“I’ve got to see my customers, because I love my customers.” How often do you hear this kind of heart-warming words from the lips of an owner of a restaurant? For me, I’d never heard such a heart warming expression until the other night at La Buca (an authentic Italian restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 1), after 15 minutes of small talk had passed with Oreste (the chef-owner). Needless to say, the service here is excellent and the staffs are sincere to the customers.
Oreste has worked as a chef in many countries; in his hometown of Milan in Italy, then in Spain, France, the Middle East, and at present 6 years in Thailand.
When you arrive at La Buca, Oreste will be waiting to open the door to offer his warm welcome. The door appears to be an automatic door: it opens as you approach from the outside or inside. This two-storey trattoria has 40 covers, it’s quite small like its meaning (La Buca = small place), and the atmosphere is very friendly. The owner will take care of you like you are a member of his family. This kind of service will make you feel relaxed from the moment you arrive until you have finished your entire meal. Oreste prefers a friendly family-like atmosphere with personal service; the customers appear to be his friends, the waiters and waitresses also offer such warm greetings too. If you like Luciano Pavarotti or are a fan of opera, you’ll love him even more because Oreste often sings like Pavarotti for his patrons. I can say that dining at La Buca is like dining at your friend’s house; you don’t have to be dressed to impress, formal clothes come sometimes be quite uncomfortable to wear while dining.
The atmosphere of friendliness is not the only special thing at La Buca but also the food. Oreste and his chefs try to make La Buca one of the most authentic Italian restaurants in Bangkok with most ingredients imported directly from Italy. The menu changes weekly, only a few dishes like Tiramisu or Salami consistently appearing on the menu as fan favorites, but if you love the menu of last week, don’t worry; it can be made especially for you provided the chef has the necessary ingredients. If you glance through the menu, you’ll find his comments on some of the main dishes.
Some comments are just jokes, for example, Tiramisu; he describes it as the best in Soi 1. He asked me, “You know why it’s the best in Soi 1? Because this is the only Italian restaurant here,” and he laughed. My dinner started with the appetizer Tipico Antipasto Italiano, which is Cold Cuts Italian Style-Parma Ham, Mixed Italian Salami, served with Cantaloupe. The ingredients are from different parts of Italy; Parma Ham from Parma city, Mixed Salami is also from other regions in Italy, so I called it “the Italian dish”. Another starter was Grilled Mixed Vegetables, which was mixed vegetables like onions, string beans, chili and eggplant. For the main course, I ate Risotto Fragole e Champagne – Italian Rice with Strawberry and Champagne, made with strawberries from north Italy. Obviously, La Buca brings a little piece of Italy to my table.
Undoubtedly, La Buca provides authentic Italian cuisine, recommended in the best possible way, by word of mouth from one friend to another. This way the customers come back time and time again to enjoy their meal.
add to del.icio.us
add to reddit
add to digg
