The Ao Nang – Klong Haeng Road is fast becoming Ao Nang’s very own “Gourmet Street”, lined with restaurants that are a cut above the general herd down at the beachfront. Starting at the top with the inimitable Carnivore, passing by The Hilltop and Lay Lae Seafood, and now ending with the brand new Italian restaurant, Umberto’s Cuisine, you can take a tempting cross-continental culinary journey in the space of a few hundred metres.
Chef Umberto has closed Red Devil and opened this eponymous restaurant at the beach.
The decor is distinctly Mediterranean, with a Moroccan influence, and the dining room is airy with high ceilings – perfect for housing the open pizza kitchen. A small outdoor terrace is available for those who go early.
The menu will be familiar to most of Umberto’s loyal followers: simple but well-prepared pizza, pasta, burgers, salads, grilled meats and seafood; some great antipasti combo plates; and of course his outstanding signature dish of fresh porcini risotto (420 baht). Whatever you choose, the best thing about Umberto’s (we can attest, having eaten his food regularly since the very beginning!) is that meals are consistently good – a rare thing in Ao Nang.
The porcini risotto is to die for.
Wines (as everywhere in Thailand) are on the expensive side, but there is a good selection with more than a dozen wines under the 1500 THB mark. Finish off your meal with good Italian coffee or the standard tiramisu, gelato etc.
Also worth looking out for are Umberto’s weekly specials such as Salmone in crosta pane (whole salmon baked in bread) and his all-you-can-eat menu tasters – or special “health menus” – for those who love / hate carbs. These events are normally posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page.