Just a 5 minute walk from the Ploenchit BTS Skytrain station down Sukhumvit Soi 1 brings you to La Buca. A home-style Italian trattoria very much the kind of restaurant you would find in Italy, throwing open its doors on a neighborhood street or a piazza as this trattoria is where the locals drop by for home style food at reasonable prices. The chef/owner, Oreste, has finally settled down after spending most of his working life as a chef in restaurants far from his home in Milano… first in Europe, then in the Middle East and Thailand for the past couple of years.

In Milano, Oreste was once in charge of the kitchens at La Scala Opera House, as this may account for his sudden outbursts in song as he will often sing for the patrons at the restaurant as if he were Pavrotti or Bocelli. Customers don't come here to meet the whos-who crowd, they come for the relaxing atmosphere and great homemade Italian food.

There's a weekly menu that changes after 7 days of offering patrons a varied selection of 7 different items in each category of cuisine. Today we started with a traditional favorite of Mixed Italian Salami as well as my favorite, Insalata Caprese that offers slices of tomato, each with a thick disc of mozzarella cheese and a strip of basil on top with a generous splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (photos on left). There is homemade ravioli, canelloni, gnoochi, lasagna and a list of two dozen pasta dishes with spinach or meat sauce. We chose the Risotto Milanese with Saffron and Osso Buco and the Ravioli with Spinach in a Tomato & Basil sauce. Unresistable main courses make it difficult to select just one, as Oreste had a daily special of Lasagna-Style Macaroni that we couldn't resist, consisting of noodles layered high with a generous meat sauce offering a touch of Mozzarella and Parmesan thruout. The top had a layer of Mozzarella and it's big enough to serve 2 persons as there is nothing bashful about the portions at this place. Popular meat dishes include Veal Cutlet Milanese with bread crumbs, Osso Buco and even a nice Australian T-bone.

My companions and I had been told before coming here to leave room for the homemade Tiramisu because it was no ordinary dessert as it possessed lovely whipped cream plus the lightest melt-in-your-mouth sponge with a touch of bourbon then decorated with chocolate sauce. All three of us thought we could never eat another bite, however, there was something hypnotic about this treat.

There are many extra favors here, a lovely broschetta served to every customer with Free Singha water and each dish is prepared with the finest fresh ingredients, mostly from Italy, all cooked in a homemade fashion that would make any mom jealous.

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