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Published on December 16, 2007

It's almost hard to believe, but, at the end of December, Belguardo is celebrating its anniversary just two short years after it opened in Siam Paragon.

"We're a five-star restaurant in a shopping mall, and we're doing fine," says Executive Chef Marco Cammarata.

Despite lower customer confidence spawned by the vagaries of the present economy, Belguardo remains strong, able, says Cammarata, to continue offering the freshest ingredients in dishes you won't find in any other Italian restaurant in Bangkok.

Cammarata has maintained the same menu he's been offering all year, just adding dishes that he enjoys preparing and that he's sure customers will enjoy.

You don't have to know much about food preparation to savour the joys of his cannolicchi with squid and Portobello mushrooms, which he calls "Sea & Mountains" (Bt380). In texture, the squid is unbelievably soft but not mushy, as are the mushrooms and the pasta. You should notice that Cammarata has created a dish in which all the elements have the same texture, a difficult feat considering how different squid are from mushrooms and pasta. The result allows you to enjoy the melding of the different tastes into one, a memorable experience and one that demonstrates Cammarata's culinary experience.

He does, however, need to work on the names he gives his dishes. "yellowtail with cauliflower in a red wine sauce" just doesn't give any idea as to how lovely this dish is. The wine sauce is very light but still assertive enough to go with the fish.

Perhaps you might wonder what cauliflower is doing in this dish. Well, wonder no more. Cammarata cooks the vegetable in water first, but he also adds some milk, which whitens the cauliflower and reduces its strong taste. Then he drains it and whips it up with a bit of cream. The result should have its own food group, a thoroughly healthful version that tastes almost like very mild mashed potatoes. What a lovely accompaniment to the fish, and without the heaviness that "real" potatoes add.

You really need to come back again and again to check out the Belguardo menu. Each dish is distinctive. The marinated salmon (Bt480) is kept in salt over night, then carefully rinsed and served with a salad of orange slices.

The Parma ham (Bt630) is Ruliano, aged 24 months, and served with mushrooms in their own garlic-parsley oil.

The Belguardo desserts are also distinctive. The semifreddo of liquorice with Rossano licorice candy (Bt220) is made from Italian liquorice. The liquorice, imported from Italy, offers an aromatic taste and a very creamy texture, hardly the medicine-like offering you might have tried out in supermarket products.

Even Cammarata's chocolate dishes are different. His millefeuille of Madagascar chocolate (Bt250) arrives with crunchy walnut pralines and a pistachio ice, a memorable combination. His blanc mange (Bt200) is not the kind you can get out of a box.

Don't forget that you can enjoy a glass of wine from Belguardo's extensive wine list (by the glass, Bt320-Bt380).

Belguardo is, of course, offering Christmas and New Year's menus. Do book early. The holidays are among the restaurant's busiest days.

Laurie Rosenthal

The Nation