Tuscan temptations
The flavours of Florence find their way to a new restaurant on the edge of a golf course
Set amidst 400 rai of verdant surroundings in the Summit Windmill Golf Club, the newly opened Favola offers Italian cuisine in a traditional yet creative style.
Located on the ground floor of Le Meridien Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Golf Resort and Spa, the one-month-old restaurant is open to all diners, not just golfers and members of the high-end club. The kitchen is in the very capable hands of long-time Bangkok resident, chef Marco Cammarata, who is known for his classic Italian repertoire and creative style and puts those skills to good use in presenting the flavours of Tuscany.
Cosy with a rustic feel, Favola boasts warm lighting, a wooden floor, rattan chairs and rattan hanging lamps along with a lovely marble counter that stands in front of the wood-fire pizza oven. The air-conditioned indoors can accommodate 31 diners and there’s room for 16 other guests in the private rooms. The 49-seat alfresco terrace, which looks out over a perfectly manicured lawn, is a great place to dine when the weather is nice.
Cammarata says his food is uncomplicated and that his motto is “cooking is to give a pleasure”. A large selection of appetisers, salads, soups, wood fire-pizzas, fresh pasta and meats from the rotisserie are just some of the choices available.
He starts by offering us the unsalted Pane Toscano, the bread that is traditionally served in Florence and throughout Tuscany. Florence and Pisa were rivals in the Middle Ages and legend has it that in an attempt to force Florence to surrender, Pisa
blocked the salt delivery from the port and so the unsalted Tuscan bread was born. Others dismiss the story, pointing out that Tuscan food is traditionally highly seasoned and thus must be served with bland-tasting bread. It’s usually enjoyed with strongly flavoured cheeses, meats and in stews and to prove the point, Cammarata serves us Pappa al Pomodoro (Bt380). a thick tomato soup cooked with unsalted bread, olive oil, garlic and basil. The traditional Pappa al Pomodoro is considered a farmer’s dish and was prepared as a way of using up left-over bread.
We next sample Spelt & Spello (Bt320), a bean soup made with hulled wheat or spelt from Garfagnana that’s best enjoyed with thin and crispy unsalted toast. Lighter, but no less delicious, is the Frittura di Mare (Bt420), a mixed plate of deep-fried calamari, prawns and zucchini served with a dip made from yellow bell pepper and orange juice.
The chef’s Cappasanta Marinata (Bt650) – sous-vide scallop carpaccio dressed with citrus and served with a summer rice salad mixed with finely chopped bell pepper, ham, black olives – is another must-try as is the ancient Florentine treat, Crespelle alla Florentina, (Bt400), a savoury crepe stuffed with spinach and covered with bechamel sauce and grated cheese.
We sample the Caciucco (Bt480), a seafood stew with octopus, monkfish, squid, prawns, clams and mussels and follow up with Pici Toscani (Bt420), thick, hand-rolled pasta native to the town of Siena. The fat pasta has a chewy texture that goes well with the sausages and porcini.
And more is yet to come. The main dish, Epigrammi (Bt960), features braised lamb cutlets covered with breadcrumbs, eggs and flour that are twice cooked and served with Chianti jus and artichoke on a grid pan with freshly smoked aromatic herbs.
Sadly, we are too full for dessert but make a silent promise to ourselves that we’ll leave room for the Tiramisu (Bt260) and Pumpkin-Orange Creme Brulee (Bt280) on our next visit.
ITALIAN BY DESIGN
>>Favola is at Le Meridien Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Golf Resort and Spa. It’s inside the Summit Windmill Golf Club on Bangna-Trat Road (KM 10.5).
>>The restaurant is open Tuesday to Sunday from 6pm to 11pm. Call (02) 118 7777 or visit www.LeMeridienSuvarnabhumi.com.
