Zanotti
21/2 Sala Daeng Colonnade
Silom
Bangkok 10500
Tel: 02 636 0002
Website:

I recently had an email suggesting that I visit Zanotti, because in the opinion of the writer who also claimed Italian heritage, it is the best Italian restaurant in Bangkok. In this town of Italian restaurants that is a very big claim indeed. However I needed little encouragement as Zanotti was already on my list of "must visit" places.
This is a restaurant that looks elegant at first sight. It is located diagonally behind the Dusit Thani, one street back, and convenient for both Silom and Sathorn. The low-slung building and the external awnings make the business look more Italian than Thai and certainly once through the door, the transformation from Asia to Italy is complete. Furthermore it is obviously a busy restaurant. I had booked and I think I would have got a table if I had not, but the reaction and the professionalism of the reception staff upon our arrival was that of an establishment accustomed to handling bookings as a matter of course.
We were seated promptly and bread, water and a tomato amuse bouche were there in a flash. The exclusively Italian wine list was quickly in my hands and a waiter hovered appropriately, just a few tables away, awaiting my order. All very slick and a sign of a busy restaurant with well seasoned staff.

The menus offered a good selection of reasonably typical Italian dishes with the anti pasta section offering a decent range from Mozzarella in Corrozza (Deep fried cheese and anchovies) to pan fried goose liver. And the mains had a goodly range of pizza and pasta as well as fish, grills and veal's liver - one of the few places I have seen this presented as a regular menu item rather than as a special. There were specials and it was there I went for both starter and main course. I had home-made raviolis of duck, veal and rabbit as a starter - which could have been a main, and veal tenderloin as a main. From the main menu On had garlic chilli and olive oil flavoured prawns and then paillard, which is thinly sliced sirloin seared with olive oil. On took one mouthful of her prawns and said "good!" Praise indeed so early and without being asked. I enjoyed my raviolis although in truth I was not sure what was what. The veal tenderloin had a thin breadcrumb crust which was just palatable and I suppose I was neutral on it's effect. But it did add something!
I had only to glance at the desert menu to know there was only one choice - zuppa Inglese. English soup is the name given to this bastardisation of an English trifle, but what ever its’ heritage, it is a dish I normally drool over. This was good but I like it more like soup, or should I say a gooey trifle! We finished off with a decent cheese plate that unusually for Bangkok, contained non recently refrigerated ripe cheese.
Obviously Zanotti is a very good restaurant and I had a good meal. The staff were first rate, the place was virtually full so the atmosphere was good and there was a very pleasant piano player tinkling away in the front room. On that basis Zanotti is a very difficult restaurant to better! I hope that keeps my correspondent from Milan happy!