Borrowing its name from the charming Italian region, Tuscany sets its sights quite high. Their grand colorful façade is quite lovely (if a bit kitsch), reminiscent of Tuscany—well, at least Palio in Khao Yai (except when heavy rains prompt them to cover it all up with a massive plastic tarp). And you can guess the kind of crowd inside from the fancy cars parked out in front. Sadly, the food, too, ends up being more of a façade than the real deal, not helped by the inclusion of a lengthy Thai menu alongside the pasta and carne. Italian food is about letting great, simple produce shine. But here, it’s done Thai-style, with bold sauces that end up overpowering the dish. The Tuscani spaghetti carbonara (B180) is simply an ode to garlic: a strident, single note that overpowers everything else. Who puts garlic in carbonara anyway? Another “recommendation,” the Italian-style smoked pork shank (B380), is smoked and baked in three different sauces over the course of three days. The resulting meat is tender but the smoking and various sauces are just too much, and it’s served with one lone pickle—a dismal side if we’ve ever seen one. The Thai food is pretty average: sweet, not particularly cheap, but still held to higher standards than the Western fare. The somtam Tuscani (B250), for example, is made with apple, guava and grape instead of green papaya. Despite a decent sweet and sour dressing, it’s one pricey somtam for such small pieces of crab. As for the Thai tom yam kung with young coconut (B180), it is simply way too sweet. Despite good service and a nice atmosphere, the end result is a kitchen just doesn’t live up to either the promise of an Italian escapade or a reasonably priced Thai meal. With the affordable four-page wine list, starting from B790 to B3,150 a bottle, there’s always the option of drowning your sorrows.
