While the Toscana Italian and Moom Talay Thai restaurants share the same very large space, there are two points where the two are strictly separated. The first is perhaps the most obvious, in that the two restaurants have two separate kitchens. This is clearly sensible given the different styles of cooking and variety of dishes required. The second is also equally sensible, in that while there is a central area where either Italian and/or Thai dishes can be served to patrons, there is one completely enclosed area where only Italian dishes will be served.
The management of Toscana understands that mixing the two culinary styles is not always in the best interests of those who want to enjoy the flavours and, more especially, the aromas of authentic Italian cooking. So, the Toscana Italian food only side of the restaurant has seating for up to 100 diners, all enclosed in an air-conditioned environment. The tables are set up with tablecloths and the atmosphere is designed primarily to promote fine Italian dining and enhance the largely organic offerings of pizza and pasta dishes for which Toscana is justly well-known.
As mine host Luca has said, “We make fresh pasta here…almost every day, and all the pasta is made from duck eggs, which are so much better than using chicken eggs.
”Among the specials Luca is most proud to promote are anti-pasti dishes such as Bresaola, home-made beef carpaccio, and home-made goat cheese.
When it comes to pasta, dishes as varied such as duck ravioli, green ravioli with guinea fowl, ravioli filled with pumpkin and asparagus, salmon and ricotta ravioli are just a few of the many varieties available to diners.
On one aspect of the restaurant and its processes Luca was adamant. “What I won’t do, and never have, is pre-cook the pasta. Everything is fresh.
”On the outside terrace, there is also room for around another 150 diners. These are distinguished by having white table cloths covering each table. The spacious layout gives customers a more relaxed dining experience. Apart from the food, Toscana has a dazzling array of refreshments aimed at covering all possible tastes and designed to complement the many dishes on the menu.
Real Italian Peroni beer is available both on draught and in bottles. There is also a selection of over 200 wines within the Toscana wine cellar, which is located in the restaurant in a specially-built cellar which is temperature-controlled. Customers can order direct from the menu or go into the cellar, select the wine they desire and have it brought back to their table.
There are also 26 different types of grappa drinks from which to choose. In the next edition of the Business Supplement we’ll cover the wine list and other liquor selections available in Toscana in a little more detail.
