How Italian do you like to eat? If it is
authentic Italian you want, prepared in the kitchen of an authentic Italian,
then Ristorante Italiano Da Joe has to be up there with the best of them.
Joe Parlati (the ‘Joe’ of Da Joe) has been a chef all
his life, but more than just a chef, Joe is an Italian chef from Verona.
More than that, Joe Parlati is a very proud Italian chef from Verona!
The restaurant is on the ocean side of Pattaya’s famous
Walking Street about 50 meters past the Marine Bar, heading towards Nang
Nual and the Siam Bayshore Hotel. The frontage is narrow, so look for the
large illuminated sign to indicate that this is Da Joe (Joe’s place).
I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Joe and his
restaurant. Dining out there is more than just eating Italian food, it is
the whole Italian experience. Even the TV is locked on to the Italian
channel, and with Italian Valentino Rossi dominant in the world of
motorcycle racing, guess where the first Asian support group was formed -
yes, right here in Pattaya, in Ristorante Italiano Da Joe. Even the Italian
newspapers were amazed at the nationalistic support from here.
The restaurant is now in three sections. You walk in
through Joe’s wine cellar, and arrive in the latest addition to Da Joe - a
wine bar, complete with 120 items and four different house wines from the
barrel. Joe also offers a very large grappa selection, with glasses from 100
baht through to 1,000 baht for the true grappa connoisseurs.
From the wine bar, it is into the air-conditioned dining
section, decked out with salmon pink walls, Italian bric-a-brac and art, and
then finally to the covered area out over the water. This seats around 50
diners under overhead fans, to keep the cooling sea breezes circulating. The
tables are covered in bright check patterned tablecloths and the bench
seating is now also padded
The menu covers antipasti, starters and salad, ranging in
price between B. 50-350, with many dedicated vegetarian items on offer. Next
up are pastas and soups (B. 140-200), then seafood with the majority B
150-300.
Mains cover the full Italian range with most between B.
200-350, pizzas (B. 140-250) and finally desserts and coffees. There is also
a small Thai menu (B. 100-180) for anyone who does not understand this is an
Italian restaurant!
We let Joe explain the menu, from which he proudly
pointed out that his pickles are home-made, as are his grilled aubergines
and sun-dried tomatoes and cocktail onions. We decided to let him do the
ordering for us, after we heard another table of regular customers tell him,
“Do whatever you want to do for us.”
We began with antipasti, with crostini with gorgonzola,
bruschetta with tomato, garlic and olive oil, some pickles, including the
aubergines and the sun-dried tomatoes (which were superb), some Italian
cheese choices and cold meats with Parma ham and salami.
To go with our Italian starters, we drank a light Merlot
(Vigneto del Sole Giallo) and this was so pleasant we continued with it.
For mains Joe presented the pork medallions, with a
mushroom and wine sauce for Madame, and a pan fried beef steak, folded over
and pocketed with gorgonzola, with sliced saut้ed potatoes. Joe knows
my penchant for gorgonzola, and again I loved this dish. Although steak
knives were supplied, our mains had very tender meat selections, Joe being
very insistent that he chooses the meat himself.
We had no room for desserts, no matter how enticing they
looked in the refrigerated cabinet, but I succumbed to a Limoncello before
leaving.
Dining at Da Joe continues to be a wonderfully satisfying
experience. Joe himself is a very warm host, and his food exceptionally
pleasing. His restaurant has been selected as one of the 10 best in Pattaya,
and with good reason. Very highly recommended.
Da Joe, Ristorante Italiano, 112/2 Moo 10, Walking Street, South Pattaya,
telephone 038 710 733, open 4 p.m. until midnight (last orders 11 p.m. as
Joe won’t be hurried). Visa, Mastercard and Diners Club cards accepted.
