On a busy crossroads in the heart of Phuket Town lies a
small dining establishment in an old heritage building. From the outside,
only the warm glow of golden light and a hint of movement reveals the fact
that anything actually happens here. But inside this cosy restaurant lives a
fat, happy cat called Gino. He dines on the finest steaks and fish.
In La Gaetana, Gianni and his charming wife Chonticha
have created one of the region's most exquisite, but at the same time
warmest and most homey, eating houses. Rustic yellows, sea-green shutters,
simple wooden furniture and intimate seating give visitors to La Gaetana the
feeling of being in a kitchen in someone's home in Tuscany. At any moment,
you half expect a rotund, sweaty mama dressed in black apron to come
scuttling out of the kitchen, broom in hand, chasing Gino the cat for
stealing a fish. Unfortunately Gianni's own mama passed away a year or two
ago, but he memory lives on. Her name was Gaetana.
The chefs at La Gaetana specialize in food from the
Campania region of Italy and the menu is enough to make your whiskers stand
on end. Daily specials are posted on the blackboard, together with a
selection of starters, mains and il dolce (desserts). We ordered a
bottle of 2001 Dolcetto D'Alba by Bersan, a heavy red with flavours of
blackcurrant and vanilla, and watched on as Gianni set about the decanting
procedure.
We decided to take Gianni's advice, and let him serve us
an assortment of dishes to start — carpaccio, slices of cold beef, salmon
and smoked duck drizzled in the restaurant's own special sauce; zuppetta di
fagioli, a bean soup; bacon sautéed in red wine and served with a green
salad; and sea scallops drenched in extra virgin olive oil, pesto sauce and
slivers of lime. The pesto is homemade, and Gianni grows his own basil and
rosemary. The sea scallops were a favourite, with the carpaccio coming a
close second.
For the main course, still thinking of Gino running off
with the fish, I chose the salmon fillet. This is cooked to your taste, and
you are asked what kind of sauce you want before it is served. I went for
the healthy option, enjoying it with pesto, spinach and brown bread; but it
would have been just as appetizing with either the spicy tomato or the cream
sauce with lemon. My companions had the ravioli with eggplant and ricotta
cheese and the tortellini with smoked salmon and fresh cream. The menu also
includes a fine variety of fresh and dried pastas and several different
sauce mixtures, so that customers can invent their own combinations.
Between courses, we were each offered a petite bowl of
mint and pineapple sorbet to cleanse the palate. Then it was on to il
dolce — tiramisu and chocolate tarts, espressos, amaretto and sambuca.
Delightful. Bellissimo! Gianni, who's always on the move, sat down
for a moment. He said his theory is to offer diners a "slow Italian dining
experience", and to extend the feeling that "our home is your home". He
succeeds. Mama Gaetana must be very, very proud.
La Gaetana
352 Phuket Road, Phuket Town.
Tel. 076 250 523 Mobile 01 397 1227
Open Mon, Tues, Fri
Lunch 12-2 pm
Dinner Thurs-Tues 6-10 pm
••• Closed 19 July - 19 August •••
