The Rama 9 area might have lots of eateries but the trouble is most of them are boring chain restaurants located in malls Central Rama 9 and The Nine. Fortunately, The Hidden Terrace offers something different, a dining experience with real heart and warmth that lets you escape from the shopping center. This all-white restaurant in a beautiful two-story house makes a good first impression, thanks to its delightful, decked garden area filled with retro wooden tables, while inside the small but cozy dining space makes you feel like you are sitting in a friend’s living room. Behind the bakery and counter, Chef Art (who has appeared on Iron Chef) is the man in charge of the kitchen and he has a refreshingly focused approach. There’s no epic menu of the kind found at mall bistros here, but a short list of quality dishes. The black-ink spaghetti with salid fish (B260) is both stylish and delicious. Served on a real-life picture frame it looks wonderfully artistic but it’s the taste that really wins our heart. The salty note of the squid ink blends well with the spaghetti, the tomatoes are fresh and crisp, while the crunchy black-ink dyed fish’s eggs are a winning finishing touch. The spaghetti carbonara (B150) is also sexed up, by a soft-boiled egg on top that cuts through the saltiness of the cheese and bacon to ensure the dish remains well balanced. The appetizers are also spot on, like the poached mozzarella in tomato sauce served with garlic bread (B95), which ends up feeling like a deconstructed pizza as you get to dip the bread into the gooey mix of rich tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. Their bakery is also excellent. The Smurf cake (B85) is a stand out thanks to its complex, slightly salty cream, that stops this saccharine-looking dessert from being overly sweet. Not everything hits these high notes: the mushroom soup (B65) is bland, while the grilled marinated pork served with Thai herbal sauce (B160) might have delicious and tender meat but it is overpowered by the sweetness of the dipping sauce. Still at these kind of prices, and with such a welcoming atmosphere, we’re happy enough to ignore such missteps for the chance to enjoy some inventive and flavorsome “Italian” cuisine that’s clearly made with an honesty and passion that chains can rarely match.