The buzz: Margo Calderazzo was the owner of Italian restaurant Calderazzo Bistro in Langsuan for about 12 years before the venue was bought by the Watermark Group. Now, he’s back with another homey Italian restaurant, this time in a more accessible location in Thonglor. 

The décor: Inside the modern house painted in a mustard color you’ll find a typical contemporary Italian restaurant setting with proper seating for some serious dining, and more of the same on the mezzanine and second floor. If you’re looking for a more relaxed vibe, though, ask to be seated in the garden by the pool.

The food: Chef Calderazzo’a menu contains all the classics, from pizza to pasta and steak. Appetizers include the Caprese salad (B320) and calamari fritti (B330), before you get onto some interesting choices of homemade pizza and pasta. With more than 10 toppings of pizza, try the one with Italian pork sausage with rucola (B340) or mascarpone cream cheese, herbed olive oil, smoked salmon (B590). There are four homemade pastas to choose from: angel hair, strozzapreti, fettuccine and spinach fettuccine. The chef’s recommendation is the spinach fettuccine with Italian leg ham, porcini mushroom and cream (B320) or you can opt for a meatier option like beef or lamb ragu (B320). Mains include osso bucco (B790) and slow-stewed New Zealand lamb shank with tomatoes, carrots and onion served with polenta (B790).

The drinks: The short wine list is mostly drawn from the Old World with bottles like 2007 Casanova Di Neri from Toscana, Italy (B3,600), while they have five selections of wine by the glass (B260-B290). Beers are Singha, Heineken, Asahi (B120) and Corona (B160) and cocktails are priced at B240-B290.

The crowds: Large groups of businessmen having lunch and Japanese and Indian expats living in the area.