In 1995, the Marchesi de Frescobaldi family, with its viticultural history traced back to 1300, from Florence, Italy, and Napa Valley's top wine master Robert Mondavi from the US, joined hands to achieve a goal in creating a world-class, new label of Italian wine, Luce.
With the bustling financial district and the Chao Phraya River as a backdrop, the 56-seat restaurant is decked out to mimic the refined ambience of a contemporary wine cellar.
Inspired by how the much-cherished, Tuscany-based vino was born, Luce Restaurant, with the original venue (awarded a Michelin Star in 2010-2013) at InterContinental San Francisco and the second branch in Moscow, offers wine-centric diners and culinary connoisseurs time-honoured, heart-felt Italian fare that's combined with a fresh, clean and stylish American touch to be complemented a fine selection of wines from Frescobaldi.
The first Luce restaurant to open in Asia and the third in the world, the 56-seater on the 14th floor of Eastin Grand Sathorn hotel brings to Bangkok five-star gastronomy from the globally famous wine estate.
Just like how winemakers developed the Luce wine in Florence, Luce's cuisine takes on the concept of sustainability. And here at the Bangkok branch, the culinary team led by Chef Edoardo Bonavolta, also from the Tuscan region, tries to focus on the use of the freshest, if possible organic, seasonal produce from small artisanal growers.
Black Angus beef braised in Frescobaldi wine.
Bonavolta's cookery is inspired by traditional home-style food because "it is the essence of the fascinating culture of the people who created it", he said. However, his dishes are always a marriage between perfect simplicity and a hint of innovative taste. Luce Bangkok's menu is quite impressive featuring an extensive and complete collection of starters, soups, pasta, pizza, meat and seafood courses.
Our dinner on a rainy weekday evening started off wonderfully with the soothing and delicious mushroom aquacotta (320 baht). It's a sophisticated and hearty mushroom soup made with porcini, champion shimeji, cheese and egg, in which floated fresh cherry tomatoes and crispy croutons. The generously portioned soup was subtle in flavour and enriched by coarsely-chopped mushrooms. You can enjoy the soup by itself, or with the complimentary house-baked bread, which arrived at our table hot from the oven accompanied by superb Tuscan olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
From nine options of starters, we picked one of the best-sellers, salmon tartare with Granny Smith apples and ricotta cheese (340 baht). Served on a wooden board with toasted rye, the naturally flavoursome salmon, chopped neatly and mixed with milky ricotta, crunchy fresh apple bits and shallots, proved delightful.
That night we found Luce's much-loved spaghetti with Canadian lobster (780 baht) a bit ordinary in terms of taste. Whole fresh lobster was sauteed in Pinot Grigio wine with Pachino cherry tomatoes and Italian herbs before being tossed with No.3 spaghetti.
The mushroom aquacotta soup.
The gigantic crustacean was of prime quality yielding a pleasant fresh taste and texture, though the pasta noodles could have been improved with a more al dente touch and pungency.
We found lip-smacking pleasure with Bonavolta's Risotto Nero (420 baht). The risotto dish made with Acquerello rice, squid morsels, squid ink and Manila clam jus was nicely presented and was addictive.
Beef tenderloin steak (890 baht), prepared with Black Angus beef braised in Frescobaldi wine, was voted by our party of three as the favourite of the night. The top-grade beef tenderloin, cooked medium rare and served in four sizable blocks with caramelised onions, pan-roasted spring onions, rocket leaves, parmesan shavings and premium wine reduction gravy, was as heavenly in presentation as it was on our palate.
We were recommended by the staff to wrap up our meal with Luce's chocolate mousse with crunchy hazelnut biscuit (280 baht) and vanilla panna cotta (220 baht) _ both are Bonavolta's creations that've been added to the menu recently.
The chocolate mousse, infused with rum, was presented in a rather new-age culinary style, but provided a rich and authentic taste of the time-honoured Italian dessert.
Meanwhile, the vanilla panna cotta delicately boasted a milky flavour and supple texture that intermingled scrumptiously with the tangy sweet and crunchy mango-passionfruit compote.
Luce Bangkok is set alongside the infinity pool and overlooking the financial district and the glittering Chao Phraya River. Both its main dining area and private rooms are decked out to mimic the refined ambience of a contemporary wine-cellar, in which a great selection of wine from award-winning producers and world-class vineyards can be enjoyed together with great food.
The restaurant also features an array of cocktails and a full list of international beer and spirits. Service was pleasant.
Risotto Nero with squid morsels, squid ink and Manila clam jus.
Luce’s spaghetti with Canadian lobster
