Peperoni - A Slice of Peperoni

In much of the world, pizza seemed to have its hay day in the late 80s and early 90s, when going out for a slice of Italian pie was the ultimate Saturday tea-time treat.

ROB Review: PEPERONI - View Gallery

Everybody loves pizza though and Peperoni, in Silom’s Narai Hotel, has the vibe of going back in time but in a good way. The restaurant is open plan with glass pillars separating the main hotel lobby lounge, giving the space a relaxed feel. You literally feel like you can breeze in here without the whole fuss of even having to open a door and walk into an eatery.

One wall is decorated with a kind of green lightbox effect which gives Peperoni a late 80s retro look, which just so happens to be really fashionable. The olive green leather sofas and red table napkins, not to mention the big rectangular overhead lights and big brown vases also buy into the trendy Italian restaurant from fifteen years ago but the charm of Peperoni is that it is not trying to be hip but wants to measure up as a smart enough restaurant where you feel you are dining in style, in an open space, with friendly staff, a relaxed atmosphere and outside terrace tables. It all works extremely well.

The menu is written in plain and simple English and covers most Italian food bases. There are, however, Italian catwalk, glamorous dishes, that stand out as being something a little different. The breadless duck burger comes on a polenta base with poached pear, asparagus, pan seared foie gras and strawberry and masala sauce and is as fancy as any high couture. It isn’t a dish you would want to eat too often, there are perhaps too many flavors competing, but it is reminiscent of a time when eating out was about trying interesting foods that you would never cook at home. It is the savoury equivalent of going out for a nickerbockerglory – fun, fabulous and completely over the top.

The Pizza Nero, with seafood and squid ink is a novel idea but one that ultimately doesn’t work. However, for some reason, these try hard dishes mixed in with all the established favorites, make you warm to Peperoni even more. Little touches such as the wonderful homemade bread, including squid ink rolls, are what Italian cooking is all about. The open kitchen, with roaring pizza oven, shows the chefs here know how to make a good pizza and the crust comes out thin, crispy and perfectly baked.

There are some indulgent courses on the menu such as the wagyu beef but the food here is reasonably priced and there are some good lunchtime and set menu deals. Peperoni might not claim to be the best Italian restaurant in Bangkok but the just-by-chance retro look, the great pizza, the professional staff, the clean and comfortable surroundings and the simplicity of the menu are what draws you to Peperoni and not any attempts at creating the high fashion of Italian food.

ROB Review: PEPERONI - View Gallery