Davinci Plaza Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge

Restaurant Review: http://www.phuket.com/magazine/da-vinci-ristorante.htm

Italian food is universally appreciated and, like Thai cuisine, it travels well. To sit under the stars on a tropical night and tuck into Italian delights with a bottle of good wine is an unforgettable experience and one which Da Vinci Ristorante Pizzeria excels at.

Spacious, well appointed and tasteful, Da Vinci specializes in genuine Italian cuisine served in a sophisticated manner. With a bevy of beauties for a wait staff (even the pizza chef is a pretty girl) Da Vinci has certainly got the aesthetics right.

Where is It?
In Nai Harn – at the foot of Phuket Island near the famous sunset view Phromthep Cape. If coming from Patong, simply follow the road south along the coast towards Nai Harn Beach. Count on a 25-minute drive.

In Nai Harn village you will notice Da Vinci's white-and-black colour scheme in the B Zenter Mall on the right, halfway through the village. Park around the back – there's plenty of space.

View a location map below...

Décor

On a fine night most diners choose to eat al fresco in the breezy courtyard but Da Vinci also has a spacious and well-lit open-sided interior with parquet floors, ceiling fans, modern art, a sofa, bar and even a colourful children's play area over by the wood-fired oven. A white-and-black leitmotif runs through the restaurant resulting in a pleasing spacious feel to it.

The outside dining section is interspersed with shrubbery and, to top it all off, the good chunky crockery, white linen tablecloths and quality cutlery lend a distinctive classic feel.

Atmosphere

Breezy, romantic and distinctive; Café del Mar-like music provides a pleasing audio backdrop to the proceedings (as do nearby cicadas) while attractive wait staff do a good job of adding to the general sophisticated atmosphere.

It's obvious that many of the customers are regulars and this cements the 'genuine' impression that Da Vinci gives out.

At the same time Da Vinci is far from being a pompous nose-in-the-air eatery so expect light-hearted banter with lots of smiles.

Wine

All labels at Da Vinci are Italian and with a 12 white and a 15 red wine list there's a good choice. House reds, Bosco Del Cermioli Rosso and Matte Rosso, along with whites Bosco Del Cermioli Bianco and Matte Bianco, are sold by the glass or carafe at reasonable rates.

We choose an Allegrini 2006 Valpolicella Classico and it's a great companion to the evening's dishes. Overall, wine prices are not wallet busters here – the most expensive being a Brunello Di Montalcino at 4,200 baht.

Da Vinci also does a good line in exotic and tasty cocktails and has local and international beers.

Food

Every successful restaurant needs a talented hands-on chef to create and maintain the highest standards possible and Da Vinci is no exception to the rule.

Chef John hails from nearby Krabi Province and is a maestro in producing top-of-the-range and spanking fresh dishes such as his bruschetta which is made with oven-baked (in the restaurant's wood-fired oven, of course) bread.

With achingly fresh topping prepared just moments before and olive oil oozing through; if this doesn't pique your appetite then nothing will. This is followed by a beef carpaccio, rucola and grana – a delicate combination of hydroponic salad and wafer-thin slices of meat.

To the side stand a tomato and mozzarella caprese and such delights as cold veal in a tuna sauce – sounds bizarre but it really works. The insalate di mare with Chiang Mai lemon is highly recommended, as is black spaghetti with squid and prawns in a tomato sauce while the restaurant's spaghetti bolognaise is genuine, honest and delectable. All pasta dishes are served in ample 150-gramme portions. Perhaps the tastiest dish of the evening is the pasta tricolore and when I comment on this three other candidates for the best dish are offered by fellow diners – such is the quality of food at Da Vinci. Good stuff.

Service

Tasteful, well trained, certainly attractive and well presented, the girls at Da Vinci are the result of a lot of quality coaching and the upshot is an eminently dependable service team.

Da Vinci Ristorante Pizzeria

Soi Saiyuan Nai Harn, Rawai

Open daily from 17:30 onward

Tel: 076-289574

Website: www.davinciphuket.com

Email: mark@davinciphuket.com

Da Vinci Ristorante Location Map

Where to Eat in Phuket

Da Vinci
Mama Mia! Conceptualisations and ingenuity in the form Italian cuisine come to Nai Harn! Relish an authentic style of cooking of a diverse array of favourites and new combinations served in a cozy ambiance or savour pizzas in a separate casual seating area by a woodfired oven.

Good beginnings to an evening meal start with an aperitif! A Campari and soda and a gin and tonic offered the opportunity to take in and relish the open aired-surroundings of Da Vinci of wooden seating outside and subtle lighting including chandeliers highlighting the rattan furniture and walls tastefully decorated with paintings. The children’s play area is a welcoming aspect for parents who can enjoy a relaxing meal while keeping their kids in sight.


Welcoming tastes and sights abound at Da Vinci with tantalizing temptations served from the kitchen with fresh ingredients as signature items in every dish. Our first adventure into this all-important notion was the antipasti of Bruschetta, grilled sliced bread with chopped tomato, garlic and olives. Refreshing and with pleasing seasonings, it was followed by the primi piatti course of a trio of pastas. The Lasagne Al Forno, home made lasagne layers of pasta made with beef and tomato sauce, the Spaghetti Gamberi Zucchine Vodka, spaghetti with prawns, zucchini and vodka and the Spaghetti Neri Pomodorini Calamari E/ Gamberi, black spaghetti with tomato, squid and prawn, offered unique tastes and texture combinations with the richness of their flavours reflected in the quality of the ingredients.


Good wine is also a highlight of a meal. The Palazzo Della Torre Veronese Indicazione Geografica Tipica 2004, Allegrini was an ideal red to complement the first two courses and continued to match the secondi piatti and pizze courses, the Scaloppine Al Vino Bianco Con Patate. These two appetizing escalopes with white wine served with potatoes were perfectly cooked fillets of pork. Pizza is also a must traditional Italian fare and the Al Proscuitto Crudo, tomato Mozzarella cheese and Parma ham is one not to be missed!

The Semifreddo All Arancio and the Semifreddo All Amaretto were the indulging cap to the meal. This dolci course consisted of delightful home made orange and amaretto sherberts.

Italian food is universally appreciated and, like Thai cuisine, it travels well. To sit under the stars on a tropical night and tuck into Italian delights with a bottle of good wine is an unforgettable experience and one which Da Vinci Ristorante Pizzeria excels at.

Spacious, well appointed and tasteful, Da Vinci specializes in genuine Italian cuisine served in a sophisticated manner. With a bevy of beauties for a wait staff (even the pizza chef is a pretty girl) Da Vinci has certainly got the aesthetics right.

For superlative Italian cuisine with the freshest of ingredients, be sure to try Da Vinci and discover a renaissance of food.