三级aa视频在线观看-三级国产-三级国产精品一区二区-三级国产三级在线-三级国产在线

USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Lifestyle
Home / Lifestyle / Food Reviews

Italian favorites side by side at open kitchen chef's table

By Rebecca Lo | China Daily | Updated: 2013-07-07 08:35

Italian favorites side by side at open kitchen chef's table

The three different bruschetta: tomatoes, tomatoes and mushrooms, and Stracchino cheese on top of crispy bread. Rebecca Lo / for China Daily

When I was first introduced to chef Luca Casini of Ciao, I thought he reminded me of someone I knew. But it wasn't until well into our five-course chef's table menu that it hit me.

"Don't you think our chef looks like John Travolta?" I said as I nudged my dinner companion.

Italian favorites side by side at open kitchen chef's table

"You mean in Welcome Back, Kotter?" he replied with skepticism.

"No, in Phenomenon. Before he got all bloated!" I quipped.

The Tuscan native's sweet and gentle nature was similar to the one Travolta played in the mid-90s film, but his attention to detail was what impressed us the most. Throughout the meal, we admired the flair with which he decorated every plate, adding color, texture and balance to even the most ordinary of dishes.

Ciao, the brainchild of Mandarin Oriental Bangkok's highly decorated culinary director Norbert Kostner, was relaunched in March as a fine dining establishment.

Gone are the heaping platters of pastas and pizzas that was its previous incarnation as a family-style restaurant. Now, with Casini presiding over the stoves, its chef's table with a mere eight seats looks into a spanking clean stainless steel kitchen.

During Bangkok's wet season from May to September, this may be the only part open though on dry evenings, guests can lounge over a cocktail at the U-shaped bar. In the dry months, the large terrace does double duty as an alfresco dining room.

Casini moved to Bangkok last November after working at a Hyatt in India. He originally studied in a Tuscan culinary school in Italy before working in a Michelin starred restaurant in Siena.

"I left Italy to learn English," the 30-year-old reveals. "I went to London and have been moving east slowly ever since."

He describes his cooking style as a contemporary interpretation of Italian favorites. "When people have Italian, they expect certain dishes. I physically give them both the classic version and a modern one." This means that for a four-course meal, you get at least eight dishes.

He tries to use local produce and organic ones whenever possible, but admits that cheese, cured meats, some fish and beef come from Europe and Australia.

We started with three different bruschetta: tomatoes, tomatoes and mushrooms, and Stracchino cheese on top of crispy Italian bread.

Although all were excellent, with the faint rub of garlic permeating every bite, my favorite was the classic version with juicy robust tomatoes and a fragrant drizzle of basil and olive oil. The Stracchino's velvety, soothing texture and sweet finish came a close second.

The classic prosciutto with melon was served alongside a crabmeat and floral salad with vinaigrette. Beautifully presented with colorful edible blooms, the zingy lemon dressing contrasted nicely against the mellow crab.

Our pasta course consisted of a traditional spaghetti Carbonara beside spaghetti with fresh clams, cherry tomatoes and zucchini.

Rich and decadent, the Carbonara was made with just eggs and cheese along with smoked pork cheeks. The thick, al dente pasta had a charming homemade quality about it while savory clams were well matched with delicately sweet yet firm vegetables.

Mains of tiger prawns with garlic puree, fennel and potatoes stood by duck breast in rosemary jus with polenta. I thought the prawns were a tad overcooked for my liking, but then recalled that Thais tend to cook their seafood well beyond what most Chinese people consider done - something our chef was happy to correct.

Our dessert of pannacotta three ways, with rosemary and apricot, basil and strawberry, and caramel, was served in stylish egg cup-like glasses. I loved the caramel best as it added a hint of smokiness to the sweet custard, but the basil and strawberry was a delicious combination, too.

We finished with an impressively long plate of fresh berries sprinkled with white and dark chocolate powder and pistachios, which Casini proceeded to add dollops of zabaglione.

 

Italian favorites side by side at open kitchen chef's table

Italian favorites side by side at open kitchen chef's table

French wine dragon

Food with good karma?

Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久精品夜色国产 | 亚洲人人在线 | 国产亚洲精品久久精品6 | 一本色道久久综合亚洲精品加 | 一级做a爰片久久毛片人呢 一级做a爰片久久毛片毛片 | 小明成人永久在线看 | 亚洲激情成人网 | 国产三级在线视频观看 | 91刘亦菲精品福利在线 | 久热精品视频在线 | jizzjizz日本护士 | 亚洲精品影院 | 久久久中文字幕日本 | 成年女美黄网站大全免费播放 | 谁有免费黄色网址 | 亚洲人6666成人观看 | 欧美日韩一二三区 | 国产麻豆精品免费密入口 | 亚洲天堂激情 | 精品高清写真视频在线 | 亚洲精品高清在线一区二区三区 | 曰本人一级毛片免费完整视频 | 婷婷久久综合 | 欧美一级视频精品观看 | 2022麻豆剧果冻传媒 | 国产成人综合网亚洲欧美在线 | 久久综合九色综合97飘花 | 好看的毛片 | 在线观看亚洲欧美 | 91短视频版在线观看免费 | 色爱区综合激月婷婷激情五月 | 一级a级毛片 | 国产成人精品综合在线 | 亚洲欧美一区二区三区不卡 | www三级免费 | 欧美成人免费看片一区 | 午夜精品久视频在线观看 | 国产综合社区 | 日本ab视频 | 热久久伊人 | 特色特色大片在线 |