The mixed and brisk crowd of diners on a weekday evening at Volti, which opened six months ago at the same space that had long housed the luxurious Angelini restaurant, proved that the rebranding is being rewarded.
The face-themed establishment (volti is Italian for faces) is a wise decision by Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok's management, as it caters to the current gastronomic demand of laid-back dining and comfort food.
Despite the familiar location, the new Italian restaurant and bar looked more inviting than ever, with a Tuscan farmhouse-inspired entrance that opens to a vibrant beverage counter and intimate lounge bar.
Further to the left, along the sweeping glass wall is a spacious main dining hall equipped with an extensive modern open kitchen to one side and an unobstructed view of the Chao Phraya River and the pool deck on the other.
Volti's cuisine is under the helm of chef Luca Casini, a native of Pistoria in Tuscany. Though joining the Shangri-La less than a year ago, Casini is no stranger to Bangkok's highbrow diners. Apart from his long experience working at many fine-dining establishments in Italy, the UK, Cyprus and India, he used to lead Chao Italian restaurant in Bangkok.
Volti reflects the trend for laid-back dining and comfort cuisine.
Casini crafted Volti's menu with a humble farmstead attitude. The 40-item selection centres around classic recipes and fresh seasonal produce -- imported and local. Dishes proved to beautifully deliver the precise taste of the ingredients they were made of.
Marinated octopus with potato, parsley, taggia olive, cherry tomatoes and mustard cress (390 baht) was first to impress us with pristine flavours of the fresh seafood and vegetables. Sizeable, olive-oil seethed slices of giant octopus exhibited a natural sweet taste and delicate rubbery texture that went well with the mildly-seasoned potato cubes.
A plate of yellow fin tuna carpaccio (410 baht) may look more like a garden-inspired culinary canvas with fanciful garnishing of edible flowers, flimsy wedges of pickled onion, orange pulp and mustard dollops. But the photogenic treat, featuring paper-thin slices of the tuna, turned out to carry the much-expected flavour profile of the world-class carpaccio.
I asked for the chef's suggestion when ordering pasta. And arriving at our table was fettuccine porcini (490 baht), Casini's scrumptious signature featuring thin and al dente house-made pasta perfectly perfumed with sautéed cep mushroom, parsley, garlic and thyme.
The yellow fin tuna carpaccio with pickled onion, orange and mustard.
From a collection of main courses, roasted sea bass with salicornia (salty marsh samphire), saffron and potatoes (700 baht) continued to impress us with nature's best celebrated character.
Dishes from the regular menu had taken care of our dinner superbly, and I was also able to catch a "Taste of Spring" promotional menu, available until the month-end.
Vanilla panna cotta with strawberry sorbet.
The special menu features a collection of dishes prepared with imported seasonal white asparagus. Of it, you cannot miss the heavenly 63C poached egg with white asparagus, frothy potato-truffle sabayon and freshly grated black truffle (560 baht). Feathery light in texture and subtly rich in taste, the dish proved excellently addictive.
Also magnificent was risotto with white asparagus, Parmesan and smoked caviar (650 baht). The almost mono-hued dish may not look different from the typical Parmesan risotto, but once you've tasted it, I guarantee you'll be impressed by the top-notch quality and taste of the perfectly cooked Italian classic.
Should you look for a main dish of the season, baked salmon with grilled white asparagus and lemon butter sauce (1,050 baht) is a must.
Dessert choices ranged from classic tiramisu and vanilla millefeuille to chocolate-hazelnut parfait. Lusciously wrapping up our dinner was lemon and vanilla panna cotta with strawberry sorbet and frozen mascarpone mousse (280 baht). This very refreshing but creamy thick delicacy with a hint of amaretto was among the best panna cottas I've ever had.
As a bar, Volti stocks up a good range of wine, cocktails and beers, as well as Italian aperitifs and grappa. It also boasts live blue-eyed soul music on Fridays and Saturdays, from 7.30pm.
During our visit, clientele was an international mix of local families and corporate expats as well as the hotel's in-house guests. Service was of faultless quality, blending five-star efficiency with heartfelt amiability.
Volti’s Tuscan farmhouseinspired entrance opens to vibrant a lounge bar.
Marinated octopus with taggia olive and potatoes.
Grilled white asparagus and lemon butter sauce.
Roasted sea bass with saffron and salicornia.
Volti Ristorante & Bar
Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok, lobby level Soi Wat Suan Phlu, Charoen Krung Road Call 02-236-7777 Open daily, 5.30-10.30pm Park at the hotel's car park Most credit cards accepted
