Bangkok has no shortage of good Italian restaurants. In fact Italian must top the list of European restaurants in the City of Angelinos. Many are good so the competition is stiff and the standards high.

Picollo is among these top Italian restaurants offering northern Italian cuisine with a Thai flare. It's situated in its own private house on the grounds of the Royal Princess Hotel.

The restaurant came as a complete surprise to Michelle and me. We went to the Royal Princess Hotel late one afternoon to meet with its general manager, Khun Pornthep. Ours was a social visit for we knew Khun Pornthep from when he ran a five-star hotel in Phuket. It was after we were at the hotel that he asked if we would like to stay for an early dinner. "How about something Italian," he said. And like all good hoteliers, he boasted he had the best Italian chef in Bangkok. Later that evening, seated at our table, we met Chef Panij Hoglad. The first question I wanted to ask him was how you apply a Thai taste to something Italian.

"We add just a touch of Thai spices," he explained, "but not so much as to fire out the more subtle Italian flavors." He then pointed out that most of his dishes are "all-out Italian."

Panij and his staff change the menu every few months to keep things interesting for the locals who eat there regularly. The special items that change are the most interesting, perhaps, but the menu also offers standard dishes that do not change.

For example there's the pizza with ham, mushroom and Italian sausage, always available, and always recommendable.

The minestrone is also a good way to start any meal, which is what we had. Then came an entree, the Raviolidi spinache ricotta. It's sure to please most people's taste. "Especially if you are Popeye," I( said but no one at the table got my pun. For those who don't like spinache ricotta, they can try one of the spaghetti entrees.

You could easily make a meal of the entree selection, but it's the main dishes that set the restaurant's standards. Both Michelle and I had to stop or there wouldn't have been room for the main meal.

And tops on that list is the Agnello alla scottadio, grilled herbed Australian rack of lamb with garlic and rosemary sauce. There is nothing Thai about the dish, but both lamb and Italian cuisine lovers will be appreciated it.

The menu has specialties in all sections, with the Insalata Degato D'oca one of Panji's signatory dishes. The fried French goose liver goes down well with the port wine sauce. It is served with a small salad to complete the liver.

The best advice for the choice of food, Kun Pornthep explained, is to ask the staff what they recommend and what are the specials for that month.

Picollo has about a dozen tables and offers life classical guitar from 8 p.m. When you are dining well, with good conversation, time does fly, and it was guitar music we were hearing before we knew it. The music in this case offers
a soothing background for a great meal and night out. At Picollo they don't make the mistake common in Bangkok of making music so load dinners have difficulty hearing each other speak.

Michelle and I both recommend Picollo's. Located next to the Royal Princess on Larn Luang road, it is convenient to both old Bangkok and Chinatown and is a great place for a meal after exploring those areas.

The Royal Princess is a very fine hotel, too, and worth considering if you plan to explore that part of town. It's actually on Rattanakosin Island which was once a fishing village bordered by the Chao Phraya river which flows down the middle of Thailand and is called the soul of the country. It became an island several hundred years ago when canals - klongs - were dug forming ancient Rattanakosin.

Piccolo is open for lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Dinner 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm. Live classical guitar from 8 p.m.

Picollo Restaurant
Royal Princess, Larn Luang, Bangkok
269 Larn Luang Road
Pomprab
Bangkok 10100
Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2281 3088
Fax: +66 (0) 2280 1314