Da Vinci

It's almost unreal. There's a Tuscan villa by a pool where you can have a luscious four-cheese mini-pizza and a glass of wine at sunset. It's in Sukhumvit soi 18.

ROB Review - Da Vinci

Impress your first date or a group of customers. Take the family to Da Vinci's for Sunday lunch. Have the kids splash around in the pool while the grownups inspect the wines. If you're a group of 10 or more, tell them in advance and they'll pull together something special for you. They're part of the Rembrandt hotel so they have resources and experience in organizing parties.

Tell them what you like and they'll suggest a few dishes. They'll serve it to you the way a feast should be served—with an amuse-bouche to amuse your bouche and a platter of cold cuts to go with your salad.

Parma ham with tomato bread. Simple, elegant and a promising start to the meal. Insalata do Rucola con Funghi, Pomodoro, Scaglie de Parmigiano, a balsamic and rocket salad with mushrooms, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. The vine rocket was plentiful, the mushrooms beautifully marinated. Bread with three dips. Basil, tomato and capers. A generous basket of breads, all warm and crusty, and the dips seemingly made just before serving. Three starters, basic as they may seem, let you know that the boys at Da Vinci know what they're doing.

Chef, formerly of the Sukhothai, insists on doing things the Italian way. Purists will argue that there is no such thing as pan-Italian food. Each town and village has their own variations that they consider perfect. Any attempt to create a generic Italian cuisine is, by its very nature, a false synthesis. I argue that over the years, a “greatest hits” has emerged. In Bangkok and around the world, certain sauces and preparations have earned superstar status, and are thus offered in virtually all Italian restaurants.

A restaurant calling itself “Italian” can therefore be rated on how well it fares on the most basic of dishes. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and basil. Fresh pastas and a pizza crust. These are the standards by which a chef shows his competency. Demonstrating his skill at the basics, the chef will then offer minor variations and innovations to hint at his particular skill set. The most interesting dishes are typically off the menu.

The pumpkin tortellini with truffle cream sauce is one such dish. A little on the sweet side and perhaps lacking salt, the dish showed promise. The pasta was silky and the truffle sauce was well balanced: not too creamy but with enough truffle to make you feel important. This is a light and elegant dish.

I had to order a small pizza as part of this little feast. Tomato, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Broccocini and Parmesan cheeses were served just-melted on a crisp and aromatic crust. This is a delicious little treat. Share it, if you are the kind of diner who shares food, because it's heavy. Gobble it down hot from the oven.

Sea bass with black risotto, broad beans, butter and saffron. The fish crisp on the outside, tender within, fell apart at the touch of the fork, this is how I like my bass. The day I went to Da Vinci's they were out of black risotto (or squid ink?), they substituted for a white creamy risotto that went well with the broad beans and saffron butter. There was enough tang in the sauce to compliment the fish. The risotto was rich, and I would be curious to see if the black version brought more complexity to this dish.

Go to Da Vinci's. The food's good, the atmosphere enchanting, and overlooks a pool. I like it.

ROB Review - Da Vinci