girasole

Girasole, in Ratchadamnon's high-traffic back-packer zone [in the middle of the Sunday walking street, next to Wawee Coffee], is not my first pick for Italian in Chiang Mai. The same owner as La Gondola Restaurant, the experience at Girasole is nothing like La Gondola - Ping River [may it rest in peace].
While the food at Girasole was not terrible, the service was atypically discourteous for Chiang Mai. The server - presumably the manager - slodged water into our glasses, hastily doled out our dishes, and remained stone-faced through every interaction, from beginning to end of the meal. The younger waitstaff were pleasant enough, perhaps trying to warm us from our server's cold demeanor.

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notable | house salad [avocado, mango, apple, orange, deep-fried mozzarella, lightly coated with a refreshing herb-yogurt dressing]

so-so | the penne all'arrabiata received good reviews, but it's a pretty basic pasta dish [in other words, hard to mess up].

not so | the service.