Palatial with pizazz

Opened just over two weeks ago, Palazzo, the newest Italian restaurant in Soi Thonglor, has set up for business just a short way down Sub-Soi 17, in a 70-year-old house that has previously been home to ambassadors and interior decorating companies.

Although no longer a home or an office, the basic architecture has been maintained. The management has developed the property into a restaurant with charming modernistic Mediterranean overtones. Dark umber-coloured walls, teak flooring and a minimal amount of "stuff on the walls" give Palazzo a comfortable, easy-going feel.

In the evenings the Wine Bar, in its own separate building, has been set up for comfort in a more modernistic ambience.

Total seating, inside and out, is around 150, with a small car park. Valet parking is also being arranged.

Overseeing the culinary aspects of Palazzo is executive chef Michele "Miki" Paternoster. Born in Italy near the Greek border, Paternoster has been in Thailand nearly 10 years, most of the time in Krabi, where he managed his own restaurants.

At Palazzo, he's set up a menu featuring a range of popular Italian dishes. "I think I know what people like to eat," he says. Soups, salads, appetisers, pastas and all sorts of main courses.

Call his dishes straight-forward. His "Schiacciatina Palazzo" (Bt300) is sure to become popular. The dough for this pizza is baked in Palazzo's pizza oven, but, as Paternoster says, "schiacciatina" means that the topping is not baked. Topped with garlic, Parma ham, rocket, fresh tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, this pizza has a "fresh" taste, a fine dish for sharing.

Paternoster does have some "inventions", such as his smoked salmon roulade (Bt350). The fish is wrapped around a mixture of chopped red onions, lemon juice and olive oil, plus a sliver of butter for a touch of smoothness and richness.

Imported beef steaks and lamb are on the menu, but, for a main dish, seafood lovers should try the baked prawns (Bt550). Paternoster wraps a thinly-sliced strip of bacon around each prawn, giving the crustacean a mild, smoky taste.

The dessert menu offers some tasty ways of ending the meal. Paternoster, who is very fit, suggests the warm chocolate cake (Bt180), which is served with vanilla ice cream - a very chocolate-y finale.

Palazzo is the first restaurant in Bangkok to offer Moak coffee, an Italian brand new to Thailand's diners.

In addition, the restaurant as well as the Wine Bar are well-stocked with wines (Bt150/glass; Bt450/carafe for house wines) as well as liqueurs, beers and whiskeys.

Laurie Rosenthal

The Nation