Pattaya Parties

Having lived in Italy for around 5 years prior to my relocation to Thailand, if I was going to miss any type of 'farang' food, it would certainly be Italian.

Whilst living in Italy you could pretty much be guaranteed an excellent meal no matter the type of 'eatery' you visited and without any reference to 'budget'. Some of the very best meals for example have been served by tiny 'family run' trattoria's, where the only option was what they were cooking that day. Many of these places have the ambiance of a genuine Italian family home and though at first you may feel a little 'out of place' as the regulars and the hosts discuss the latest local news, government issues and of course 'football', you are given a genuine welcome and eventually the conversation will get around to involving you. After all, they are all 'dying' to hear where you live, where you come from and what you do, etc!

Anyway, as I now have developed a passion for Thai Food, it was not the food that drew me to Trattoria Toscana Pizzeria on Beach Road, but the memories of some excellent Brunello di Montalcino that I have partaken of during my stay in Italy. Surely, this genuine 'upmarket' Italian Restaurant would have such offerings? I'm pleased to say that they did.

In true, lonely sad man style I visited Trattoria Toscana Pizzeria alone. Another appointment had been cancelled at the last moment so I was at a bit of a 'loose end' and seeing as though it was Buddha Day in Thailand, the police had declared that all bars should close. Many actually didn't, but instead chose to turn out the lights and turn off the music .... this was as good as closed to me!

Trattoria Toscana Pizzeria has recently relocated to new premises on Beach Road, just down from Soi 6 when you are coming from Dolphin Roundabout. You have a choice of eating 'al fresco' or inside in the well laid out and air conditioned main seating area. I chose the latter.

The menu contained many appealing choices, but I settled on Salumi Misti or mixed cold meats to start, with the Bistecca Fiorentina as a main. From the truly excellent Wine List I had a choice form around 5 Brunello's! Whilst the only one I recognised was attractive, at 6000 baht per bottle I figured that this was an indulgence that would have to wait until I at least have guests with me!

I eventually decided on a mid-priced Brunello from 1995, pretty old for the money in all honesty.

The water and bread came first and I used these to clear my palete in anticipation. The first Brunello di Montalcino to hit my taste buds in over a year, was an absolute delight. I was in heaven and was now quite happy that I decided to come alone.

The selection of meats was soon served and these were equally delicious. In particular, the Peppercino Salumi was most satisfying.

Then came the Florentine Steak. I order my steaks pretty raw (Sangue, 'bloody' to the Italians), sadly once again I have failed to find a place that can present a decent 'raw' steak. The large 'T-Bone' varied from 'uncooked' to 'medium' across it's width. Edible for me, but quite a let down really. The Potatoes in Rosemary however, were wonderful.

I decided to finish off with a Panna Cotta. I asked if they had a Chocolate topping and after some confusion the waitress and waiter said yes, only to return with Chocolate Ice Cream. I attempted to explain again and was told they do have Panna Cotta, but only with a 'fruits of the forest' type topping ..... I gave in, "ok" I said.

It arrived and I can only say that obviously nobody has ordered Panna Cotta in this restaurant for quite some time. What arrived was congealed and completely inedible. I asked for Tirimisu.

After a short delay, the tiniest of slices arrived, worse still it contained only two layers .... strange. Tasty, but strange non the less. I gave in once again and retreated to my only 'happy place' ... the Brunello di Montalcino.

To be honest, after finishing off the whole bottle of 'nector' I was in no mood to complain and payed my bill of 5500 baht almost happily. I did decide not to leave a tip in the folder though, but to give 100 baht to the struggling waiter who had been scurrying back and forth.

Not sure of the policy on this either though, because as I was leaving, I saw him check the folder, then put his 100 baht note into it. An honest and 'just' man it would appear.

On releflection, my experience of Trattoria Toscana Pizzeria was not a great one. I would have been much happier simply to have purchased the Wine before retreating to my home. It was a mistake not to have done so, but it is a mistake that I will not be repeating.

For the record, I am far from being a qualified Restaurant Critic. However, I enjoy my food, I know what I like and I have been fortunate enough to have visited the right places in order to sample 'quality' food that is both well cooked and well presented.