Best Italian in Bangkok

[TotallyOz]

I love Italian food. I grew up with some amazing women who came from Italy who taught me how to cook some of their specialities and at all my parties in NYC, I cooked some great Italian meals.

 

It is hard to find good places in Thailand but I do love Zanotti's!

 

I was recently there and had the Pizza for appetizer and it was yummy. For main course I had the Ravioli with Whit Truffles. I also had desert. All 3 courses were excellent. They tasted good and the atmosphere was wonderful.

 

The waiter even brought a straw that the paper was turned into a rose. The service was excellent and the place was mid range price. A great overall experience.

 

Zanotti's

21/2 1st Floor, Saladaeng Colonnade Condominium,Silom Rd.,

Silom Bangrak, Bangkok 10500

Tel. : +66 2 636-0002 ,+66 2 636-0266 Fax : +66 2 636-0221 email: info@zanottigroup.com

[Guest HeyGay]

What about the best steak in Bangkok, have you found it yet, plenty to choose from?

[Guest thaiworthy]

I have tried Italian food a few times in Thailand. For some reason, the cooks seem compelled to put carrots in their tomato sauces! Not sure what's up with that. I would love to try Zanotti's. However, I must tell you my grandmother was Italian and gave me a recipe for tomato sauce that is out of this world.

 

GT, it's a good thing you do the bike races to work off that pizza and pasta! Lately it seems as if all I have to do is look at the stuff and I gain 10 lbs!

 

 

[Guest]

"What about the best steak in Bangkok, have you found it yet, plenty to choose from?"

 

 

LOL I have had 2 of the places. I am working on the list. I have not had the Kobe yet. Too rich for my blood.

 

 

 

"GT, it's a good thing you do the bike races to work off that pizza and pasta! Lately it seems as if all I have to do is look at the stuff and I gain 10 lbs!"

 

 

I keep going up and down and up and down. As long as my health is good, the weight is not an issue for me. I love food. (I am sure you can tell that just by reading my posts)

[Guest lvdkeyes]

"For some reason, the cooks seem compelled to put carrots in their tomato sauces! Not sure what's up with that."

 

 

Carrots are traditionally part of Bolognese sauce. They give a sweetness that balances the acidity of the tomatoes.

[Gaybutton]

"my grandmother was Italian and gave me a recipe for tomato sauce that is out of this world."

 

 

Would you be willing to share that recipe with us?

[Guest thaiworthy]

"Carrots are traditionally part of Bolognese sauce. They give a sweetness that balances the acidity of the tomatoes."

 

 

 

I like my acidity the way it is. I guess it's a matter of preference. My grandmother, whom we affectionately called "Mama Lee," never put carrots in her sauce. But then, I grew up with this recipe all my life, so I am biased to her way of cooking.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

"I like my acidity the way it is. I guess it's a matter of preference. My grandmother, whom we affectionately called "Mama Lee," never put carrots in her sauce. But then, I grew up with this recipe all my life, so I am biased to her way of cooking."

 

 

That's what cooking is all about, preparing food the way you like it.

[Guest thaiworthy]

"Would you be willing to share that recipe with us?"

 

 

 

 

Mama Lee's Recipe for Meatballs and Sauce (for spaghetti, penne or other pasta)

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup plain bread crumbs

3 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons fennel seed

2 teaspoons sweet basil

2 medium-sized onions

2 teaspoons parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese (or romano)

12 oz. red rose wine

a little cooking oil

2 eggs

3-4 tablespoons water

1 12 oz. can tomato paste

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 large bay leafs

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Chop up the garlic into little pieces. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with the breadcrumbs, parsley, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic, eggs and parmesan cheese. Wash your hands thoroughly and mix these ingredients together, adding the water until it is the right consistency. Shape the meatballs into 1 1/2" round and put them on a cookie sheet. Place into an oven for 5-10 min only. Set aside and make the sauce below:

 

Chop up the onions. Add a little oil to a frying pan and saute the onions on med heat until they just start to turn brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

 

Put a large pot onto a burner on low heat. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Fill the empty 28 oz. crushed tomato can with water and pour into the pot. Fill and pour 2 more times. Fill the empty 12 oz. tomato paste can with water and pour into the pot. Fill and pour two more times. Fill the empty 12 oz. tomato paste can with the red rose wine and pour into the pot. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Then add the onions, sweet basil, fennel seed and bay leafs. Mix well. Add the meatballs.

 

Cook on low for 5 hours, stirring occasionally.

 

Pour over cooked pasta and serve with the meatballs, a little parmesan cheese and a nice glass of the rose wine.

 

I usually make a double-batch and portion out dual servings into a tupperware container and then freeze for later use for a quick and easy meal.

 

I hope you like this. Bon Appetit!

[KhorTose]

The recipe looks great, but I am really struck by the beauty of your grandmother and the character that shows in her face.

[Guest thaiworthy]

Thank you KhorTose.

 

My grandmother was the only person in my family who accepted me as a gay person. When I was a child I would visit her and she would cook these recipes for me every week on Wednesday nights. When I turned 18, I came out to her. She said "I think I know what you're going to tell me. And it doesn't matter to me. You're still my grandson and I still love you." I never got that kind of love from anyone else, not even my own parents.

 

When I make these recipes I think of her and it makes me cry that she is gone. It is amazing how important these foods can be to us later in life as a reminders of how much love there was between us. She died in 1989 at the age of 84. I still love her and miss her. She was an amazing woman but led a hard life. I have some of her belongings and furniture. She is interred in All Souls Cemetery in Long Beach, Calif. I visit the cemetery some times on my way to Thailand.

 

I am sorry to get all blubbery, but this thread just took me in that direction. I hope you like these recipes as much as I do and maybe you have some of your own to share.

 

-----------

 

I have another recipe from Mama Lee for baked chicken. I don't know if it's an Italian recipe, but it's very good. It is simple to make, too.

 

Ingredients:

1 cut-up chicken (with or without the skin; I usually remove the skin.)

4 cups of finely crushed corn flakes combined with 4 cups finely crushed potato chips

2 beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons melted butter

Salt and pepper

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Wash your hands and wash the chicken thoroughly. Dip the chicken parts into the egg/butter, then into the crushed mixture and coat on all sides. Set into a foil-lined baking pan and bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Serve with baked potato wedges and corn.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

[Guest fountainhall]

 

"It is hard to find good places in Thailand but I do love Zanotti's!"

 

 

 

Zanotti's decor is lovely and the food and wines are not overly expensive. It also has a very reasonably priced set lunch. I do find, though, that the quality of the service has dropped over the last 18 months - or is that because some of the best looking waiters have disappeared, alas?

 

My favourite is Biscotti in the Four Seasons. This serves northern Italian cuisine, is more relaxed than Zanotti, the ambience is more informal, and it has an excellent wine list with a lot of wines offered by the glass. I also find it more reasonably priced.

 

I used to like Scoozi when it was on Sribumphen, but in its reciincarnation in a lovely Thai-style house on Suriwong, I find the food sometimes disappointing - and the price is expensive for Bangkok. The exception is their pizzas but these are served in a separate building with much more down-market setting. Better to order and take out.

 

For those who wish to take-out, I thoroughly recommend the excellent beef lasagne at the delicatessen in the Dusit Thani hotel. They give you sauces in separate containers to add to the dish during heating in the oven.

[Guest gay_grampa]

There are several very good Italian Restaurants in Bangkok; some as stand alone restaurants and others in the big 5* hotels.

Some of my favourites:

 

Angelini at the Shangri-La Hotel

 

Biscotti at the Four Seasons Hotel

 

Calderazzo, 59 Soi Langsuan

 

Vicolo Quattro, Silom Soi 4

 

Gianni, 34/1 Soi Tonson, Ploenchit Road

 

Limoncello, 17 Sukhumvit Soi 11

 

and the classiest of them all ... Mezzaluna, 65th Fl, State Tower, 1055 Silom Rd (take your Gold Card)

 

 

[Guest]

"My grandmother was the only person in my family who accepted me as a gay person. When I was a child I would visit her and she would cook these recipes for me every week on Wednesday nights. When I turned 18, I came out to her. She said "I think I know what you're going to tell me. And it doesn't matter to me. You're still my grandson and I still love you." I never got that kind of love from anyone else, not even my own parents."

 

 

 

What a great story and it is easy to see how important she was to you and your life. She must have been an absolutely amazing person. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

We all have our favorites. I like this recipe because you don't have to bother with browning the meatballs.

 

Here is mine:

 

Italian Tomato Gravy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• Pinch red pepper flakes

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 carrot, finely chopped

• 1/4 cup red wine

• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes

• Pinch sugar

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Sauté the garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs for 2 minutes until the herbs are fragrant and garlic is golden (but not overly brown.) Raise the heat to medium, add onion and carrot; cook for 5 minutes until they breakdown and are soft. Deglaze with red wine and reduce to evaporate the alcohol. Crush the canned tomatoes and add to the pot, along with its liquid. Add a pinch of sugar to cut down on the acidity from the tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.

 

 

Italian Sausage Meatballs:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings

• 1 pound hot Italian sausage, removed from casings

• 10 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 4 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, sweet sausage, hot sausage, garlic, eggs, Essence, salt, and black pepper, and mix briefly but thoroughly to distribute seasonings. Shape into meatballs and set aside, refrigerated. When your gravy is ready and simmering gently drop in the meatballs. Do not stir until they float.

 

Essence

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup