Italian food in Bangkok ... ?

[Smiles]

My dearest is quite open to new cuisines . . . he discovered ~ and loves ~ mashed potatoes!
But he's an Isaan guy from the heart and I have to drag him away from "some noodle" every once in awhile.

Anyway, I've not taken him to an Italian restaurant in the Big Mango and I think it's time to have a go. Searched here: http://www.dininginthailand.com/restaurant8.asp and there are some interesting sounding places. But that's a net thing, and I was wondering whether anyone has a favourite Italiano ristorante (hopefully with al fresco area) they'd like to recommend for us to take our chances with.

Cheers ...

[wowpow]

Dulio's used to have a place in Pattaya next to Foodland and one on Suckhumvit road Bangkok. The Pattaya one has gone.

A friend recently recommneded a place by Tarntawan Place and it turned out to be a Duilio's in the semi-basement of the Tawana Ramada (spit! of huge joiner's fee fame). There are large windows so it does not feel underground. At lunch there the food was terrific, superb pasta and the lunch discounts large.

They used to advertise in Thai Guys and I think one of the owners is gay friendly or more.


Other Italian places I have tried:

Biscotti at the Four Seasons - superb and always a delight
Zanotti - very disappointing but busy and has a great buzz - others seem to be enjoying their food.
Scuzzi on Silom a posh place but I will never grace it's doors again.

All these restaurants seem popular and busy

There are droves more as Thais seem besotted with Italian food of any quality. In my experience Italian food is all about great ingredients and you do need superb pasta, olive oil, veal and parmsan which are often missing in Thailand

The Dame Sanitary Napkin, late of this parish pointed out some time ago that a small place on Soi Convent was now being run by one of HK's most celbrated Italian restaraunteurs, but I forget the details. Perhaps someone else remembers his reviews. This isn't the fresh baked pizza place which I consider a bit expensive and more of a lunch place.

What amuses me about Italian food is that every few years we seem to see a new wave of popularity for some Italian "tradition" e.g. Tiramisu, buffalo cheese ( surely this will be Issan's economic saviour ).

[pandorasbox-old]

I was often taken to Siam city hotel by a friend of mine from Hong Kong.

While I have never stayed there they did have a wonderful Italian restaurant with excellent service. I understand that the cost was reasonable for a hotel.

La Buca
Sukhumvet, Soi 1 (In a shop-house near the...Bunregard...Bumrungrad...whatever...Hospital .)
Unpretentious, great food, Decent wines.

If you hope to wow him with the circus: an orgy of glass, stained glass, fountains...you name it....
L'Opera
Suck`emwet, Soi 39. Looks like...An Opera...duh.
Some think this is the best Italian in Bangkok; If it's not, please tell me what is. (Maybe, La Buca?)
Extensive menu. Try an Italian seafood dish.

Avoid places on Silom unless you love places on the order of--Gag-and-Vomit--California Pizza--And I think there is one of those--And there is...or was...just the name's enough to put one off...a Spaghetti Warehouse. Especially, avoid the Italian joint (Is to Naples what Detroit is to Tokyo) in Patong...on Soi 3?...Near Foodland...I think: It's so forgettable, can't remember the name or exact street.

In Pattaya:
The place on Beach Road--Sorry, can't remember the name: Gregorio's (?)--in small house behind (When exiting for Beach Road) the Amari.

The Amari has an outdoor Italian buffet one night a week: usually an ad in Pattaya Mail--but seems to slip a little more every year.

I love the fried strawberry & pink peppercorn sundae at Bruno's! `Makes cherries jubilee seem like fifty years in a convent!

[lonelywombat]

I remember a thread on restaurants in BKK sometime before xmas.

I thought I would do a search and went to archive 3
Gay Thailand Archives [3]
1 Sept 2005 - 5 Dec 2005

this is not an accurate period of time, it has a mixture of posts from april to june ( page 19) and finishes 31 aug (page 01)

I accept that was the time of upheaval.
Spike I am not having a shot at you, you did well to get this up and running again , just this is something I had noticed before when using search.

I am going to bed now it is almost monday. But as I type I wonder if the old board archives are a better place to search for this subject.

There is a wealth of interesting info that seems to have disappeared.

Maybe those in a different time frame, might be able to find the thread in the old board (sept to dec 05) and so help all of us.

I am as interested as smiles in this subject

[Richsilver]

My two favorite Italian restaurants in BKK: Zanotti on Convent 02-636-0002 and Limoncello off of Sukumvit Soi 11 (near the Ambassador Hotel) 02-651-0707. Limoncello is much more casual.

Reservations are a must at both places.

[Dodger]

Recommending restaurants is like recommending religions, so I hesitate slightly...but here goes.

I'm not a Bangkok person but did stumble across Scozzi Pizzeria who serve a great authentic thin crust Italian pizza. They are located on Suriwong Rd. a few blocks from Tarntewan. No ambiance what-so-ever....so I ask for an outside table.

I'll second Edith's recommendation for La Buca...great pasta dishes...good selection of "reds"...and the best Tirimisu in town. Usually the last place I dine (with someone) before heading back to Don Muang.

In Pattaya, I enjoy Max Italian Restaurant on Soi Post Office. Cozy...wonderful home made pasta/truly Italian...reasonable prices.

My favorite pizza in PTY comes sliding out of the ovens at Pizzeria Romana on second Rd...it's the real deal!

The Italian Restaurant (name?) which sits across the soi from Two Faces in the Jomtien Complex consistently serves great meals. Boy Special is addicted to their lasagna and I favor their veal parmesan and quadro formaggi pizza. It's a casual open-air eatery and great for an afternoon stop-in on your way home from the beach. They have a waiter who's as mouth watering as the Tirimisu...but when I'm with Boy Special I stick to the ala carta menu.

Bon Apetite...

[Dodger]

Smiles,

This isn't an Italian restaurant, nor is it located in Bangkok...but I couldn't resist mentioning a place called Zum Simple Bei Heike Restaurant - located on South Pattaya Rd., just a few yards from the intersection of Second Rd. If you're ever just in the meat n' potatoes mood try them out. They serve both European and Thai cuisine, but the Euro has my vote. They serve the best beef tenderloin I've ever had in LOS. Their prime tenderloin fillet is of Viking proportion (at least 14 ounces), topped with a creamy peppercorn sauce and served with a large portion of fried potatoes and onions (German style). They have a small closed-in non-smoking area which only has a few small tables which I recommend also. I'm a smoker but chose this private seating area for its romantic qualities. It's Boy Specials favorite restaurant also...and we rarely agree on anything...LOL

Cheers...

[Smiles]

I'll second Edith's recommendation for La Buca...great pasta dishes...good selection of "reds"...and the best Tirimisu in town ..."
That should just about clinch it right there!!
Forget the beloved ... this is all about me when it comes to tirimisu, which by the way is not a food fad or affectation (as implied in a post above) but, when done to perfection, is a sublime and classic dessert floating far above the vagaries of culinary fashion. What I especially enjoy about tirimisu is how every dessert chef makes it differently. Bad ones are god awful (they use Reddiwhip), great ones orgasmic ... I like to get the cream/sponge cake all over my mouth.

For what sounds like the WORST recipe for Tirimisu on the face of the earth (it's from America), get a load of this:



Twinkie-misu (Tirimisu)

Items Needed:

A Box of Hostess Twinkies (!!?)
1/2 cup strong coffee, cooled & sweetened
1/4 cup Kahlua (optional)
1/2 gallon coffee or coffee & chocolate ice cream

Chocolate shavings or sprinkles

DIRECTIONS: Slice Twinkies in half lengthwise. Spray 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
Put five Twinkie halves, cream side up, side by side in pan. Mix coffee and Kahlua (optional);
with pastry brush, apply liberally to cut side of Twinkies. Spoon about a 1/2 inch layer of
softened ice cream over Twinkies. Repeat until you have used enough Twinkies & ice cream
to fill the loaf pan. Cover tightly with foil and freeze several hours or overnight. This can
be served from the pan in slices or unmolded, garnished with the chocolate and served.
Serves about 10


Anyway guys, thanks for all these excellent responses. I'll do a review of the place we end up in.

Cheers ...

[manfarang-old]

For what sounds like the WORST recipe for Tirimisu on the face of the earth (it's from America), get a load of this:
Your parenthetical note was probably unnecessary - this one looks as if it's from the "Trailer Trasher Cookbook." :sunny:

[Dodger]

No Manfarang, that recipe actually got invented on the west side of Chicago in the early seventies. The only error in Smiles recipe was the chocolate sprinklings as garnish, as the original recipe strictly calls for 1/4 once of Acapulco Gold.

No Manfarang, that recipe actually got invented on the west side of Chicago in the early seventies. The only error in Smiles recipe was the chocolate sprinklings as garnish, as the original recipe strictly calls for 1/4 once of Acapulco Gold.

Is Ukranian Village far enough west?
Belmont & Pulaski?
Did you ever go to one of the Halloween Drag Balls? One night, at the Ambassador, some silly slitch, calling herself, Polly Esther, went in a blond-grey (roots), overprocessed-perm wig (?...or her own?) & five layers of unmatched double-knit with three (Goldblat's, Wieboldts & Jewel) shopping bags & unborn naugahide assessories as, The West Side?

I shouldn't laugh (At the recipe) (But I did!). I used to make the munchie (Those munchies.) 'cake' thingie: a box of Famous Wafers, left whole, each covered with Cool Whip, arranged like a log, iced with the rest of the quart and refrigerated four hours, or longer. But I gave up deserts to get my figure back...After the baby--And he left, anyway.

I tried something called, Better Than Sex Cake. It wasn't.
But if you took the 'other type' twinkie and covered him with that ice cream, etc.?...Well, that's eatin! Low-cal version: just leave off the ice cream, etc.

One of my favorites is a small family run place called Lido. It's on Soi Bumphen (?) The soi just at The Malaysia Hotel with the 7-11 on the corner. Walk down the soi about 2 blocks and it's on the right side corner. They also deliver to the Sathorn area.

They have excellent Pasta Amatriciana and the owner even specially makes a good chicken Pasta Primavera for me. The salads are nice with an even tasting vinegrette, not too strong. I've had the pizzas also and they are just OK. The pastas are much better, though I've had them make me a pesto pizza a few times that was excellent.

It has a nice welcoming, homey feel to the place. You don't have to get dressed up, it's a neighborhood eatery where they know your name.

ajarntrade

The larb kai pizza at Big Mama\'s Pizzeria is still my favorite. A guaranteed way to get an Isan boy to eat pizza. It\'s delicious.

For more traditional pizzas, and a full Italian menu, try Basilico on Sukhumvit Soi 33 (across from the Novotel Lotus).

For homestyle Italian food, and lots of it, La Piola on Sukhumvit Soi 11. Run by a septuagenarian nonna and her fifty-something year old, opera-singing sons.

[Smiles]

Thanks all (once again) for the delicious-sounding suggestions.
Rest assured at least one of these places will get our business next month . . . and upon retirement (rapidly approaching / Aug/07 :bounce: ) perhaps all of them sooner or later, during regular forays into the sweaty charms and lousy air of Bangkok & environs.

Cheers ...

And dont forget the excellent Italian restaurant at the Sukhothai hotel, La Scala on Sathorn Rd.
Here you may eat outside on the terrace along-side the pool glittering with night light. The decor is is continental chic without being at all pretentious, so nice and relaxed and the lighting is subtle. The the food is very very good but its not at all cheap,though if you avoid anything with white truffle or european lobster you should be ok. If this is to impress this is a good choice. Usually very busy so you have to book.

if you avoid anything with white truffle or european lobster you should be ok

...is that because the european lobsters have jumped over the fence from the sauna round the back.

This is the little known origin of the spiritual song "All my truffles Lord, soon be over..." It refers to the fence.

Ha ha, yes it true the sauna is just across the way. I thought I would leave that for the dinners to find out when they go to powder their nose.