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.
As the name suggests, Toscana features cuisine which is almost uniquely derived from the Tuscany region of northern Italy. In keeping with this theme, it’s probably no surprise that although Toscana stocks wines from all over the Italian peninsula, the majority are sourced from Tuscany.
All told, there are 60 red wines and 31 white wines from which to choose. There are also nine choices of prosecco (otherwise known as sparkling wine). As mine host Luca says, prosecco is a kind of Italian champagne, but made from different grapes than what most people know as champagne.
Three choices of lambrusco (also referred to as sparkling red), either dry or sweet, and four Rose wines add further depth to the Toscana wine list.
Customers can also choose from the selection of house wines – three red and three whites – all of them are IGT (that is, certified from the region they come from). They can be served by the glass, or in quarter-litre, half-litre or one litre carafes.
The comprehensive variety of wines in Toscana can be gauged by the incredible difference in value: from as little as 1,300 baht for a bottle up to 20,000 baht a bottle for the finest wine in the house.
To further enhance the experience for lovers of wine in Toscana, all the wines are stocked in the Wine Cellar located inside the fine dining section of the restaurant in a specially-built temperature-controlled cellar. As Luca notes, this ensures the wine is consistently good. 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.
In many places wine is stored on shelves in the restaurant, which means when the restaurant is closed the air-con is off so the bottles of wine experience regular changes in temperature.
For customers who’d like to have a beer while sampling the unique Toscana ambience, real Italian Peroni beer is available both on draught and in bottles.
There are also 26 different types of grappa drinks from which to choose.
Trattoria Pizzeria TOSCANA Restaurant and the Moom Talay Thai Restaurant are located on Beach Road, Pattaya (between Soi 6 and Soi 7).
Telephone: 038 362370; Fax: 038 362371;
Email: [email protected]
For reservations: Phone 081 861 3446.
