I think I read somewhere that every time you snap your fingers a new Italian restaurant opens and then closes in Phuket? or something like that anyway.

The reason is simple; everyone loves Italian cuisine; pizza, pasta and a little red wine, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, the base used for the pizza could be pre-made, the pasta could be overcooked so that it has the taste and texture of Chinese noodles and the wine could be just a few days
shy of turning into vinegar.

There is also the very real risk of being charged a small fortune for the luxury of savouring these gastronomic faux pas.

Italian style seems to come at Italian prices. Many Phuket people have come to accept
the expensive expectation that to dine foreign and moreover to dine in a genuine Italian
restaurant should and does cost.

Why? Sometimes, people just want to eat a plate of carbonara without having to remortgage
their house. In Phuket, however, to eat genuine Italian food at a reasonable price almost seems to be mutually exclusive.

Pizza Lovers in Phuket, located nearby the waterfall roundabout in Phuket town (opposite Coffee Max), may however, be set to change people?s expectations of how much Italian they can hope to get for their hard-earned baht.

Ran by Lucio Orlando and his wife Khun Pavarisa, the newly opened restaurant is a real
breath of fresh air among the foreign restaurant community in Phuket.

It?s in a great location and decorated in a simple manner. All attention seems to be
directed at making great food at even more importantly during these cash-strapped times, great prices.

In fact, apart from the little Italian characteur used in the restaurant?s logo on the
menu and the sign outside, Pizza Lovers seems to be an Italian restaurant that seems to
have forgone many of the stereotypically accompanying pretentious expensive clich??s.

There are no hanging vines, Mediterranean prints, Italian music or furniture or d?cor
emblazoned with red, white and green to be seen. The restaurant only appears to be ?Italian? where it counts - on the plate.

As stated before, there are no shortage of great Italian pizzerias and restaurants on
the island. There is, however a distinct shortage of ones that are reasonably priced.

That is not to suggest that Pizza Lovers scrimp on the quality of the selection available
in their products. There is a large selection of beers, drinks and wines sold either by the glass (90 baht) or in ? litre carafes (250 baht).

There are also lots of Italian coffees; including an ?Affogato? which is described in English as a ?Big cup of coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.?

Sounds so much nicer in Italian, don?t you think?

There are lots of starters, many of which you probably won?t have heard of, indeed when Lucio announced my starter of ?Focaccia Naturala?(80 baht) I thought that I had in some way offended him.

But the dish, which is made of pastry and seasoned with olive oil, oregano and salt and
sliced like a pizza, was simply scrumptious.

Although I at first, as perhaps many of us who are only so familiar with the more popular
Italian dishes, questioned where the cheese was, it was surprisingly flavourful and a
great accompaniment to my second starter of Cazze alla Marinara (240 baht), made of
mussels, parsley, white wine, chili and garlic.

Truly surprising how many of those little delicacies you can pry open and eat before you?ve realised it.

There are, of course, a wide array of pizzas made in the traditional Italian style of thin
crust and many calzone and foccacia dishes as there are many varieties of pasta dishes,
and many meat and seafood dishes.

Lucio recommended Spaghetti Seafood (210 baht) for the main course and who was I to argue? All the pasta, just like the wine, is imported from Italy.

To round off the meal, Lucio brought out a plate of Gamberi Rose (260 baht), which contains fried prawns with white wine and tomato. The great mixture of wine and tomato really brings out the flavour of the large and meaty prawns.

There are attentive staff that serve the steady influx of backpackers and tourists, dining
or resting in the air-conditioned restaurant or just making use of the complimentary wi-fi access.

Great food at a great price. Lucio dismissed any suggestion that the famous Salvatore?s restaurant around the corner may soon have a slightly aggrieved or angry owner, ?Oh no, he?s my friend, he?s not angry that I have opened here. He has been in Phuket town for 27 years and has his own very loyal clientele.?

As I am sure Lucio will in time to come, he certainly has at least one so far.