Restaurant Review
It's always nice when a pleasant farang place opens. Choice is a
great leveller when you judge a business. People tend to vote with
their feet. Packed bar/restaurant equals success. The opposite for
those that are empty. I tend to avoid those that are empty. No
reason why, but I just do!
It was sad when Tim's bar closed. We lost a real character in Tim
Hope. I always enjoyed his company. Lek was a great host. Come
back soon and re-open in another location please.
My review this month concerns the establishment that took over
from Tim's bar. It's called "Ristorante Dal Perugino." As the name
implies, it's an Italian Restaurant.
The new owners spent a quite a few baht renovating Tim's. New
roof, new toilets and a good lick of paint.
It looks nice! I avoided opening night. Too crowded for me. Still
about 35 attended the opening and no doubt enjoyed the free
Italian food samples. Didn't hear any complaints so the food must
have been OK.
I sampled the food a few nights after the opening. Now I'm no
expert on Italian food but it tasted very nice. I've eaten there twice
now. I tried the cannelloni and the ravioli. Both were good. Nice
sauce, nice taste and nice potions. The crockery and metalwork
were of good quality. Not a bendy fork in sight. Price wise, between
120 - 150 baht a dish. Ouch! Beers range from 70 - 95 baht each for
large bottles. On par with other places.
The menu is very extensive. Too much choice for the average non
Italian. Nice that it's in English. Easy for most to read. They also
serve Thai food. This part of the menu is in Thai. Don't know why
and can't see any reason why English and Thai isn't list under the
Thai food section. I've not tried the Thai food but I expect it will be
OK. The Italian food is good so no reason for the Thai food to differ.
Let's look at the facilities. The old plastic tables and chairs from
Tim's have gone and have been replaced with dark metal ones.
Good quality and a nice comfortable seat. The tables all had clean
table cloths. Nice touch!
There are tables and seating for 24 people inside, six tables each
seating four people. Outside there are another 3 tables seating a
further 12 people. In total, room for 36 diners. A great use of space.
There are an addition 2 bar stool tables seating six people. Room for
42 suggests good planning and a better use of the facilities than
before.
The toilets have been moved into the inside room. The dining room
is air conditioned and well equipped with fans. A great room and
one that is private for those cosy chats with your girlfriend or wife.
The beer is housed in a fridge so it keeps cool prior to serving. They
keep the customers drinks on a trolley next to each table. The
empties go underneath so counting your beers avoids any disputed
bills. They also provide ice in a bucket.
My initial impressions are that it's a nice place, well equipped and
one serving good food. The only BUT is will the ex-pats and Thai's
use the restaurant? I'm not sure. Perhaps Roi-Et is just not ready for
a Italian restaurant next to 101. We already have Pizza Milano...do
we need two Italian restaurants? Only you, the customer can
decide. I hope they do well.
I saw no evidence of wifi...it wasn't offered to me. Not to worry, I
picked up wifi from 101 pizza. Sadly I can't tell you the owners
names. They never introduced themselves to me. Perhaps they
should off? I believe that it is good practice when opening a small
restaurant that probably caters purely for farangs.
My impressions were:-
Good food with an extensive selection. A bit pricey.
Good beer choice at regular farang prices
Good renovation
Nice tables, chairs and table cloths
Good crockery and ironworks
Great location
Would I go back. Sure. I liked the food. Try it and let's support a new
local farang establishment.
Till next time.
The Secret Restaurant Reviewer.