When you think of Italian food, you probably think of pasta, pizza and other standard Italian dishes. However, just like other cuisines, there are chefs pushing the boundaries of Italian food. While in Bangkok, staying at The Sukhothai Hotel, I had a dinner at their La Scala restaurant where Chef David Tamburini is redefining Italian cuisine. He’s clearly spent lots of time developing this glorious tasting menu that truly knocked my socks off! A lot of what I ate during the evening I had never experienced before, but enjoyed it all nonetheless.

To get a full feel for the menu, I ordered the Spring Tasting Menu. The first few items were to meant to warm up our digestive systems and also excited me for the rest of the meal. The one in the egg shell was my favorite! We were also welcomed with a glass of Zardetto Prosecco.

First item on the actual menu was the Pomodoro e Mozzarella. What simply looked like a tomato, was a lot more than that! This was cheese and tomato inside of a tomato gel outside, that resembled a real tomato. The cheese inside was incredibly creamy and lovely. Well done.

Up next was probably the most memorable dish for me, which was the crispy potato skin filled with potato foam atop octopus and green olive sauce. The potato and octopus really had to be eaten together to be fully enjoyed, it was perfect. The textures and the saltiness of the olives really helped to balance out the more mellow crispy potato skin. A match made in heaven really.

A dish that I had never been very fond of was sweetbread. However, at La Scala that all changed! Served with toasted pine nut milk, braised young carrots and lemon this was a smash hit! The flavor of the sweetbread was not overwhelming like I had experienced in the past. Instead, it was a balanced dish that was very enjoyable.

When you think of ravioli you think of something very classically Italian. However, this pork carob ravioli tasted more like a Chinese dumpling. It was served with wild garlic leaves and offered a twist on the traditional Italian ravioli. This was another amazing dish I fell in love with quickly!

Getting closer to the main event we had a steamed John Dory fillet, accompanied with vegetables. This was another well-balanced plate, both in flavors and presentation.

The main course was a European Black Angus Dry-Aged Ribeye with deep-fried cauliflower and a salad with one sardine. The meat was cooked perfectly, just as I requested. The salt from the anchovy really was needed with the steak. My only suggestion would be to use a steak with a bit of fat content to give the meat a bit of added flavor.

The meal was winding down and just when I thought it was over, it was time for dessert, and some more alcohol. We had a 2015 Domaine des Bernardins, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, from France dessert wine to accompany our two desserts. My favorite was the mascarpone and carob mousse.

The mark of a great Italian restaurant is a complimentary glass of lemoncello at the finish, to put the cherry on top of this perfect meal. We were also served dark chocolate! Heaven.

The staff were great at La Scala and complimented this perfect evening. The food was truly something special, chef David did a great job at creating this lovely menu, and the environment was also appreciated. If you’re looking for a meal that pushes the limits of what you know to be Italian cuisine, with truly exciting food that will arouse your senses, look no further than La Scala restaurant located at The Sukhothai Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

La Scala Bangkok

Restaurant

13/3 South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120, Thailand

Phone: +66 02 344 8888