Cuisine: Italian

This modern, cosy Italian restaurant is located on the busy Petchkasem road, and is easily accessible (and pretty easy to find). I have heard and read many good reviews about this restaurant so my girlfriend and I decided to celebrate our anniversary there. We booked a table in advance, but there weren’t many people there the day we went so I’m sure making a reservation wasn’t necessary.

Seating: Peppino offers indoor and outdoor seating; the indoor space is not very large, but enough for a decent number of people to fit, while there are several tables outdoors which surround part of the perimeter of the building. There is a small garden next to where the outdoor seating area is which adds to the atmosphere, and is quite pleasant.

Service: The staff at Peppino are very friendly and speak very good English, which is always handy and helpful. They also seemed to know exactly what was on the menu, unlike some restaurants where the staff are unsure what some food items are exactly. I found that the service was very efficient and made us feel like we were in an expensive restaurant (whereas the prices at Peppino are not very high).

Food: As it was our first time dining at Peppino (and one of the very few times I’ve eaten at an Italian restaurant), we wanted to try a variety of dishes to see what all the fuss was about. I’m not very good at remembering the names of the dishes as they’re in Italian, so I’ll try and describe them the best I can.

Bread and olives

After ordering our food, we were brought a small bread basket as well as some green and black olives. These were complimentary and was a nice surprise.

Beef and salmon starters

For starters, we ordered two dishes: one salmon and one beef. Each weremade of thin slices of meat/fish and then had some sort of salad/herbs. Both of the dishes seemed to be uncooked but I could be wrong. I liked both of them and found they tasted nice and fresh, but my girlfriend wasn’t so keen.

Spaghetti Carbonara

For the main course, she ordered Spaghetti Carbonara and I ordered a lamb shank dish which comes vegetables and a complimentary side dish (I asked for pasta). She let me try some of her spaghetti and I have to say, if you like spaghetti carbonara, you will LOVE Peppino’s version. It has to be the best one I have tried (this is one Italian dish I have tried quite a number of). It was thick, creamy, tasted incredible, the spaghetti had a perfect texture – very nice.

Lamb shank

My lamb shank dish was also very nice. The meat was very tender and was very enjoyable to eat. The pasta that came with it shared the same “perfect” texture as the spaghetti, and while it might not have been the best combination with the lamb, it was very nice. We were both very happy.

Crème brûlée

For dessert, my lady ordered a crème brûlée and I ordered some sort of egg and brandy concoction (sorry, I can’t remember the name and I’m also not sure what the alcohol was, though it definitely had alcohol in it). The crème brûlée came as a pair which was a nice surprise; I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to come like that or if they made it like that because there were two of us, but it was great! Now, I’ve never tried crème brûlée before, but this tasted fantastic! The top layer was solid and broke with a tap of the spoon, unearthing the soft, yummy goodness below. Very recommended.

My dessert

The dessert I ordered was quite unusual on the other hand. It came in what looked like a large glass (one you would have a margarita in), and was warm and foamy. It was very sweet and the taste of the alcohol was obvious, but blending nicely with the overall flavour. I quite liked it, but the misses didn’t, so I would say this one wasn’t for everyone.

House red wine

To drink, we ordered a glass of the house red wine each. Neither one of us are regular drinkers, especially wine, but their wine was very easy to drink and was very nice actually. We ended up ordering another glass each.

The price of the meal was just over 2,500 baht, which is more expensive than the average street stall or restaurant around town, but for the quality of the food and service, I think it was well justified. I definitely recommend Peppino to those looking to try some Italian food, or even just to go somewhere nice to eat. You can expect to have a pleasant night out with excellent food and great service, without having to break the bank.

Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5

Highly recommended!