At Scalini, Sundays sparkle
An amazing brunch is now available with dishes cooked fresh as the orders arrive
FANS OF Chef Egidio Latorraca’s modern Italian cuisine at the Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok’s restaurant Scalini can now enjoy his creations in a more casual setting with its Sparkling Sunday Brunch.
The usual fare of late morning gives way here to hearty Italian dishes with a contemporary accent, rendered from the world’s best ingredients.
At the cold station are pre-cooked starters, such as cured ham and other cold cuts and a wonderful Mediterranean Seafood Salad with fennel, salmon and citrus.
The seafood section is limited in scope but more than makes up for it with the flavours in the cooked lobster, mussels and prawns and the fresh raw oysters begging to be enjoyed with a Bloody Mary packed in a tiny tube.
The “A La Minute Main Course” is outstanding. You get to choose among dishes straight from the kitchen. It’s a far cry from the endless re-heating so common among restaurant brunches and buffets. To maintain the integrity of the ingredients, the chef insists on a dish being cooked only after it’s ordered.
The stellar entrees in this array include a perfectly roasted Australian rib-eye steak with wild mushrooms, and the succulent, almost addictive black mussels tossed in white-wine sauce.
The swordfish belly served with foie gras and miso glaze is at once sweet and salty, and the foie gras burger is cleverly accompanied by sweet, sour and fruity mango chutney that offsets the greasiness of the seared liver.
An even heartier choice is the pork belly with a green-apple-and-bean puree, glazed with honey sauce. The pork skin presented on the side is super-crispy.
The actual Italian dishes include risotto cooked in clam stock for a pleasant salty-savoury tang. It comes with chewy wild mushrooms and delightful balsamic syrup. And the spaghetti pasta with Boston lobster is prepared in the authentic Sicilian style.
The dessert station might disappoint at first glance, but further investigation finds a terrific chocolate marshmallow concoction, along with lovely cakes, tarts and seasonal fruit. Freshly made fruit juices are also available.
If quality outranks quantity in your books, this is one of the best brunch options around.
FISH AND FOIE GRAS
>>The Sparkling Sunday Brunch at Scalini at the Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 24 is served every weekend from12.30 to 3.
>>The price is Bt1,800, with free-flowing prosecco Bt2,500 and with free-flowing Champagne Bt3,500.
>>Reservations are recommended at (02) 620 6666.
