in the Yuu Hotel is the start of a rejuvenation of the area. My only concern is can Ubonites afford to eat there?

 

This is a little off the subject, but many of these new small hotels that have opened in Ubon in recent years have very short names. Perhaps they are easy to pronounce or maybe the owners ask their children to think of a name quickly. Some examples- B2 hotel, V hotel, T3 House, A+ hotel, 168 Studio hotel, De Proud hotel, Better Place hotel, The Rich hotel, Eco Inn and now Yuu hotel. 

[AliasJohn]

34 minutes ago, Michael Hare said:

Good luck to both Franco and John. Looking forward to bringing guests to the new location. Downtown Ubon needs sprucing up. For far too long this area as become a little run down and in some parts a bit seedy. In the old days all the good restaurants were located in and around the central park. Hopefully the opening of Spago in the Yuu Hotel is the start of a rejuvenation of the area. My only concern is can Ubonites afford to eat there?

 

This is a little off the subject, but many of these new small hotels that have opened in Ubon in recent years have very short names. Perhaps they are easy to pronounce or maybe the owners ask their children to think of a name quickly. Some examples- B2 hotel, V hotel, T3 House, A+ hotel, 168 Studio hotel, De Proud hotel, Better Place hotel, The Rich hotel, Eco Inn and now Yuu hotel. 

Thank you Michael. We look forward to seeing you and your colleagues in Spago in the near future.

The new Spago as you mentioned is located at the front of the Yuu Hotel with ample parking and a new look for the area. Spago will have its regular pizza and pasta  dishes that it is very well known for  plus a new menu that will feature many new dishes and a new fresh look for lunch and dinner at very affordable prices.

As Memock mentioned we are having a modern temperature controlled wine cellar that will stock a wide variety of wine from around the world plus a few more surprises.

[JLCrab]

I'd certainly be surprised to find out that one can stock wine from some place other than around the world.

[elwood]

3 hours ago, AliasJohn said:

Thank you Michael. We look forward to seeing you and your colleagues in Spago in the near future.

The new Spago as you mentioned is located at the front of the Yuu Hotel with ample parking and a new look for the area. Spago will have its regular pizza and pasta  dishes that it is very well known for  plus a new menu that will feature many new dishes and a new fresh look for lunch and dinner at very affordable prices.

As Memock mentioned we are having a modern temperature controlled wine cellar that will stock a wide variety of wine from around the world plus a few more surprises.

Good luck with the project John.

[AliasJohn]

6 hours ago, elwood said:

Good luck with the project John.

Thank you Chris. On behalf of Franco and myself, we hope you will pay us a visit when we open next month.

[Michael Hare]

This new venture for Franco and John speaks volumes about how one can contribute to Ubon society. In a recent thread about a young guy from the UK wanting to come and start life in Ubon there were many knockers. I could not believe the negative posts, most from people who have never lived permanently in Ubon.

 

Here we have Franco and John starting up a new top-notch restaurant in Ubon, which Ubon badly needs. All credit to them. They are not young, but willingly to take a little risk, work hard and give back to the city they love. For sure there would have been obstacles in getting work permits, company set-up or partnership, etc, but these guys know that if one does things properly, without any fuss, everything falls into place.

 

Great site, good parking. For sure, will be there next month when you open

[elwood]

17 hours ago, AliasJohn said:

Thank you Chris. On behalf of Franco and myself, we hope you will pay us a visit when we open next month.

Good on ya John.

 

Have you heard anything about a new Italian restaurant being prepared in Ban Nakhum, Kamyai?

The new building, believed to belong to the owner of Home Restaurant, Home Leisure Centre and God knows what else in my area, has two company signs up and one is for Venezia Italian restaurant - "Wine, dine and unwind". 

Early doors yet, workmen are still doing odds and sods outside, and where the restaurant would be has people working inside.

[MeMock]

On 14/08/2017 at 10:50 PM, Michael Hare said:

This new venture for Franco and John speaks volumes about how one can contribute to Ubon society. In a recent thread about a young guy from the UK wanting to come and start life in Ubon there were many knockers. I could not believe the negative posts, most from people who have never lived permanently in Ubon.

 

Here we have Franco and John starting up a new top-notch restaurant in Ubon, which Ubon badly needs. All credit to them. They are not young, but willingly to take a little risk, work hard and give back to the city they love. For sure there would have been obstacles in getting work permits, company set-up or partnership, etc, but these guys know that if one does things properly, without any fuss, everything falls into place.

 

Great site, good parking. For sure, will be there next month when you open

 

It's interesting as well as disappointing to see isn't it Michael. I had plenty of knockers when I started my business and while at the beginning I worried about it I quickly came to realise that these people had nothing going on in their own lives and simply wanted you to fail so that they could feel just that little bit better about themselves.

I love coming back to Ubon and eating at the restaurants, renting cars and motorbikes or having a cold drink in the bars all started years ago by foreigners and still going strong.

The new look Spago will be first on my list.

[Patriot]

Perhaps with your contacts Andrew you can get Dai Oratai to perform at the opening?? 

[elwood]

2 hours ago, Patriot said:

Perhaps with your contacts Andrew you can get Dai Oratai to perform at the opening?? 

Good thinking!

[MeMock]

Good idea mate. She is currently in Begen, Norway though. I will see if she can cut her tour short to make it back in time.

[bergen]

3 hours ago, MeMock said:

Good idea mate. She is currently in Begen, Norway though. I will see if she can cut her tour short to make it back in time.

 

 

She is where? 

[SantiSuk]

On 8/14/2017 at 7:38 AM, Michael Hare said:

Good luck to both Franco and John. Looking forward to bringing guests to the new location. Downtown Ubon needs sprucing up. For far too long this area as become a little run down and in some parts a bit seedy. In the old days all the good restaurants were located in and around the central park. Hopefully the opening of Spago in the Yuu Hotel is the start of a rejuvenation of the area. My only concern is can Ubonites afford to eat there?

 

This is a little off the subject, but many of these new small hotels that have opened in Ubon in recent years have very short names. Perhaps they are easy to pronounce or maybe the owners ask their children to think of a name quickly. Some examples- B2 hotel, V hotel, T3 House, A+ hotel, 168 Studio hotel, De Proud hotel, Better Place hotel, The Rich hotel, Eco Inn and now Yuu hotel. 

By the way Michael, as i know you keep an eye on the hotels for visiting guests/colleagues and I know you know that I use a lot of different hotels in Ubon. ..... One of my current favourites in the budget plus boutique category is Come Pang (in the same street as Zara Doubletree and the same area as the likes of V-Hotel/The Rich/Bliss/Rapeepan Ville/Penta-Hug). Opened 6 months ago - the touches suggest a German or Austrian ownership involvement. Big rooms; decent enough furnishings fittings in muted boutique style; particularly comfortable European-style beds - you can get king size 6 footers although Agoda/Booking.com only seem to offer twins; genuine balconies you could sit out on and enjoy an evening beer. Best bit at the moment is the price - ThB 650 a night including breakfast (limited choice of Thai mains - the pan-fried egg is fine - together with help yourself fruit, juices,coffee, toast &jam). I reckon that's a bargain and puts it in my top 5 Ubon hotels class when considering a blended quality/value coefficient. For me it's also good value as they allow an under-11 to stay for only +50 baht for the breakfast if using existing/your own bedding - a feature which a lot of Ubon hotels seem to be abandoning and which loses them my business when travelling en famille (no way am I buying 2 rooms and sleeping on my own when our 7 year old is with us - btw, Ubon is notably badly equipped for family room bookings - aspiring trophy builders take note; swimming pool and family rooms are in short supply in this town).

 

You only get that price by phone-in/walk-in (the bookers quote 200 baht more!) and a downside for some would be their negligible English.

 

Natsiri Residence has also whacked down its price to around 700 baht for what are comfortable (if somewhat dark US boardroom style) rooms/corridors and including a buffet breakfast with reportedly more choice than Come Pang. Again phone or walk in rather than use the booking web-sites (in this case because they have usually sold out the rooms allocated to them well in advance of the hotel actually being booked out).

 

As always the round of trophy-buliding that has gone on in Ubon hotels is keeping prices down to superb value for visitors, even by already good Thai standards. Dunno how they make any money!

Edited August 17, 2017 by SantiSuk

[MeMock]

8 hours ago, bergen said:

 

 

She is where? 

I was hoping that might bring you into the conversation!

 

 

[Michael Hare]

18 hours ago, MeMock said:

 

It's interesting as well as disappointing to see isn't it Michael. I had plenty of knockers when I started my business and while at the beginning I worried about it I quickly came to realise that these people had nothing going on in their own lives and simply wanted you to fail so that they could feel just that little bit better about themselves.

I love coming back to Ubon and eating at the restaurants, renting cars and motorbikes or having a cold drink in the bars all started years ago by foreigners and still going strong.

The new look Spago will be first on my list.

Some people seem to thoroughly dislike Ubon.

 

Here is the latest from the thread about a young guy wanting to move to Ubon.

 

of all the places I have been  to in Issan Ubon was the worst. its neither pretty nor cosmopolitan.

[Michael Hare]

10 hours ago, SantiSuk said:

By the way Michael, as i know you keep an eye on the hotels for visiting guests/colleagues and I know you know that I use a lot of different hotels in Ubon. ..... One of my current favourites in the budget plus boutique category is Come Pang (in the same street as Zara Doubletree and the same area as the likes of V-Hotel/The Rich/Bliss/Rapeepan Ville/Penta-Hug). Opened 6 months ago - the touches suggest a German or Austrian ownership involvement. Big rooms; decent enough furnishings fittings in muted boutique style; particularly comfortable European-style beds - you can get king size 6 footers although Agoda/Booking.com only seem to offer twins; genuine balconies you could sit out on and enjoy an evening beer. Best bit at the moment is the price - ThB 650 a night including breakfast (limited choice of Thai mains - the pan-fried egg is fine - together with help yourself fruit, juices,coffee, toast &jam). I reckon that's a bargain and puts it in my top 5 Ubon hotels class when considering a blended quality/value coefficient. For me it's also good value as they allow an under-11 to stay for only +50 baht for the breakfast if using existing/your own bedding - a feature which a lot of Ubon hotels seem to be abandoning and which loses them my business when travelling en famille (no way am I buying 2 rooms and sleeping on my own when our 7 year old is with us - btw, Ubon is notably badly equipped for family room bookings - aspiring trophy builders take note; swimming pool and family rooms are in short supply in this town).

 

You only get that price by phone-in/walk-in (the bookers quote 200 baht more!) and a downside for some would be their negligible English.

 

Natsiri Residence has also whacked down its price to around 700 baht for what are comfortable (if somewhat dark US boardroom style) rooms/corridors and including a buffet breakfast with reportedly more choice than Come Pang. Again phone or walk in rather than use the booking web-sites (in this case because they have usually sold out the rooms allocated to them well in advance of the hotel actually being booked out).

 

As always the round of trophy-buliding that has gone on in Ubon hotels is keeping prices down to superb value for visitors, even by already good Thai standards. Dunno how they make any money!

Thank you  Santisuk for all the hotel information updates.  I know the area of the Come Pang hotel very well as I lived around the corner from it for 14 years (2000-2014). When I first built my house there, the road on which the Come Pang hotel is built, was a narrow broken concrete road with no storm water drainage and no council water supply. Most of the land was vacant. Once the water supply was connected and storm water drain put in (2007), buildings rapidly appeared. Most be small dorms for students at the top end. In 2009, work started on the Come Pang hotel. Then in 2010 it stopped and the workers moved up the road and built the Zara Doubletree hotel in very quick time. I was excited about this as I thought it was DoubleTree by Hilton and at long last an overseas hotel chain was coming to Ubon. Of course I was wrong. Zara Doubletree just used the Hilton name. 

 

Then very very slowly, work started again on the  Come Pang hotel. Took another 5 years to complete. On and off. I think maybe ownership must have changed several times or maybe there were difficulties in getting finance. I don't really know.

 

Good to know that you like the place. Just up the road and around the corner is the Thai restaurant Baan Klang Soi which one can walk to from the hotel.

 

With your comings to Ubon and staying overnight Santisuk, I wonder why you have not purchased a condo in the new I Condo complex on Huai Muang. 

 

 

 

 

[Patriot]

Are there any updates regarding the opening date of the "new" Spago???

[MeMock]

You obviously didn't get an invitation... 

 

[Patriot]

9 hours ago, MeMock said:

You obviously didn't get an invitation... 

 

People don't like my behaviour at these sort of functions MeMock

[ubonrthai]

I was so worried when I saw Spago was for sale earlier this year. My family and all our visitors absolutely love that place. I'm glad it will continue. 3 questions...

 

1. Is there parking behind that hotel? I don't see how this location is any better from a parking standpoint. There's only a few spots out front and that area is often clogged with traffic. Not that it matters to me too much. I would hike a mountain to get to Spago on some days. haha

 

2. Will you guys start doing delivery? I've been hoping for that for the last 8 years. Some days I'd rather not deal with the traffic. Or at least partner with UbonHero? 

 

3. When does the new location open? Maybe it already is? I've been out of town for a couple months.

Edited October 23, 2017 by ubonrthai

[AliasJohn]

We have some dedicated parking alotted to us out front of the restaurant which is a good step in the right direction. As business close around us in the evening parking becomes more available on the streets. The parking at the rear of the hotel presently is reserved for hotel guests however negotiations with the owner are under way.
Regarding delivery? that is a big yes for our customers.
We are hoping to open early November. We are close to finishing a huge renovation of the building and we are looking forward to open with a fresh new menu, longer opening hours and a few surprises for our guests.
I will keep you posted on our opening date.
Franco & John

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[ShannonT]

so relieved to hear spagos isn't closing after all! i was really worried when I heard that its for sale. more parking is fantastic news. that was always a problem at the current location.

 

too bad the new location is even further away from us than the old spago but good to hear you're working on better delivery. we love spagos but driving 12 miles (we're way up in kamyai) just to go eat and go back home is not always an option. wife called twice to order with your courier service but each time the pizza came late and cold so we stopped ordering. hoping that you'll deliver with ubonhero. so much faster and the food always arrives hot.

 

will franco still be making the pizza? i think the pizza tastes that good because its made by an authentic italian chef. if you're open to suggestions i would like to see a bigger import beer selection and please open ALL DAY so that if we're going to central 3pm we can stop by for a good meal.

 

and will there be a grand opening party? 

[AliasJohn]

I guess the location will be a little further for some however a little closer for others. Access is much easier for sure. The delivery service will be monitored very closely and nothing will be delivered in a poor state so please don't worry about that. Franco will be overseeing the entire kitchen including the all important pizza making with his very keen eye.
Wine and beer will feature promantly to cater for all tastes.
Opening all day from 11.00am to 10.00pm.
After we open and iron out any hiccups a grand opening is planned.
Look forward to seeing you.

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[Patriot]

Yep; its great for us living in Warin, especially of a night one doesn't have to play "Dodge the Student Scooter"

All the best and good luck to you guys.

Chris

[MeMock]

I've been lucky enough to catch a sneak preview of the new property and believe me, this new place is going to be amazing.

[Michael Hare]

8 hours ago, AliasJohn said:

I guess the location will be a little further for some however a little closer for others. Access is much easier for sure. The delivery service will be monitored very closely and nothing will be delivered in a poor state so please don't worry about that. Franco will be overseeing the entire kitchen including the all important pizza making with his very keen eye.
Wine and beer will feature promantly to cater for all tastes.
Opening all day from 11.00am to 10.00pm.
After we open and iron out any hiccups a grand opening is planned.
Look forward to seeing you.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

This statement is a little dangerous John; quote "Wine and beer will feature promantly to cater for all tastes". Looks like either a taxi or a non-drinking driver for me at least. Looking foreward to the opening. 

[AliasJohn]

This statement is a little dangerous John; quote "Wine and beer will feature promantly to cater for all tastes". Looks like either a taxi or a non-drinking driver for me at least. Looking foreward to the opening. 

Smile nicely Michael and I may run you home myself[emoji4][emoji4]. We look forward to seeing you.

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[AliasJohn]

Yep; its great for us living in Warin, especially of a night one doesn't have to play "Dodge the Student Scooter"
All the best and good luck to you guys.
Chris

Thank you Chris. We can't wait to open the doors. Cheers

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