Scalini has that Roaring 20s appeal

FINE INGREDIENTS and a heavy nod to authentic flavours make for a worthwhile trip to Scalini, where modern Italian dishes are served in a bygone New York setting.

Step back in time to the stern yet stylish flair of New York City in the 1920s, where Italian immigrants arrived at Ellis Island, bringing with them uniquely flavoured cuisine that would come to enhance the eclectic culture of the new world.

Scalini restaurant at the Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok serves up popular Italian cuisine, from appetisers, pasta, meat dishes and desserts. 

 Heirloom tomatoes (Bt620) are a good way to start the meal. Sweet, crunchy and fruity tomatoes of various colours are chopped up then tossed with creamy and mild burrata cheese, nutty and smoky roasted pecan and tangy aged balsamic. 

Risotto is revamped with a big chunk of foie gras (Bt880). Pure Italian Acquerello rice is cooked until perfect in seafood stock and saffron and topped with melted cheese and porcini mushroom for that subtle meaty nuance and seared foie gras. A dash of balsamic reduces the creaminess and pleasantly compliments the caramelised, crispy foie gras, a hearty dish that does not feel too heavy.

Another highlight, and one of the most popular meals, is seafood spaghetti pasta (Bt680) that comes “al cartoccio”, where the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and baked. 

 A thin layer of flour covers the pot as the dish is baked to seal in all the moisture and aroma. Once you pop open the package, you’ll get spaghetti pasta that has completely soaked up the juices of the seafood, along with squid, clam, mussels, prawns and bamboo clams that are cooked in their own juices. 

Also on the must-try list is Phuket lobster and chitarra pasta (Bt995). Homemade alla chitarra pasta – long, flat strips of egg pasta – is tossed with rich tomato sauce and served with chunks of lobster from Phuket. If you like your pasta quite soft and eggy, this will hit the spot. The slightly spicy sauce makes it a nice dish to go with heavy seafood. 

Scalini (which, incidentally, means steps in English) has a wide range of seafood. We tried seabass with lemon butter sauce (Bt740) where thick fillets of meaty seabass are roasted until the skin is crispy and propped on Sicilian-style fregula pasta, with creamy lemon butter sauce. 

It is quite rich and very palatable thanks to the slight tang of lemon and the savory touch of Manila clams on the side. Another good option for fish lovers is snow fish and black mussel sauce (Bt880), which is slightly drier than the seabass, served with couscous and crunchy white asparagus. 

As well, for carnivores, there are premium steaks, grilled in an open wood oven, from Bt1,600 to Bt2,200. We opted for 300 grams of US rib-eye steak that comes with a selection of sauces including rosemary orange, lemon butter, white wine, basil, and a number of exotic sea salts. Sides of sauted asparagus, roasted potato, sauted spinach with parmesan cheese and teriyaki glazed mushroom are served separately at Bt180.

End the meal with tiramisu (Bt500) made fresh at your table. The generous portion can easily feed two people. More bite-sized traditional Italian sweets are also available from the dessert trolley, from Bt350 for three items.

 

ITALIANS OF NEW YORK

Scalini is at Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok on Sukhumvit soi 24, close to Phrom Phong BTS. It is open for set lunch from noon till 2.30pm and for dinner from 6 to 10 daily. 

The restaurant serves brunch on Sunday from 12.30pm till 3pm. 

Reserve a table at (02) 620 6666.