2Getherbar & Restaurant

When I was making dinner plans with a Thai friend and she found out I felt like Italian food, she unhesitatingly suggested 2Getherbar. She said the chef is Italian and the food there is excellent.

So there we were. My friend ordered the Pepperoni Pizza, her favourite at 2Getherbar. When I asked if we were sharing the pizza, she didn't look too happy. I ordered spaghetti pesto genovese. My friend then said that the somtum (aka papaya salad) here is excellent and proceeded to order the somtum with crab and fermented fish... not my favourite! What else can a curious foodie do, but order my own Tum Thai (just the regular somtum) to try it out. Well, that was a first! Going in for Italian food and also ended up ordering some papaya salad.

So here it is, the papaya salad. And yes, it was excellent. Crunchy papaya and peanuts, intense flavour and super spicy. My tongue was burning by the time I was half way through the somtum when luckily the pizza came out. BTW, normally you would have the somtum with other less spicy dishes. You can also order milder versions.

Luckily, my friend let me have some of her pizza. She explained later that pepperoni pizza is her favourite at 2Getherbar and normally she just eats the whole thing by herself, hence her hesitation in sharing the pizza with me! So while she gets through her papaya salad, I started on the thin crust pizza, which, I must say, was very good. I ended up eating 5 pieces (!!!), ie half the pizza (normally I would eat 3 pieces max). 240 baht.

After a little while, the pesto genovese came out. 120 baht. This is simply pesto, pasta and parmesan and it was a dream - deliciously smooth and creamy, especially when we added the extra parmesan. My friend, incidentally loved it and helped me eat quite a bit of it. :P

Who would have guessed a restaurant can make both great Italian food and Thai food (at least the papaya salad anyway)! Having tried the somtum, I would love to come back and try 2Getherbar's other Thai dishes, which incidentally also look great on the menu.

I must also say that the staff here is very friendly. During the meal, I see tourists coming to the bar as well as regular customers who the staff know by name. The restaurant wasn't overly busy on the Saturday night, but then I was told that a lot of people go to the Saturday Walking Street instead of the Night Bazaar, so perhaps the weekend would be a good time to come if you want to have a quiet dinner.

2Getherbar is located just a couple of doors down from Le Spice Indian Restaurant. If you come by car, you can park at Galare Night Bazaar (10 baht per hour).

The price, I think, is also quite reasonable, especially when compared to other Italian and Thai restaurants. Altogether, the bill came to about 300 baht each (including a glass of red wine for me and 2 glasses of white wine for my friend).

2Getherbar & Restaurant
19/1 Charoenprathet Soi 6
Night Bazaar, Chiang Mai
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/2GetherBarChiangMaiThailand/
Tel: 099 037 4331
Hours:  5pm-1am daily
GPS Location: 18.7847, 99.00149

Italics Restaurant @ Akyra Manor Hotel

Italics, Innovative Italian. Pretty cool name! This hip and happening restaurant is in the lobby of Chiang Mai's newest boutique hotel, Akyra Manor.

The decor is rather fresh and modern. The ambience is sophisticated, stylish and cool (air-conditioning cool)!

As it was a lovely day out, my friend and I decided to have our early lunch on the terrace, which happens to also have more of a relaxing atmosphere. It was nice to just sit there, chill out and slowly enjoy the meal and do a bit of people watching.

Love the tree!

And the food? That's what we're here for, and Italics does not disappoint. The menu is very interesting, with a variety of innovative dishes created by the Executive Chef Phubase that you won't find elsewhere.

Highly recommended was Chef Phubase's signature dish, the Coffee Braised Short Rib ( 695 baht) . This is beef marinated in coffee, and slow cooked in duck fat for over 24 hours, resulting in super tender beef that's packed full of flavour but still had kind of soft roundedness to it (from the duck fat?). The beef was served in a little pot over some spinach, and also with gnocchi cooked in duck fat. The gnocchi was wonderful - slightly crispy and hard on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. It was like, wow, when everything was eaten together. The only downside for us was that this dish was quite rich and we couldn't finish it all. Lucky we had some green salad that we ordered separately. I didn't think of it at the time, but I think the beef would have been perfect with a glass of red wine.

Now the Garden Greens Salad (220 baht) was no ordinary "green salad". It also contained marinated pepper and grilled vegetables, coated in a light balsamic dressing, and served with a generous amount of parmesan. It was a great salad, very enjoyable to eat. Eat slowly to enjoy the different flavours and textures.

As for the appetiser (sorry, we're going backwards!), East Meets West (250 baht) was suggested to us. This is almost like 2 dishes - a selection of "cured and smoked" sausages, and a sweet potato and edamame salad. The sausages were very strongly flavoured and quite salty, but they went well with the lovely, milder tasting sweet potato and edamame salad (in a kind of mayonnaise dressing). The salad is a bit like a Japanese style potato salad with edamame added to give a little crunch. Great idea!

The sweet potato edamame salad is served in a sardine can. Great presentation!

For dessert, we had the Banana Ricotta Cheesecake (220 baht). This wasn't what I was expecting in terms of taste and texture. The cheesecake itself was incredibly smooth and surprisingly not sweet at all. The base also had an interesting texture, (which I can't work out!), but it wasn't like other cheesecakes that I've had. All in all, it was quite lovely.

Towards the end of the meal, Chef Phubase, and the Hotel Manager, Chris came round for a chat and asked for feedback. The restaurant (and hotel) was opened just a couple of days before. Apart from a couple of minor things, I think pretty much everything was great.

The staff was very friendly, from the guy who valet parked my car (yay! parking is available!), to the restaurant manager, Cy, and the waiters/ waitresses who took turns to man the terrace, making sure our water is topped up - very attentive service indeed!

Incidentally, Chris mentioned that they will be implementing a "Resident's Program" where residents can get 15% discount. So, if you live in Chiang Mai, it would be worth asking about this when you visit the restaurant.

Italics is an interesting addition to Chiang Mai's food scene. The service and food is great. If you're looking for somewhere for a special night out, or even just looking for something a bit different, the restaurant is worth checking out.

Italics
22/2 Nimmanhaemin Soi 9
T Suthep, A Muang
Chiang Mai 50220
Website: http://theakyra.com/chiang-mai/akyra-manor-italics/
Opens: Daily 11am-11pm
Tel: 053 216 219

Enoteca Italian Restaurant & Buonissimo Food Affairs

A fellow foodie friend was really excited when he told me that the former executive chef of Le Meridian has teamed up with Buonissimo to open a new Italian Restaurant, Deli and wine shop at Fifth Avenue (near Meechok Plaza).

Searching for a place to eat one day, I was driving in the area and a thought, "let's drop in and see if they're open", and yes, they were. It was their 3rd day!

We were warmly welcomed by the staff. The downstairs area was quite cold (as it's also the wine shop and deli). There was a very big selection of wine, and in the deli counter, lots of cheeses, and dessert.

If you're someone like me who feels the cold (the downstairs area need to be the right temperature for the wine), you might want to head upstairs, where the temperature is a bit warmer, and where you'll also find the open kitchen, and tables with Doi Suthep view.

The menu at Enoteca is quite varied, and has interesting dishes (at least I haven't seen them before), including the Marinated Eggplant Rolls Stuffed with Cream Cheese and Sundried Tomatoes. This turned out to be a rather decadent starter. It is exactly what was described in the menu. The more earthy flavour of the eggplant was highlighted with the tartness of the sun-dried tomato, and complimented well with the creaminess of the soft cheese. Lovely. 140 baht.

The Insalata Con Feta salad ordered was lovely and fresh, simply dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. I thought the fetta was a bit hard though (I prefer the softer variety). 180 baht.

My favourite for the meal, the "handmade" lasagne, was a dream. The chef said it was done to his mother's recipe. The pasta was so soft, and the filling full of cheese and beef flavours. I think it might have been one of the best lasagne I've had (although I must say I'm no lasagne expert!). 190baht.

I must say I'm quite impressed with Enoteca. The food and ambience is lovely. I like the decor too - simple and stylish, and the staff are very friendly. Will definitely be back to try other dishes.

Enoteca (Great Fine Wine)
555/148 Fifth Avenue
T. Nongjom, A Sansai, Chiang Mai 50210
Tel: 093 272 2406
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreatFineWine

Pizzeria Giotto @ Meechok Plaza

Pizza Giotto is a relatively new Italian restaurant opened earlier this year by a young Thai chef. She did a fantastic job with the restaurant providing lovely Italian fare, including thin crust wood fired pizzas, lovely pasta, and various other dishes. There's even breakfast too!

Another good thing about it is, it's just a few doors down from my office at Meechok Plaza. This is welcomed addition to the various restaurants and eateries, providing a nice mix of International cuisines from Thai to Chinese to Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese...and now Italian.

The service is very friendly and warm, and the staff very well trained.

Ok...on with the food!

Ceasar Salad with Prawns. This this the first time I've had caesar salad with prawns, and it was lovely! Beautiful, creamy dressing that I can just keep eating non stop. The prawns were well seasoned and full of flavour, and I was quite pleasantly surprised with this as the prawns I've had in Thailand are generally tasteless. 185 baht.

Pesto Pizza - also quite lovely, cooked in one of those impressive igloo looking wood fire pizza ovens. Crispy thin crusted pizza topped with pesto sauce (crushed garlic, basil, parsley and nuts blended with parmesan and olive oil) and topped with mozzarella cheese. I love the thin crust that actually felt quite healthy, and I was able to un-guiltily enjoy the pizza...after all, there's lot of calcium in cheese, right? The flavours, by the way, came together very well.

Just as a general note:  I find the food at Pizzeria Giotto not too salty, and I could enjoy the "real" flavours of the cheese (beautiful!), and the pesto sauce.  250 baht.

The Oven

Home Made Potato Fries. I think potato chips and fries must be the ultimate comfort food. I particularly like thick cut fries and potato fries / wedges. There's something about biting into the crispy "skin" into the warm and soft "centres" that's immensely satisfying, especially on a rainy day or when you're tired and hungry! So...being very hungry and tired that day, I couldn't help myself but order these potato fries served with spicy mayonnaise... And the fries were scrumptious, especially with the paprika sprinkled on top for a little added kick. 95 Baht.

Spaghetti Olio Garlic, Prawns, Mushrooms and Dried Chilli. This was a great dish infused with beautiful garlic aroma, and quite strongly flavoured and pretty spicy. The prawns were very well seasoned. A very nice dish. 250 baht.

The Verdict

The food here is very nice, and the staff very friendly and knowledgable. Great addition to the variety of restaurants at Meechok Plaza. Not cheap, but comparable to other Italian restaurants around town.

Pizzeria Giotto
206/24 Meechok Plaza
T Faham, A Muang, Chiang Mai
Tel: 0835821551
Opens: 10am-9pm (Closed on Tuesdays)

I'm trying out the New Google Maps. Hope you like it!

Giorgio Italian Restaurant (Revisited!)

Quite a few years ago, when people ask what's the best Italian Restaurant in Chiang Mai, Giorgio was often mentioned. Over the last few years, the number of great Italian / Mediterranean restaurants have mushroomed (lucky for Chiang Mai!) and so the name "Giorgio" has taken a backseat.

I had the opportunity to revisit this Italian restaurant when a friend from Japan recently came to Chiang Mai. Just down the road from the Night Bazzar where my friend was staying, Giorgio was in a good location to have a quiet dinner away from the hustle and bustle of Loi Khro Rd and Night Bazaar.

I found the service excellent and attentive, and the food lovely.

After taking orders, a plate of a couple of rather unassuming bruschetta appeared on our table. I didn't even bother to take a photo. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but it just didn't look as fancy and photo worthy as other bruschettas I've tried around town! But biting into the tomato topped bread, I really enjoyed the smooth flavours and the softish warmed bread. Now I which I have taken photos to show you!

A very tempting basket of bread and herbed butter was also offered, but I didn't have these as I was anticipating a rather large meal ahead.

First dish - Salmon Carpaccio. This isn't normally a dish I'd normally picked, but I guess it reminded my Japanese friend of Salmon Sashimi! The Salmon Carpaccio turned out to be wonderful - the thin slices of salmon was layered on a bed of rocket leaves, and topped with lemon zest and red peppercorns, and at the time of serving, drizzled with olive oil. Very lovely indeed! 290 baht.

The Grilled Vegetables came next. This was also very nice. The grilled zucchini (my favourite here) was superb with a slight smokey / burnt flavour and complimented well with herbs (not sure which kind) and the smoothness and roundness of the olive oil. The other veggies - grilled eggplant and capsicum were great too, but I liked the zucchini the best. 120 baht.

The Salmon Fettuccine with Tomato Cream Sauce was also lovely. Actually, we ended up choosing it because we couldn't decide whether to go for a tomato based or creamy pasta! In any case, we weren't disappointed. The ribbons of fettuccine itself was perfectly cooked (as far as I can tell!) - al dente. The flavours were perfect too, especially for me. I often find the taste of Italian food from restaurants (especially in Chiang Mai) too salty. However, I thought Giorgio made this dish just right. The smooth creaminess of the sauce was a dream. 290 baht.

Needless to say, there weren't anything left on any of the plates by the time we finished with these dishes!

Oh..and the house red was very nice too. I suppose it'd better be good at 280 baht/glass.

Giorgio Italian Restataurant
2/6 Prachasamphan Rd.
Changklan, Muang, Chiang Mai
Tel: 053 271866
Mob: 086 185 6327
http://www.giorgiochiangmai.com/giorgio.php
Opens: 11:30am-2:30pm for lunch ; 6pm-10:30pm for dinner
Reservation recommended



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Fiore Rosa - Homemade Italian in Doi Saket - Now closed

Dining at Fiore Rosa is like going to a friend's place for dinner...not just any friend though..a friend who can cook, and is passionate about cooking.

Roberto and his wife, Khun Dao makes a great team. As soon as we sat down, Roberto, the man behind the kitchen, started recommending and explaining recommended dishes straight away.

The first dish.. Beef Capaccio - I've had this before a couple of times at other Italian restaurants, but didn't actually know that Beef Capaccio is actually raw beef until Roberto told us, and the reality of its rawness dawned on me when the paper thin, super fresh, bright red beef slices came topped with cheese, rockets and I think, lemon juice (as opposed to lime). I never knowingly eat anything raw except for sashimi, so I told myself, I've eaten capaccio before..just eat it! ..And I was glad I did, because it was lovely! The cheese on the beef was very creamy and smooth, and the lemon added a slight hint of tanginess.  170 baht.

Mediterranean Salad - This was also beautiful in terms of looks and taste! Comprised of lovely salad greens, anchovies pieces which added a nice accent to the salad, fetta cheese (mmmm!) and olives. The dressing was lovely and light. 130 baht.

Fish Fillet in olive oil, vinegrette, lemon and almonds served on a bed of spinach. This was SO good.. very, very special. Never had anything like it before. Gorgeous and smooth with a lovely rounded fragance of what I think is almond and lemon wedge that has been placed in the pan with the fish.

Roberto explained that we should never squeeze lemon juice on the fish, rather, the lemon should be placed in the pan. Squeezing lemon juice on the fish will "kill" it. Wow.

Very good value at 160 baht.

Unfortunately, that's all us 2 ladies could fit in that night, well we did have some very nice house red wine as well. I guess we'll just have to come back. Would definitely want to have the fish fillet again, but also want to try other dishes to....choices, choices!

The other great thing about Fiore Rosa is the ambience... very casual and relaxed. You have a choice of dining outside or in an air-conditioned room indoors.

Getting there involves driving down a windy road passing through rice fields, which feels almost like an adventure!

Fiore Rosa
Opens: Mon-Sat 5:30pm-9:00pm
(It's a shame they don't open Sundays otherwise I would go quite often!)
Tel: 053 039 221; 085 032 5865

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Casa Diverso (Mediterranean and Thai Food)

I was kindly invited by Khun Oh, the ex-manager of Oyori The Grill to come and try out his recently opened Mediterranean and Thai restaurant in Chiang Mai's Old City. Khun Oh and his partner, Chef Lek have a lot of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked in Pattaya, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Their  dream is to open their own restaurant one day, and Casa Diverso is that dream coming true!

The Casa Diverso is in a lovely spot, just around the corner from The Rim Hotel. There's a large outdoor dining area in the garden, and also a rather stylishly decorated indoors area, giving the restaurant a classy, but still relaxed and warm feel.

I was quite surprised by the menu offering both a large selection of European food and Thai food as I was expecting only European food. My friends and I all opted for European food, but I would think the Thai food would be good as well. I hope I'll have the opportunity to go back soon to try the Thai food and other items on the menu!

Some very nice bread with herbed and garlic butter was served.

A green salad was ordered as an entree....and it was... green!...comprised of various types of nice and crispy lettuce with balsamic dressing.

Bruschetta Mozzarella Cheese was highly recommended by Khun Oh. It was lovely with chunky pieces of tomato, mozzarella cheese, and pesto sauce. The bruschetta was quite large and a little hard to eat gracefully without using the knife and fork. 120 baht. 

For my main course, I chose the Grilled Pork Tenderloin (very, very juicy and tender!), which was topped with a blueberry gravy sauce. The gravy was cooked a couple of days in the traditional way, and the blueberry gave the sauce a slightly sweet tang. The potato wedges were great too! 320 baht.

I didn't try this one, but my friend reported that the slow cooked salmon was very good, served with horseradish sauce, as well as pesto sauce on the side. 340 baht.

I just had a little taste of the Spaghetti Alle Vongole - a very simple pasta with clams, oil, garlic and parsley. It was lovely and fragrant, and quite spicy! Very good as well. I wouldn't mind going back to have this all to myself next time!

For dessert, we shared a rather large Creme Brulee (120 baht) which was spectacularly "torched" in front of us by Khun Oh. It was nice, creamy and smooth, but unfortunately, quite sweet. I mentioned this to Khun Oh, and he was really happy to receive the feedback. He seems very dedicated to providing good service and making customers happy. :-)

We all had a very enjoyable time, and we all thought the food at Casa Diverso was great, and the prices very reasonable. Definitely a place we can go back to, and I'm happy we have another quality addition to the Chiang Mai eating scene!

Casa Diverso
184/1 Rachamankha Rd
Phrasing, Chiang Mai.
(Old City)
Opens daily: 11am-11pm
Tel: 084 174 0699




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Piccola Roma Palace (Italian Restaurant)

Having been opened 22 years and still going strong is a testament to how wonderful Piccola Roma Palace is. I think the restaurant's popularity is due to the very skillful and lovely chef / owner Angelo who comes an greet diners, give recommendations and take orders personally. This combined with excellent food and excellent service, is a sure recipe for success!

The restaurant is lovely, and has a classy yet comfortable feel. The staff are very attentive - I could hardly touch the water bottle on my table - as soon as I reach for it, a waiter comes and takes it off me to refill my glass. This actually makes an amusing game between my friends and I - let's try to touch that water bottle before a waiter comes running...lol...and yes, I would give the service 5 stars.

And the food....I must say it's excellent - excellent in quality and very, very large portions. You might want to consider sharing. The three of us ordered 3 entrees, 2 mains (pasta) and a dessert to share - I felt it was just right, but I don't normally eat a huge amount.  Just let Angelo know (if you want to share) when you order and the waiters will bring everyone extra plates and cutleries.

...And importantly, the pasta here is homemade.

Some of the dishes we had:

Prawn Cocktails - Simply delicious, tasty, oh-so-fresh prawns with lovely creamy sauce just to get the appetite going.

Bruschetta with olive oil, tomato and basil leaf - lovely and refreshing,  but I thought the bread was slightly dry (?). The table next to us ordered Bruschetta with garlic - wow, it was so fragrant and smelt so delicious, I must try it next time! 

Penne Carbonara - I don't usually order carbonara, mainly because for some reason, I have always thought that it's a creamy dish, and I can't eat too much cream....but this one was fantastic. The menu lists the ingredients for the "sauce" as bacon, egg and parmesan cheese, which I guess would be the "original" recipe. I could really taste the parmesan! Check out the chef's recipe here.

The next pasta dish wasn't on the menu. Angelo made it for my friends before and he did it again for us. I think it was Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, chilli and tomato and prawns - beautiful!

...And of course, we have to leave room for dessert. My friends tell me that the tiramisu here is great. Tonight though, we opted for Profiterole with whipped cream and chocolate sauce to share.  and yes, it was wonderfully decadent. I think it would have been great even just having the cream and chocolate sauce!

The price: It worked out to be about 600-800 baht/person - on the expensive side of the scale for Chaing Mai, but well worth it for the quality.


Piccola Roma Palace 
144 Charoenprathet Rd
(Opposite The Chedi Hotel)
A. Muang, Chiang Mai
Tel: 053 820 297-8
http://www.piccolaromapalace.com

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Mamma Mia Italian Restaurant

Pizza, pizza, pizza! There seem to be no shortage of supply of great pizza in Chiang Mai, well, at least to me, anyway... and we don't always have to go to the city to find it. I've heard about Mamma Mia for a while, and finally have a chance to visit for lunch today. The little restaurant has been opened for about a year and serves both Thai and Italian food - something for everyone.

At this point, some of you might ask how the Italian food is if the restaurant serves Thai food as well? I must say, it's pretty good! There is a wide range of pasta, pizzas and salads available, all seem quite authentic, and at very reasonably priced too.

Seafood Pizza

The seafood pizza arrives amidst oohs and ahhas. Thinnish crusty base and generous amount of cheese. A little bland for my taste (perhaps my tastebuds are now accustomed to more intense Thai flavours!) - a bit of cracked pepper fixed that...and I'm embarassed to say...a bit of chilli sauce - on the second piece (just to see what's it's like - sorry, Chef!). The base was pretty good too, nice and crunchy but may be slightly dry (?). All in all though, it was a very good pizza (even without the chilli sauce!), and really good value at 160 baht. I'd love to come back to try other pizzas like the Sicilian Pizza & Napoli Pizza.

Lasagna Mamma Mia

I don't normally order lasagna, but I felt like I needed extra calories! This pork based lasagna is beautiful, the pasta perfectly cooked, has lots of cheese and has the perfect amount of seasoning for me.  My favourite for the day! 150 baht.

Spaghetti Mamma Mia

Very nicely cooked pasta with pork & tomato sauce. We sprinkled parmesan on top. Tastes a bit like the lasagna, but less cheesy, as you would expect. A very good, simple dish. I couldn't eat much as I as so full by this stage! 110 baht.

The verdict

Very nice & comfortable little restaurant. Good food, good value. Nice & friendly staff.

Mamma Mia
Chiang Mai-Phrao Road. From the city, drive pass Meechok Plaza, Susco Petrol Station.  Land & Houses Sansai-Mae Jo. The restaurant is in a set of shop houses just after Land & Houses & before AFM building.
GPS co-ordinates: 18°52'14"N   99°0'54"E
Tel: 053844322
Closed every Wednesday
Opens: 11:30am-2:30pm ; 5pm-10pm



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