Review Of Francesca Pizzeria & Restaurant

[TheVicar]

Following the footsteps of another restaurant review here and a popular thread on Italian food, this is a review of Francesca Pizzeria & Restaurant. It is not centrally located. It is on the Canal Road about 7 kilometers beyond the Suthep Junction, a couple hundred meters beyond the Mae Hea Market on the left side of Canal Road as you drive South.

For an out of the way location, prices are not cheap here. Maybe that is because the ownership is counting on nearby large housing estates and gated housing which has lots of wealthy farangs. I ordered a Vegetarian Pizza, good size at 10 inches (larger size is 12) and the price for it was 210 baht. The pizza had a thin crust but was relatively doughy. The toppings were green peppers, courgettes and grilled aubergines but this kind of pizza needed more seasoning (I could taste no oregano or rosemary and none was provided in containers at the table). Some onion in this would have provided at least some flavor. So it was very bland, not to my taste. The only seasoning on the tables were salt and pepper. That is not adequate; nor was any extra grated parmesan cheese brought with it (the waiter hurried away before I could ask for some). No one came by to ask how the pizza was.

I also ordered one of the 5 or 6 specials of the day which happened to be cannelloni filled with ricotta cheese and spinach and with a bechamel sauce. I had hoped this would be better than the pizza but it turned out to be worse. First off, the sauce had some tomato in it; bechamel sauce is white, it has no tomato at all in it. Secondly, the whole thing was gloppy and gooey. Cannelloni should be baked to a golden brown on the outside but the pasta itself should retain some firmness; these were simply gloppy, not even the long and correct shape for this type of pasta. I suspect that because they were not baked brown, a microwave was used. Third, like the pizza, it was under spiced. This dish usually has onion in it but I could taste none. So this dish had absolutely no character and was not cooked to correct form. Nor was it cheap at 190 baht. With these two courses, I had a small beer Leo at B60.

On the menu, they offer a number of pizzas ranging from 150-230 baht for a 10 inch; several pasta dishes from B 90-240; chicken & pork main courses at B 200; and some appetizers and salads from 70-150 baht plus the specials of the day (around B 200).

The decor of the place inside, which is air con, is pleasant enough with 6 wooden tables and wooden chairs and some nice prints on pastel green walls. The tables had a a light green linen on them with crisp white cloth napkins. There is one table outside but since it looks out on busy Canal Road, I ate inside. There was only one other person eating at the restaurant which was early on a Friday evening, about 6:30 p.m.

All in all, my sense here is that whoever was in the kitchen (and I did hear some Italian spoken) is clueless about both cooking and marketing. Indifferent (pizza) to bad food (the cannelloni) with no owner/manager coming by to ask how the dining experience went. They do offer takeaway and there is a number to call to order. But my impression is: why bother? There are many good restaurants in Chiang Mai but this is not one of them. Given the non-central location, they need to do more than they did. I give this place a thumbs down.

Decor: 3 stars (pleasant but average; canned classical music being played) out of 5

Service: 2 stars (efficient but not enthusiastic or friendly; no follow-up)

Value: 1 star (poor)

Food: 1 star (poor)

Francesca Pizzeria & Restaurant, 135/10 Mae Hea, Amper Muang, Chiang Mai 50100 (on the Canal Road)

Open Tues-Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. -10 p.m. Closed Mondays

Takeway order telephone number: 053-111298

Edited December 7, 2012 by TheVicar

[Loaded]

What a load of pretentious nonsense.

Food critic, my bum.

[hellodolly]

He should go back to looking for cheap books.

[15Peter20]

Oddly enough, I was in there that night too. Maybe an hour after the OP. We went mainly because of recommendations in this forum.

We had pizza and spag bol. Whilst certainly not being bad, it was pretty bland in my opinion.

I agree in broad terms with the OP's assessment. This can't be one of Chiang Mai's best Italian restaurants surely.

Good if you live in the neighborhood and fancy a change from Thai - and don't mind the issue of value for money - but not worth driving across town for.

Maybe it was an off night though. I wish them well in future.

[KRS1]

Mental note : never open farang restaurant in Chiang Mai

[moe666]

A real food critic will make at least 2 trips to a rest. before writing a review to eliminate a off night

[cheeryble]

A real food critic will make at least 2 trips to a rest. before writing a review to eliminate a off night

Huh?

You paying?

I seem to remember that place, in a shophouse right?

The decor said to me "we spent the absolute minimum time and money making this place an Italian rather than a TV aerial shop." it was utterly bland, and suggested the food would be likewise.

[iainiain101]

I personally enjoy the place, and my kids love it, especially the 7 inch pizza that was not even mentioned in the review.

I have also lived in Italy, travelled much of the world, and eaten well! I thought that having Oregano on the table was a Chiang Mai thing in American restaurants!

[barefoot1988]

what you had described about the cannelloni actually sounds right and seems to be done like a proper cannelloni. the good old cannelloni is done right uncooked together with the filling resulting in gooey, soft and very fragile and light tasting, cheese is never browned.

cannelloni in many places are mostly precooked, then filled with fillings, lathered with sauce and cheese and finally off to the oven till top layer are browned and crisp. very savory in tasting. this is probably the usual stuff you had tried.

im not sure how did it taste like, chances are it isnt bad food, just arent to your liking.

now, its been awhile since i taste some really fine cannelloni, i might just drop off there to try it. it does sound like a proper cannelloni

Edited December 8, 2012 by barefoot1988

[TheVicar]

what you had described about the cannelloni actually sounds right and seems to be done like a proper cannelloni. the good old cannelloni is done right uncooked together with the filling resulting in gooey, soft and very fragile and light tasting, cheese is never browned.

cannelloni in many places are mostly precooked, then filled with fillings, lathered with sauce and cheese and finally off to the oven till top layer are browned and crisp. very savory in tasting. this is probably the usual stuff you had tried.

im not sure how did it taste like, chances are it isnt bad food, just arent to your liking.

now, its been awhile since i taste some really fine cannelloni, i might just drop off there to try it. it does sound like a proper cannelloni

Thanks to all for the many comments.

But a big no to the above poster. There were 2 major problems with this restaurant's cannelloni: 1) it was advertised as coming with bechamel sauce, which is quite customary. However, bechamel sauce is always and only white, there was tomato mixed in with this sauce and that is definitely a no no. 2) Contrary to what you write, cannelloni should be golden brown on the top, not a gooey mess that has obviously been through a micro wave.

From Classic Pasta:

"Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. After about fifteen minutes, take off the cover to allow a golden crust to happen. Allow the cannelloni to settle a few minutes before serving." (emphasis added)

Source: http://www.classicpa...how_to_make.htm

From the award winning cookbook, Simply Italian

"Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown."

Or Jamie Oliver:

"cook until golden"

(you can see a video of this and what the finished result looks like (golden brown top) here:

The other problem with both of the dishes that I tried at this restaurant was this: both were under seasoned and completely bland. That is not Italian cooking at its best. NOTE that in the picture above, it is NOT a classic bechamel sauce.

And yes, it is located in what appears to be a shophouse. But the decor is not the problem, it's the food!

Edited December 10, 2012 by TheVicar

[Chicog]

Or Jamie Oliver:

You were going so well until you tried to use that pretentious mockney <deleted> to bolster your argument. What does Gordon "I only ever use use fresh ingredients apart from the half cooked chicken I send out to all my restaurants" Ramsay say?

[moe666]

A real food critic will make at least 2 trips to a rest. before writing a review to eliminate a off night

Huh?

You paying?

I seem to remember that place, in a shophouse right?

The decor said to me "we spent the absolute minimum time and money making this place an Italian rather than a TV aerial shop." it was utterly bland, and suggested the food would be likewise.

As I said a real food critic, they are usually on someone payroll. Also if I felt that strongly about a place to write about here I would visit it twice and pay for it myself. You broke looking for a free meal

[PostmanPat]

If youre in that area, and you want good pizza and excellent lasagne, continue just another few hundred yards to Tony Putrinos Yummy Pizza where the food is both better and considerably cheaper than Francescas.

I had a very bad eating experience at Francescas a year or so ago and vowed never to return, but then hey presto, Tony opens his place very close by, so problem solved!!

[junglechef]

I know some of my loyal following, though in no way am I suggesting they are also fans, is wondering where I am during all this, well don't worry I'm fine, just enjoying it all while I sit this one out so just consider it my holiday gift to you all, Season Greetings!

[BB1955]

I ve ate there a couple of times. Although not bad , it was by far not the best and was very pricey for what you were served ..... portions very small for the price you pay . If Im going to eat pricey food I alteast want to be full when I walk out ..

[millwall_fan]

We enjoyed our meal at Francescas. I suppose being vegetarian you are more picky with food than the rest of us.

[TheVicar]

We enjoyed our meal at Francescas. I suppose being vegetarian you are more picky with food than the rest of us.

Although I have cut back in consumption of meat (and basically only eat chicken from that food group), I'm not a strict vegetarian.

It would seem the vast number of posters here agreed with my overall review of Francescas: too expensive, not very good food, and bland.

[TheVicar]

If youre in that area, and you want good pizza and excellent lasagne, continue just another few hundred yards to Tony Putrinos Yummy Pizza where the food is both better and considerably cheaper than Francescas.

I had a very bad eating experience at Francescas a year or so ago and vowed never to return, but then hey presto, Tony opens his place very close by, so problem solved!!

I will indeed try Yummy Pizza. Thanks for the tip.

[TheVicar]

A real food critic will make at least 2 trips to a rest. before writing a review to eliminate a off night

Huh?

You paying?

I seem to remember that place, in a shophouse right?

The decor said to me "we spent the absolute minimum time and money making this place an Italian rather than a TV aerial shop." it was utterly bland, and suggested the food would be likewise.

As I said a real food critic, they are usually on someone payroll. Also if I felt that strongly about a place to write about here I would visit it twice and pay for it myself. You broke looking for a free meal

I'm not so sure what you mean by a "real" food critic. If I pinch myself, I find I am real. And I actually did do reviews for 3 years for a publication. I know food and I know restaurants. I've lived in Italy, by the way, and know what good Italian food is.

Many times food critics only visit a place once; they might go back later to see if a place has changed (especially if that place gets positive "word of mouth" from the community; this place seems not to have much of a following and you'll note that lots of people here who have visited it agree with my assessment). I think these kind of reviews are helpful to people in the community especially since we really do not have an English language paper for CM and most of the local publications are taking money from the same businesses they are reviewing!

Edited December 11, 2012 by TheVicar

[elektrified]

I've lived in Italy, by the way, and know what good Italian food is.

There lies the problem here. Many of us come from, or have lived in Europe or America where good Italian food is everywhere. But here you are getting food made with locally sourced ingredients. You will never get the real thing here unless you go somewhere that imports everything and you will pay a very high price for it. Good tomato sauce needs San Marzano and Pienolo tomatoes, cheese needs to be Grana Padano, mozzarela di bufala, etc., etc. One Italian restaurant here, mentioned often in this forum, uses pieces of chopped up Thai hot dogs on their "sausage" pizza. Many places use olive oil from Makro or Big C; although imported, not close to the grade used in Europe. But some places do a pretty good job with the local ingredients. You just have to try a few of them and see what works for you.

You will never find something like this here (where I used to go twice a week for years when I lived in Europe).

Edited December 11, 2012 by elektrified

[Ulysses G.]

I agree that the ingredients available here for Western food are often not up to snuff, but, in general, the Italians in town make the best use of what is available of any Western nationality. There are individual places like the Duke's, Marcos, La Fourchette and Butter is Better that do an excellent job with what is available, but there are very few Italian restarants in Chiang Mai that are not at least pretty good. I can't say that about any other kind of cuisine, other than Thai.

[TheVicar]

I've lived in Italy, by the way, and know what good Italian food is.

There lies the problem here. Many of us come from, or have lived in Europe or America where good Italian food is everywhere. But here you are getting food made with locally sourced ingredients. You will never get the real thing here unless you go somewhere that imports everything and you will pay a very high price for it. Good tomato sauce needs San Marzano and Pienolo tomatoes, cheese needs to be Grana Padano, mozzarela di bufala, etc., etc. One Italian restaurant here, mentioned often in this forum, uses pieces of chopped up Thai hot dogs on their "sausage" pizza. Many places use olive oil from Makro or Big C; although imported, not close to the grade used in Europe. But some places do a pretty good job with the local ingredients. You just have to try a few of them and see what works for you.

You will never find something like this here (where I used to go twice a week for years when I lived in Europe).

1. This is less true today than it was in the past. 20 years ago, for instance, it was difficult to find good bread here or any fresh dairy products. All that has pretty much changed.

2. Excellent dried Italian pasta is available readily here in Thailand and it is about the same price as it would be in Europe or America.

3. I agree with you on the cheeses; they ARE much more expensive here (although good cheese from Australia is slightly less than that from Europe). This is also true of wines because of the high taxes imposed on them here.

4. I don't agree with you on the tomato paste. Mica brand (local) is excellent and quite inexpensive.

5. And let's also remember, that some locally grown products (basil, bay leaves, rosemary, nutmeg, pepper, most meats --chicken, pork--and most fish, for instance) are cheaper here than they would be in Europe and so are the rents and electricity and labor.

6. In large part, I don't think it's the resources/ingredients for cooking that are lacking (or so much more expensive that they make Italian food here expensive) I think it is the cooking expertise and ownership. There are some people who have marginal cooking skills who come from abroad and think they can set up a successful restaurant here because no one will notice the difference. They also think they can easily train Thais to do such cooking and sit back and enjoy the profits. Or, they are not really cooks and not trained to be cooks but have a different occupation that they cannot pursue in Thailand; so they think, well, I can cook Italian, or Hungarian or whatever even if I cannot follow my real profession. That too is not easy. There is lots of competition even in the foreign food outlets here (especially Italian, see UG's points on this) and some are good but in my opinion, most are not. The restaurant reviewed here falls in the latter category (not good). Why they are charging such high prices when they are in essentially a shop house on the edge of the city (where rents are not as expensive as in the center of the city) is beyond me. And note it is not just my opinion but that of others who found their prices high and portions on the small side.

7. The olive oil sold in Makro and elsewhere here that is Extra Virgin comes from reputable brands. It is no different quality-wise than extra virgin olive oil sold in Europe or America. In fact, the EU has regulatory agencies to overlook the quality of olive oil and that applies to oil bottled for export. There does exist (especially in Italy) a huge cheating ring that makes obscene profits off of cheap (fraudulent; mixed using low grade oil from N. Africa) olive oil; but that junk is sold everywhere, including in Europe!

8. Some Thai hot dogs/sausages are very good. Many are made by companies with German or Swiss partners and are as good as anything made in Europe. I personally know a Bavarian cook renowned for his homemade sausage who once told me he thought the sausages sold by 7-11 were fantastic.

Edited December 12, 2012 by TheVicar

[15Peter20]

I've lived in Italy, by the way, and know what good Italian food is.

There lies the problem here. Many of us come from, or have lived in Europe or America where good Italian food is everywhere. But here you are getting food made with locally sourced ingredients. You will never get the real thing here unless you go somewhere that imports everything and you will pay a very high price for it. Good tomato sauce needs San Marzano and Pienolo tomatoes, cheese needs to be Grana Padano, mozzarela di bufala, etc., etc. One Italian restaurant here, mentioned often in this forum, uses pieces of chopped up Thai hot dogs on their "sausage" pizza. Many places use olive oil from Makro or Big C; although imported, not close to the grade used in Europe. But some places do a pretty good job with the local ingredients. You just have to try a few of them and see what works for you.

You will never find something like this here (where I used to go twice a week for years when I lived in Europe).

1. This is less true today than it was in the past. 20 years ago, for instance, it was difficult to find good bread here or any fresh dairy products. All that has pretty much changed.

2. Excellent dried Italian pasta is available readily here in Thailand and it is about the same price as it would be in Europe or America.

3. I agree with you on the cheeses; they ARE much more expensive here (although good cheese from Australia is slightly less than that from Europe). This is also true of wines because of the high taxes imposed on them here.

4. I don't agree with you on the tomato paste. Mica brand (local) is excellent and quite inexpensive.

5. And let's also remember, that some locally grown products (basil, bay leaves, rosemary, nutmeg, pepper, most meats --chicken, pork--and most fish, for instance) are cheaper here than they would be in Europe and so are the rents and electricity and labor.

6. In large part, I don't think it's the resources/ingredients for cooking that are lacking (or so much more expensive that they make Italian food here expensive) I think it is the cooking expertise and ownership. There are some people who have marginal cooking skills who come from abroad and think they can set up a successful restaurant here because no one will notice the difference. They also think they can easily train Thais to do such cooking and sit back and enjoy the profits. Or, they are not really cooks and not trained to be cooks but have a different occupation that they cannot pursue in Thailand; so they think, well, I can cook Italian, or Hungarian or whatever even if I cannot follow my real profession. That too is not easy. There is lots of competition even in the foreign food outlets here (especially Italian, see UG's points on this) and some are good but in my opinion, most are not. The restaurant reviewed here falls in the latter category (not good). Why they are charging such high prices when they are in essentially a shop house on the edge of the city (where rents are not as expensive as in the center of the city) is beyond me. And note it is not just my opinion but that of others who found their prices high and portions on the small side.

7. The olive oil sold in Makro and elsewhere here that is Extra Virgin comes from reputable brands. It is no different quality-wise than extra virgin olive oil sold in Europe or America. In fact, the EU has regulatory agencies to overlook the quality of olive oil and that applies to oil bottled for export. There does exist (especially in Italy) a huge cheating ring that makes obscene profits off of cheap (fraudulent; mixed using low grade oil from N. Africa) olive oil; but that junk is sold everywhere, including in Europe!

8. Some Thai hot dogs/sausages are very good. Many are made by companies with German or Swiss partners and are as good as anything made in Europe. I personally know a Bavarian cook renowned for his homemade sausage who once told me he thought the sausages sold by 7-11 were fantastic.

I am one of those who agrees with you. A visit to this restaurant was supposed to be a treat but didn't really turn out that way. Could you recommend what you consider to be a cheaper and better Italian restaurant so I can check it out next time? Thanks a lot.

[TheVicar]

I've lived in Italy, by the way, and know what good Italian food is.

There lies the problem here. Many of us come from, or have lived in Europe or America where good Italian food is everywhere. But here you are getting food made with locally sourced ingredients. You will never get the real thing here unless you go somewhere that imports everything and you will pay a very high price for it. Good tomato sauce needs San Marzano and Pienolo tomatoes, cheese needs to be Grana Padano, mozzarela di bufala, etc., etc. One Italian restaurant here, mentioned often in this forum, uses pieces of chopped up Thai hot dogs on their "sausage" pizza. Many places use olive oil from Makro or Big C; although imported, not close to the grade used in Europe. But some places do a pretty good job with the local ingredients. You just have to try a few of them and see what works for you.

You will never find something like this here (where I used to go twice a week for years when I lived in Europe).

1. This is less true today than it was in the past. 20 years ago, for instance, it was difficult to find good bread here or any fresh dairy products. All that has pretty much changed.

2. Excellent dried Italian pasta is available readily here in Thailand and it is about the same price as it would be in Europe or America.

3. I agree with you on the cheeses; they ARE much more expensive here (although good cheese from Australia is slightly less than that from Europe). This is also true of wines because of the high taxes imposed on them here.

4. I don't agree with you on the tomato paste. Mica brand (local) is excellent and quite inexpensive.

5. And let's also remember, that some locally grown products (basil, bay leaves, rosemary, nutmeg, pepper, most meats --chicken, pork--and most fish, for instance) are cheaper here than they would be in Europe and so are the rents and electricity and labor.

6. In large part, I don't think it's the resources/ingredients for cooking that are lacking (or so much more expensive that they make Italian food here expensive) I think it is the cooking expertise and ownership. There are some people who have marginal cooking skills who come from abroad and think they can set up a successful restaurant here because no one will notice the difference. They also think they can easily train Thais to do such cooking and sit back and enjoy the profits. Or, they are not really cooks and not trained to be cooks but have a different occupation that they cannot pursue in Thailand; so they think, well, I can cook Italian, or Hungarian or whatever even if I cannot follow my real profession. That too is not easy. There is lots of competition even in the foreign food outlets here (especially Italian, see UG's points on this) and some are good but in my opinion, most are not. The restaurant reviewed here falls in the latter category (not good). Why they are charging such high prices when they are in essentially a shop house on the edge of the city (where rents are not as expensive as in the center of the city) is beyond me. And note it is not just my opinion but that of others who found their prices high and portions on the small side.

7. The olive oil sold in Makro and elsewhere here that is Extra Virgin comes from reputable brands. It is no different quality-wise than extra virgin olive oil sold in Europe or America. In fact, the EU has regulatory agencies to overlook the quality of olive oil and that applies to oil bottled for export. There does exist (especially in Italy) a huge cheating ring that makes obscene profits off of cheap (fraudulent; mixed using low grade oil from N. Africa) olive oil; but that junk is sold everywhere, including in Europe!

8. Some Thai hot dogs/sausages are very good. Many are made by companies with German or Swiss partners and are as good as anything made in Europe. I personally know a Bavarian cook renowned for his homemade sausage who once told me he thought the sausages sold by 7-11 were fantastic.

I am one of those who agrees with you. A visit to this restaurant was supposed to be a treat but didn't really turn out that way. Could you recommend what you consider to be a cheaper and better Italian restaurant so I can check it out next time? Thanks a lot.

To my mind, Stephano's (next to Gecko Books down by the TGate) is the best Italian food I've had yet in Chiang Mai. They have a good 3 course meal for B 350 which is really reasonable (the one I had featured a big salad; a chicken dish for the main course; and real Italian ice cream). It was terrific. My guest and I also shared a starter plate of parma ham and melon that was out of this world (and big enough for 2). Big menu that is far more than the usual pizza and one or two pastas. Nice atmosphere and usually crowded. The same family also owns some other places ("Pasta Palace?"). Also good is Prego (Google it for its location); Thai chef/owner but one who lived and worked in Italy for almost a decade. Rated highly at Tripadvisor. Many people also like "Why Not" but I'm not sold on it yet. But it has a very nice atmosphere; lots of outdoor seats and a nice restaurant inside with their own ices.

If you're in Bangkok, and don't mind paying, then try Zanotti (off Silom Road); in my opinion, the best Italian restaurant in Thailand and better than almost anything in Italy. It is expensive though (B 3,000 or so for 5 courses)! The owner is the head of the Italian-Thai Chamber of Commerce and lots of things are imported.

Edited December 12, 2012 by TheVicar