Vino Di Zanotti

My team was having a farewell party for one of our colleagues and I decided that we would go to the new Vino Di Zanotti which was only ten minutes away from our office.  Vino just recently opened.  We drive pass Vino practically everyday and we kept telling ourselves that we should try it out.  We finally had an occasion to do so.

Vino Di Zanotti is located in the old Italian embassy.  So you can imagine that the structure of the house that Vino is in is quite nice.

The decor was actually nothing special that captured my eye. Perhaps, because the house is a showcase in itself, the decor just settles in the background. The house is divided into four areas for dinning.  The main room when you enter (photo above), the adjacent room (where we were seated), upstairs room and outdoor terrace for dinning.

Complimentary amuse bouche.  This was very nice of Vino to give this to us.  It was breaded deep fried mushrooms.  I think there was a sauce missing because the fried mushrooms did not have any flavour to them and they were cold (but maybe they are suppose to be that way).  However; it was still very nice of Vino to offer us the amuse bouche.

The first dish was Pizza Margherita (250 baht).  The pizza was light in flavour, lightly covered with tomato and cheese.  The crust was thin and crispy.  A very nice pizza to start the meal with.

The next dish was Pizza Zanotti (600 baht).  I did not order this pizza; but if I would have known that this pizza cost 600 baht, I would have not ordered it (yes, I am a cheapo).  However that said...it was very yummy.  The pizza was loaded with goodies...ham & mushrooms.  The crust thin and crispy and it was cooked perfectly.

The next dish was Pizza Prosciutto (320 baht).  The pizza was loaded with prosciutto; here we got our money's worth.  The pizza was loaded with flavour from the ham.  The crust was thin and crispy.  A lovely pizza.

The next dish was Rocket Salad (320 baht).  A nice portion of rocket salad.  Good flavours, bright colours and great textures to round out this simple but nice salad.

The next dish was Caprese Salad (290 baht).  A nice portion of mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.  The quality of the mozzarella was good...it was chewy, soft and dense.  The tomato did not have much flavour but the olive oil and basil saved it.

The white wine was Villa Martina Sauvignon Blanc (1,300 baht).  I never had this wine so it was a good occasion to try.  It was not bad at all...it went well with the pizzas and fish.

The next dish was Grilled Seabass (380 baht).  The seabass was cooked perfectly.  The meat was tender, soft and flaky.  The simplicity of the dish was its secret...it was really good.

The next dish was Vegetarian Tortelloni (320 baht).  Each tortelloni was enormous (which is a good thing) but I thought the skin was a tad too thick.  Each tortelloni was nicely stuffed with loads of veggies.  The sauce was thick, rich and added tons of flavour to the tortelloni...just lovely.

The next dish was Lobster Pasta Spaghetti (490 baht).  The spaghetti was cooked nicely.  The lobster ragu was really tasty and the lobster was fresh, plump and tender.

The next dish was Sausage Pasta (380 baht).  The sausage for sure was the star of this dish and an amazing amount of it in one dish.  Loads of flavour and a touch of spiciness...very nice.

The next dish was Tagliatelle Lobster (490 baht).  Another lobster pasta...this one had tons of lobster, an amazing amount actually (a very good thing).  The lobster was fresh, plump and tender.  The tagliatelle was cooked well and was a good accompaniment to the lobster.

The next dish was Italian Sausage (550 baht).  This dish was a good portion; the sausage was dense, tender and cooked well.  However; it was lacking flavour.  I am not sure if this is the same sausage they use in the pasta dishes but for some reason this was bland...the drizzle of balsamic vinegar added some sweetness but it did not save the dish.  

The red wine was Caldora Montepulciano D'Abruzzo (1,500 baht).  Another Italian wine I never tried before...it was very good and went well with the pastas.

The outdoor dinning area with the view of the two pizza ovens.

Our dinning area.  We were not pleased at all that they put our table right in front of the jazz band.  Please forgive me; but I need to complain.  Who in their freaking mind would put a table right in front of a jazz band???  

I already hate and let me emphasize hate having live bands in an enclosed restaurant.  You can never have a conversation because of the band.  I have nothing against jazz bands; actually, I love them...but not when I am eating and especially not 'smack' right in front of my face.

Actually; it is my fault.  We were the first people in the restaurant when we arrived.  When we were led to our table, I did notice that they were setting up the jazz band.  I should have asked immediately for another table.  But, I did not think they would dare play because our table was right in front of them...oh how wrong I was.

Once they started playing; we then asked if we could be moved.  The arrogant waitress (I will go more into detail later) told us that it was impossible and that she said that we can move outside.  Oh 'thank you for your consideration'.

The jazz band was actually very good.  The reason why I know?  Because we stopped talking because we were tired from shouting at each other and so we just listened to the band play.  But for sure...never ever ever again!!!  

The first dessert was Tiramisu (330 baht).  A huge portion of tiramisu which was great because it was a good size for all of us to share.  The tiramisu was rich, thick, creamy and not too sweet.  A nice dessert.

The second dessert was Pannacotta (210 baht).  The pannacotta was bouncy, light & velvety soft.   The added sauces added the much needed flavours to wake up the pannacotta.  

The old Italian embassy turned into Vino Di Zanotti.  It is amazing that they even got this house.  The architectural structure is amazing.  The land is huge which is used for parking and a coffee shop.   At first I thought no one would go to Nanglinchee for Italian food...boy was I wrong.  That evening every table was taken in the restaurant.  Good for Vino...it is already popular.

Overall;  the atmosphere is very nice due to the amazing house.  The food is actually not bad at all...there is nothing new and exciting in terms of Italian cuisine but just basic and hearty Italian food that we are used to and at huge portions and I do not mean just overloading on the pasta but actually the ingredients that accompany the pasta (which is a great thing)...a great value for the money; maybe except for the Pizza Zanotti at 600 baht.

I highly do not recommend you eating in the room where the jazz band is not playing.  They are actually very good players but its not comfortable to have a conversation in that room.

The Italian restaurant manager is very nice.  He was welcoming, attentive and very helpful.  However....NOW back to the arrogant waitress story.  When we asked if we could be moved due to the  jazz band playing while we were talking.  A very tall and heavily make-uped waitress actually gave us attitude...like we were lucky to even have a table in the restaurant.  We first asked if we can be moved upstairs; she said, no because the rooms were not ready.  Then we asked if we can be moved to the other dinning section (there was no other customer at that time); she said no because they could not set up a table for us...I am not sure why...probably due to 'laziness'!!!  Then she said; we can move outside.  But the way she said it; like we were trash to be put outside.  At that point; I just said forget it and we will suffer with the music playing in front of our table.

At the time; we were the only table in the restaurant; if they wanted to, they could have easily set up and moved us.  But; that is a good learning for me.  If there is a next time; I go there and this specific waitress dares give attitude again...well; what goes around comes around!

Address:  399 Nanglinchee  soi 9
Phone#:  02-678-0577
Opening hours:  Monday to Saturday 17:00 - 24:00