Where was Dario Busnelli all these years I've been doing restaurant reviews? There was almost too much to like about his food when we first met a few weeks ago at Attico Cucina Italiana, an Italian restaurant at the newly opened Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok hotel.
The high-ceiling restaurant sensibly combines a cosmopolitan feel with a warm touch of an old-world European farmhouse.
I was later told that the amiable, half-Thai half-Italian chef was born in Lombardy, Italy, grew up in Bangkok and cultivated his culinary perfection at some of Europe's most prestigious dining establishments, including the two-Michelin starred Ristorante Pierino Penati in Brianza, the three-Michelin starred Da Vittorio in Bergamo (both outside of Milan, Italy), and the Michelin-starred Allegro at Four Seasons Prague, in the Czech Republic.
Now as the executive chef of the two-month-old Attico, Dario has brought with him the sublime comfort cuisine of his Italian hometown. He speaks fluent Thai, English and Italian. But what matters most is that he's even better at cooking.
Attico's executive chef Dario Busnelli.
On a rainy evening over dinner at the Tuscan-inspired restaurant, our party of five criticising food loons couldn't help but pleasingly declare that it was one of the most impressive meals we'd had in months.
Ambience-wise, the restaurant sensibly combines a contemporary casual feel with a warm touch of an old-world European farmhouse. Red brick walls, sun-baked furniture and trompe l'oeil paintings provided to the cosmopolitan, high-ceiling dining room a rustic countryside contrast. Large windows let in the natural lighting of the brisk Sukhumvit area from the hotel's top floor. Attico's menu has a humble attitude to it. It features approximately 50 homestyle Italian dishes, as well as Tuscany's time-honoured specialities, under simple categories such as appetiser, red meat, seafood, pasta and pizza. Seasonal specials are written on the blackboard and changed twice weekly.
No discerning diners to Attico that I know of have ever missed praising the restaurant's table serving of aceto balsamico. Yesterday, I even received an unexpected phone call from a long-lost friend who excitedly began his conversation with: "Guess what. I'm at a new Italian restaurant at some new hotel and the balsamic vinegar is really amazing!"
The super sweet and aromatic balsamic vinegar from Modena, hand-picked by Dario, and its extra-virgin olive oil pairing, lent a superbly addictive complement to the basket of warm house-baked bread.
After the complimentary yummy bread treat, we officially started our dinner with degustazione di salumi della casa, or a selection of cold cuts and salami with house-marinated vegetables (990 baht for a large portion). That evening the platter of six succulent Italian charcuterie options intermingled faultlessly with the fantastic pickles.
An order of burrata (890 baht) was next up. The 120g creamy buffalo mozzarella, excellently produced by an artisan cheesemaker right here in Bangkok, came with super tasty fresh Chiang Mai cherry tomatoes marinated in balsamic dressing and basil. This "zero-kilometre dish" (ingredients sourced in Thailand), as Dario proudly called it, exhibited a true world-class savour — so much so that we decided to order two.
The burrata from a local cheesemaker with balsamic marinated cherry tomatoes.
The blissful gastronomy proceeded with organic bouchot mussels in lobster bisque sauce (690 baht). The blue-lipped mussels were imported from Brittany and yielded a naturally sweet taste enhanced by the fragrant white wine-seethed bisque.
Of a dozen pasta choices, we pleasantly wiped clean a plate of tagliatelle alla Boscaiola (490 baht), a homemade pasta with Italian sausage and porcini mushrooms in a light beurre blanc sauce.
Our plate-cleaning venture continued with ravioli con porcini with creamy truffle sauce (490 baht). Five pieces of porcini-stuffed pasta dumplings possessed an al dente texture and came slightly immersed in the aromatic, gooey gritty grey sauce that tasted gorgeous. Then it was on to a scrumptious order of risotto ai frutti di mare with bouchot mussels, sweet clams, slow cooked giant octopus and tiger prawns (590 baht).
The restaurant has a satisfying red meat selection. We passed the likes of beef tenderloin steak with seared duck liver and marsala wine sauce; slow-cooked beef cheek in Chianti red wine with polenta; Milanese veal ossobuco with saffron risotto; and pork belly confit with Madeira sauce.
Instead, we settled on Bistecca alla Fiorentina, or Florentine-style tomahawk steak (390 baht per 100g). It's a magnanimous, 5,000 baht sharing platter of nicely marbled, bone-in Australian Wagyu rib-eye steak, chargrilled to the diner's preference (it tasted heavenly when cooked medium-well), accompanied by grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes and a peppery red wine-shallot gravy.
Desserts that night were represented lusciously by the rich, silky and clingy double cream panna cotta with poached red wine pear and biscuit crumble (290 baht) and also the not-too-sweet offering of classic tiramisu (320 baht).
Matching its lovely setting and wonderful cuisine that easily make the restaurant one of the best Italian joints in Bangkok, Attico's service impressively blended efficiency with cordiality. During our visit staff were attentive, knowledgable yet still evinced some jocoseness.
Organic bouchot mussels in lobster bisque sauce.
The selection of cold cuts and salami with homemade pickles.
