Sandwiched between Cicada Market and Tamarind Market like the meat in an Italian hoagie, Â La Botte is an Italian restaurant not to be missed when in Khao Takiab.
Owner Roberto met us upon arrival and escorted us to a table on the vast terrace. La Botte (barrel or cask in Italian) has been open for two-and-a-half years, and continues to grow in popularity with both locals and tourists. We started with my favourite dish of the night (actually one of my favourite dishes in Hua Hin), the Carpaccio di Spada – swordfish carpaccio.
Drizzled with the perfect combination of olive oil and lemon, the fish is also dotted with slivers of celery adding a nice crunch to the softness of the fish. Following close behind was a Tuna Pizza. Thin-crusted with plenty of tuna and not drowning in cheese, it became apparent why La Botte calls itself a pizzeria as well as a restaurant. The most popular pizzas are the ham and pineapple, and the parma ham, rocket and parmesan pizza. The calzones (basically a folded pizza) are also well liked by the regulars.
Many of the pastas at La Botte are homemade, like the squid ink tagliolini we sampled with the dish Tagliolini al Nero di Seppia. The spaghetti was cooked al dente, and was topped with plump shrimp, cherry tomatoes and zucchini, all in a rich tomato sauce.
Our final course was the Filetto Manzo al Pepe Verde, a New Zealand tenderloin with a green peppercorn sauce. Cooked to a perfect medium rare, the steak was tender and juicy. For dessert we were tempted with the homemade Tiramisu, but we just didn’t have any room left. We did, however, have just enough room for a small grappa – after all, grappa is fermented in barrels similar to the namesake of the restaurant. And, there is always room for grappa!
Hours: Noon to 10:30pm
Location: 123/56 Nongkae, Khao Takiab, Hua Hin
Website: www.la-botte-huahin.com
