The Grappino restaurant has been operating at the Amari Watergate Hotel for nine years, and how we missed it we don't know, especially when we thought we knew all the Italian restaurants in town.

What came as a surprise was the decor. Smooth, clean, modern, with plenty of space. No postage-size tables all crammed together here. The waiters are lively, ready to serve you at an instant, and to give diners that extra service, the head chef, Renato, walks among the tables asking diners for any special favours they might want. He spent a lot of time at our table, for we had endless questions. Fortunately, the menu is in Italian, Thai and English. But what makes it exciting is when you ask Renato for a suggestion, he waves his arms, puts his fingers to his lips, and then gives you the answer in rhythmic Italian. The chances are you won't understand him, but that's not the point. Anyway, he then points to the name in the menu.

We were with our two friends, Rick and Nancy Gillard, both from Canada. For 15 yeas before coming to Bangkok Rick had been a wine critic in Canada. This was going to be a great evening.

For a starter we had a choice of a dozen dishes. We were about to order the "Chefs selection of antipasti" but at that moment Renato appeared. With his Italian and a movement of arms he said we should try the "Tartar of fresh salmon" served with celery roots, fennel and mixed salad leaves. It was an excellent choice. We all had the same. It was delicious, and we never quite had a salad like it before. The salad leaves were actually warm, very novel, and tasty.

Next on the menu came pasta, "Tortelli di ricotta serviti con salsa al pecorino e pinoli tostoti." The girls loved it when the chef read it out in Italian, none of which we understood. The dish turned out to be "Ricofta torteili served with Pecorino cheese and toasted pine nuts. When it was served and we began eating, we responded with a lot of oohs and aahs.

Then came our main course, Carne. Each of us made our own choice, and ended up giving tastes from our plates to the others, with the feeling "mine is better than yours." Each one, however, was just as good as the other one.

Rick had the "Grilled Australian beef tenderloin" with arugula, polenta and Pecorino flakes. Mitch went for the "Snow fish medallions," Mediterranean style, with potatoes, capers, olives and prawns. She insisted she never had a fish that tasted better. She was reluctant to give others even a tiny sample, but she did.

Nancy settled for the "Veal loin medallions" in a white wine sauce with roasted potatoes and spinach. And Steve had "Grilled lamb chops" with an endive and thyme sauce. Both our plates came heaped with meat standing on end and appeared to be far more than we could ever eat. But we did, every last morsel.

The main course over, the waiter brought the menus for our deserts, and when we saw the list of entrees, we suddenly realized here we were in an Italian restaurant and we hadn't tried the pasta, and Mitch and Steve love my spaghetti. When we first sat down, Renato explained that all the pasta served at Grapino's was home made. Renato came to our aid. He dashed off to kitchen and in fifteen minutes returned with a plate of spaghetti with garlic, chili and olive oil. Our dinner companions had joked with us when we There was not one strand of spaghetti left in anyone's plate.

When it came to desert, there were so many choices, we had a hard time deciding, but the chef made the suggestion--"Warm chocolate cake with a compote of forest berries." He not only made the suggestion, he leaped up from his chair--he had pulled up a chair to explain the menu--and announced that this dish took special attention, and he was gone. In minutes he and the waiter were back. I don't think I have ever had a better desert. The forest berries were raspberry and blue berries. Delicious.

We haven't mentioned the wine. Rick, our wine expert, was astounded at the fine collection of wines offered by the restaurant. Our choice of wines was everything from the fruity and crisp Chardonnay to the full-bodied Barolo. We stated off with a white Chardonnay, a glass each, and then Rick chose a 1997 Barolo which, to say the least, was one of the defining moments of this exceptional evening of fine dining.

We had a lot to talk about on our way home. Nancy liked the menu that was "truly Italian," and then, of course, what woman wouldn't like a chef who speaks Italian and makes each lady feel special.

Rick commented on the quality of the food, the presentation, and, above all, the wine. He was most pleased with our choice at the completion of the meal of 15 grappas. "Now that's Italian," he said.

He was right, with one exception. The whole evening, the whole meal, was Italian, at its best.