Govinda - Vegetarian Italian Fine Dining

Govinda, located on Sukhumvit Soi 22, offers Bangkok vegetarians a truly unique fine-dining experience.

Food Columns - Vegetarian Food - Govinda Profile

by Julia Chinnock

The owners, Marta Maule and Stefano Zambon first came to Thailand 10 years ago and fell in love with the country. It would be another five years before they took the big leap and moved from their small town in Northern Italy to open their vegetarian restaurant in Bangkok.

Marta, who runs the kitchen, cooks and is continuously working to develop Govinda’s menu, has been a vegetarian since a young age and was inspired to stop eating meat as a child. She was raised by her grandmother on a farm and came to have great respect for the animals around her. She just couldn’t bring herself to eat them. As she got older, she became more conscious about the health benefits of vegetarianism and has dedicated her life to creating flavorful and original meat-free fare that even omnivores will love.

Marta told me that her Govinda customers are, “like family- I want them to have the very best.” Sundays are the busiest days, and she even goes so far as to ask her regular customers, “Why do you come on Sunday? Better for you- come another day.” This is because, naturally, the more packed the restaurant, the slower the service and sometimes, she just isn’t able to keep up and give each dish the loving touch “her family” deserves.

I asked Marta what her signature dish was and she replied without hesitation, “ohhh…my Risotto! Many customers, who are not vegetarian, come here just for my risotto. The most delicious is the porcini mushroom, the Parmesan and asparagus and the imported radicchio”

Govinda imports many of their ingredients from Italy, especially the porcini, artichokes, cheeses, radicchio, tomatoes, and wines. They supplement the imported items with organic vegetables grown here in Thailand. When I asked her if it was difficult to source organic produce, she told me that five years ago when they first opened it was, but it has gotten much easier- these days there is a growing demand by consumers and more suppliers are providing locally sourced, organic products.

Marta describes herself as a curious person and told me, “My place is in the kitchen. I love it.” She is always “looking around, studying, trying new recipes and playing with food.” Every week she introduces new specials, which are written on the chalk-board inside. She will prepare any dish to order and is constantly seeking feedback from her customers.

I asked her if she has had to adapt her food to fit Thai tastes, she said,

“very little- though here, my Thai and Indian customers, they like food spicy, so sometimes I make it a little more spicy. And, in the beginning, I tried very hard not to have ketchup- but people- they like to put ketchup on things. I don’t understand it, but I finally had to give in. Now we have ketchup.”

For vegans, Govinda offers soy cheeses and all dishes are egg-free. She also offers gluten-free pasta, for people who are sensitive or allergic to gluten products.

Marta would like to encourage everyone to think about being vegetarian “for health reasons and respect of life.”

Visit Govinda on Sukhumvit Soi 22 (exact address: 6/5/6/6) for excellent Italian vegetarian and international healthy food. For more information, call 02-663-4970

Food Columns - Vegetarian Food - Govinda Profile