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Dining in Harmony
When is a restaurant not just a restaurant? When it is a music restaurant of course. The idea of a dinner set against live music has a certain charm to it, images of cruises and supper clubs from glamorous times spring to mind, where dining out had more of a sense of occasion.
Romana feels like it has been on the scene for years but actually it is a fairly new Sukhumvit number. The Italian and Spanish restaurant has a live band on every night after 9pm playing favorites from 70s, 80s and 90s Western pop. There are theme nights as well. Cliff Richard and Elvis fans can book a gala dinner and sing along to love me tender as they twirl their tender al dente linguine.
Upstairs, the atmosphere is a little quieter as classics are played out on the sleek grand piano. As the evening wears on diners can even partake in a little karaoke by the piano and work off their anti-pasta. The décor at Romana is upmarket without being stuffy. The leopard print sofa downstairs, the black glass chandelier upstairs, as well as the big goblet wine glasses, not to mention the two big seating areas for lounging downstairs are relaxed enough to let the atmosphere be footloose without Romana losing footing on being a fine dining experience as well.
The menu is classic Italian and decent enough for an encore, although not necessarily of standing ovation level. The homemade foccacia is perfect and immediately sets the taste buds up for girdle busting fare. However the food at Romana is not over facing or too rich. The truffle soup is deliciously creamy and although a little luxuriously priced at 380 thb for a small starter, it is renowned as something of a hi-so entrée.
The mixed platter of cold cuts cannot fail with good quality Serrano ham. At 550 baht this is a sharing portion, which is the way Italian food should be eaten. The pizzas are reasonably priced at between 160 and 320 baht and with a set lunch for under 300 baht, this is an alternative lunch venue that works well enough in the daytime too for what is predominantly a night time venue.
The carbonara does not follow a classic Italian recipe, with much less sauce, using only egg rather than vats of cream. At 260 baht it is a perfect sized dish and enjoyable enough. Without the music the food at Romana can be classed as a decent Italian restaurant that understands the importance of good food but it is the added entertainment of live music, the sound of chat and clinking glasses filled with Italian wine which adds that extra harmonious ingredient.
Romana knows how to play the right tunes to the well-heeled Thai listeners who tend to come here. However, some of the refrains of this music restaurant might not quite hit the right note with the younger dining crowds of Bangkok, except perhaps in a retro kitsch Italiano style.
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