Review Of La Fontana Italian Rest. & Pizzeria

[TheVicar]

This review follows a series of restaurant reviews posted here on Italian restaurants and pizzerias. Some good news for the holidays. This is a good place to eat. I was first introduced to La Fontana by a European friend a few weeks ago. I went back again last night and even though it was a crowded Sunday night (the restaurant is not far from the walking streets) the food was excellent and service exceptional (they've obviously been well trained). Oddly enough, my second visit was prompted by poor service at another Italian place, the newly opened Colleseo, on the walking street: we ordered some pizza there, our order was taken and we were told 15 minutes of waiting later that they had run out of pizza. So off to the nearby La Fontana which might have been a blessing in disguise.

La Fontana is a medium sized, open air type restaurant with about 15 tables. White tablecloths and white cloth napkins. Nicely decorated with some Thai paintings and a painting of what appeared to be the Amalfi coast. The tables are well separated and most on different levels so you have intimacy and privacy. It also means that even when the restaurant is busy, you have a nice, fairly quiet table in a lovely setting. The owner is an Italian, Sebastiano Berardi, and he was present, overlooked the staff, circled around the tables and I saw him supervising the Thais making pizzas.

The first time I went, I had lasagne. Good but not great. A trifle too overcooked so that the noodles were a bit gooey but still with pleasing flavors. The second time I went, even on a busy Sunday night, the food was excellent. You get bread sticks and a dip free as a starter which is a nice touch. A friend and I shared a large Greek salad: it was huge and easily could have fed 3 people. Lots of nice onions, feta cheese, olives and with a superbly made dressing (with mustard base). Excellent value at B 120. We also shared a pizza (parma ham; rocket salad) which had a perfect thin, crisp crust. And lots of parma ham (each single slice had a large piece of parma ham). The price was a reasonable B 220 (this was one of the more expensive options of pizza, there are many) for a size large enough for two. The waitress also provided some extra Parmesan grated cheese (ask for it) and some condiments including hot sauce. My only suggestion (a minor one) would be to also provide a shaker with oregano. This was the best pizza I've had in Chiang Mai. The service was attentive and friendly (our waitress stopped by twice to ask how everything was). The padrone also came by and asked how the food was.

Overall, highly recommended and a tip of the hat to the proprietor who has a place that serves very good Italian cuisine at a reasonable price in a lovely setting with quality service. So far, this place has the best pizza I've eaten in CM. This is also a centrally located restaurant so all in the Chiang Mai area should have an easy time getting there.

Ambiance: 4 stars (out of 5)

Service: 5 stars (out of 5)

Food: 4 stars (out of 5)

Value: 4 stars (out of 5)

La Fontana Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria

39/7-8 Ratchamankha Rd.

Tel. 053-207091

PS. I have no connection with this restaurant, or its owner(s).

Edited December 31, 2012 by TheVicar

[eyecatcher]

Nice review; funnily enough I was wondering if you had managed to dig out the colosseo, now in a fantastic location. They opened their first place a few months after me and we tried it out of neighbourly interest...they were down soi 7 on Sirirmangklajarn.

Sadly once was enough for me, it didnt come anywhere near Ko Lanta pizzeria and as you say the waiting time then was too long, with over expensive small beers to while away the time. The excuse was everything is freshly made....fair do;s but most people are not prepared to wait that long especially if there are only 2 of you....it was a bad location for them and i thought they had called it a day until I saw them next door to La fourchette and Thais that binds....2 lovely restaurants that i go to occassionally....

however...sorry to go off on a tangent.............but at leat you got a reply before your review fell into oblivion

[Ulysses G.]

I agree on La Fontana. Very good food. It used to be owned by Stefano. Sebastiano managed Da Stefano for many years before buying La Fontana after it had been opened for a short time.

IMO, they serve some of the best Italian style pizza in town, but plenty of other nice dishes as well.

Edited January 1, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[jonwilly]

Yesterday Heston Blumenthal, wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heston_Blumenthal did a program on ch 58 on the Perfect Pizza.

As the owner of a three-Michelin-starred restaurant he suggested that the secrets of a 1st class Pizza, where a Good base, good tomatoes and a very hot Italian style oven.

I have to admit that I like Italian food but am not a big fan of Pizza.

john

[Saan]

Sounds great. Thanks for the review but please tell me where the restaurant is.

[TheVicar]

Sounds great. Thanks for the review but please tell me where the restaurant is.

The address of the restaurant is at the bottom of the review. Their telephone number is also there. Centrally located, near the Sunday walking street. Enjoy!

Edited January 1, 2013 by TheVicar

[TheVicar]

I agree on La Fontana. Very good food. It used to be owned by Stefano. Sebastiano managed Da Stefano for many years before buying La Fontana after it had been opened for a short time.

IMO, they serve some of the best Italian style pizza in town, but plenty of other nice dishes as well.

Thanks for those insights; the lineage explains the good results!

[Saan]

Sounds great. Thanks for the review but please tell me where the restaurant is.

The address of the restaurant is at the bottom of the review. Their telephone number is also there. Centrally located, near the Sunday walking street. Enjoy!

Oops. Well it is the morning after New Year's Eve.

Thanks

[kaptainrob]

I agree on La Fontana. Very good food. It used to be owned by Stefano. Sebastiano managed Da Stefano for many years before buying La Fontana after it had been opened for a short time.

IMO, they serve some of the best Italian style pizza in town, but plenty of other nice dishes as well.

Thanks for those insights; the lineage explains the good results!

Will have to try Fontana and compare with our current favourite, Da Stefano! I note mixed reviews on TripAdvisor but mainly due to poor service ... staff come and go. Thanks for the review.

[mgbcnx]

I found La Fontana a mixed bag...

On the plus side:

• Immaculately clean, including the rest rooms--and attractive.
  
• Cloth napkins--always a pleasant surprise in a restaurant with moderate prices.
  
• Good house wine--at least the red I was served.
  
• Bread sticks with salsa dip made a nice hors d'ouvres.
  

However...

• I ordered spaghetti bolognese. There was plenty of ground beef, but the tomato sauce was disappointing. It had a viscous taste--not fresh.
  
• My order arrived promptly. Shortly thereafter the restaurant began filling up, and clearly the kitchen was overwhelmed. The table next to mine ordered soon after I did, but they were still waiting for dinner when I paid my bill and left.
  
• The waiter and two waitresses never cracked a smile; neither did the owner. An eleven year-old boy, presumably the owner's son, brought me my bill and made change.
  

In summary, a convenient location and a reasonably priced menu. However, La Fontana faces heavy competition when it comes to Italian food in that area of Chiang Mai.

[Waffle]

Dont know about the rest of the menu but their pizzas are awesome and the house wine (red) is not bad either.

[LawrenceChee]

I will be there to try this and put in my reviews...love great food !

[just_Elaine]

I found La Fontana a mixed bag...

On the plus side:

• Immaculately clean, including the rest rooms--and attractive.
  
• Cloth napkins--always a pleasant surprise in a restaurant with moderate prices.
  
• Good house wine--at least the red I was served.
  
• Bread sticks with salsa dip made a nice hors d'ouvres.
  

However...

• I ordered spaghetti bolognese. There was plenty of ground beef, but the tomato sauce was disappointing. It had a viscous taste--not fresh.
  
• My order arrived promptly. Shortly thereafter the restaurant began filling up, and clearly the kitchen was overwhelmed. The table next to mine ordered soon after I did, but they were still waiting for dinner when I paid my bill and left.
  
• The waiter and two waitresses never cracked a smile; neither did the owner. An eleven year-old boy, presumably the owner's son, brought me my bill and made change.
  

In summary, a convenient location and a reasonably priced menu. However, La Fontana faces heavy competition when it comes to Italian food in that area of Chiang Mai.

Umm... The recipe I follow for bolognese has the sauce cooking for a long time so it is not that fresh tomato taste as in other sauces...

[junglechef]

I cook mine for 3 hr. min. but after 5-6 it tastes vicious! Not sure how anything can taste like a texture (viscous). Anyway with the cost of tomatoes here now a restaurant with their price points would necessitate the use of canned tomato product.

Edited January 15, 2013 by junglechef

[junglechef]

I cook mine for 3 hr. min. but after 5-6 it tastes vicious! Not sure how anything can taste like a texture (viscous). Anyway with the cost of tomatoes here now a restaurant with their price points would necessitate the use of canned tomato product.

BTW, I enjoy your reviews TheVicar and don't worry I'm sure most of the members think my posts are far more pretentious than yours

[mascarakatze]

I found La Fontana a mixed bag...

On the plus side:

• Immaculately clean, including the rest rooms--and attractive.
  
• Cloth napkins--always a pleasant surprise in a restaurant with moderate prices.
  
• Good house wine--at least the red I was served.
  
• Bread sticks with salsa dip made a nice hors d'ouvres.
  

However...

• I ordered spaghetti bolognese. There was plenty of ground beef, but the tomato sauce was disappointing. It had a viscous taste--not fresh.
  
• My order arrived promptly. Shortly thereafter the restaurant began filling up, and clearly the kitchen was overwhelmed. The table next to mine ordered soon after I did, but they were still waiting for dinner when I paid my bill and left.
  
• The waiter and two waitresses never cracked a smile; neither did the owner. An eleven year-old boy, presumably the owner's son, brought me my bill and made change.
  

In summary, a convenient location and a reasonably priced menu. However, La Fontana faces heavy competition when it comes to Italian food in that area of Chiang Mai.

bolognese sauce is not made with beef

[Ulysses G.]

bolognese sauce is not made with beef

Sometimes it is. There is no definitive recipe for a bolognese meat sauce

[endure]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/7017565/Italian-chefs-tell-world-how-to-make-correct-bolognese.html

[Ulysses G.]

http://www.telegraph...-bolognese.html

"Along with lasagne, spaghetti bolognese is the most abused Italian dish. There are some crazy versions out there," said Massimo Bottura, a bolognese "virtuoso" who runs a restaurant in Modena. The worst he had ever eaten was in Bangkok. "It was terrible," he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Edited January 15, 2013 by Ulysses G.

[butterisbetter]

I found La Fontana a mixed bag...

On the plus side:

• Immaculately clean, including the rest rooms--and attractive.
  
• Cloth napkins--always a pleasant surprise in a restaurant with moderate prices.
  
• Good house wine--at least the red I was served.
  
• Bread sticks with salsa dip made a nice hors d'ouvres.
  

However...

• I ordered spaghetti bolognese. There was plenty of ground beef, but the tomato sauce was disappointing. It had a viscous taste--not fresh.
  
• My order arrived promptly. Shortly thereafter the restaurant began filling up, and clearly the kitchen was overwhelmed. The table next to mine ordered soon after I did, but they were still waiting for dinner when I paid my bill and left.
  
• The waiter and two waitresses never cracked a smile; neither did the owner. An eleven year-old boy, presumably the owner's son, brought me my bill and made change.
  

In summary, a convenient location and a reasonably priced menu. However, La Fontana faces heavy competition when it comes to Italian food in that area of Chiang Mai.

bolognese sauce is not made with beef

Marcella Hazan disagrees with you.

[junglechef]

It is if you put beef in it

[mascarakatze]

bolognese sauce is not made with beef

Sometimes it is. There is no definitive recipe for a bolognese meat sauce

yes there is

[DaamNaam]

bolognese sauce is not made with beef

Sometimes it is. There is no definitive recipe for a bolognese meat sauce

yes there is

Lets have it then.

If you would be so kind that is.

[mascarakatze]

I found La Fontana a mixed bag...

On the plus side:

• Immaculately clean, including the rest rooms--and attractive.
  
• Cloth napkins--always a pleasant surprise in a restaurant with moderate prices.
  
• Good house wine--at least the red I was served.
  
• Bread sticks with salsa dip made a nice hors d'ouvres.
  

However...

• I ordered spaghetti bolognese. There was plenty of ground beef, but the tomato sauce was disappointing. It had a viscous taste--not fresh.
  
• My order arrived promptly. Shortly thereafter the restaurant began filling up, and clearly the kitchen was overwhelmed. The table next to mine ordered soon after I did, but they were still waiting for dinner when I paid my bill and left.
  
• The waiter and two waitresses never cracked a smile; neither did the owner. An eleven year-old boy, presumably the owner's son, brought me my bill and made change.
  

In summary, a convenient location and a reasonably priced menu. However, La Fontana faces heavy competition when it comes to Italian food in that area of Chiang Mai.

bolognese sauce is not made with beef

Marcella Hazan disagrees with you.

who cares. Marcella's thinking is flawed

[mascarakatze]

bolognese sauce is not made with beef

Sometimes it is. There is no definitive recipe for a bolognese meat sauce

yes there is

Lets have it then.

If you would be so kind that is.

lets have what then

[Ulysses G.]

The definitive recipe for a bolognese meat sauce - except there isn't one.

[mascarakatze]

The definitive recipe for a bolognese meat sauce - except there isn't one.

there is one correct one and many incorrect ones which clearly are your bibles

[daoyai]

It is so, as stipulated in the treaty of Bolonga 1638 ..... the treaty that ended the great pasta rebelion the Carbonar took a heavy toll....... look it up.

[ARISTIDE]

First time I was at La Fontana in the afternoon they said I can't order pizza as the oven is used for baking bread. The second time I was there around 1130. They said the kitchen is not ready so no food again. (Sign in front said 1100 open, web said 1130) Anyway no food at 1130. I will try next time around lunch.

[just_Elaine]

I found La Fontana a mixed bag...

On the plus side:

• Immaculately clean, including the rest rooms--and attractive.
  
• Cloth napkins--always a pleasant surprise in a restaurant with moderate prices.
  
• Good house wine--at least the red I was served.
  
• Bread sticks with salsa dip made a nice hors d'ouvres.
  

However...

• I ordered spaghetti bolognese. There was plenty of ground beef, but the tomato sauce was disappointing. It had a viscous taste--not fresh.
  
• My order arrived promptly. Shortly thereafter the restaurant began filling up, and clearly the kitchen was overwhelmed. The table next to mine ordered soon after I did, but they were still waiting for dinner when I paid my bill and left.
  
• The waiter and two waitresses never cracked a smile; neither did the owner. An eleven year-old boy, presumably the owner's son, brought me my bill and made change.
  

In summary, a convenient location and a reasonably priced menu. However, La Fontana faces heavy competition when it comes to Italian food in that area of Chiang Mai.

bolognese sauce is not made with beef

What is it made with?