Antonio's
59/1 Soi Sawasdee Sukhumvit Soi 31,
Bangkok 10110
Tel: 02 258 4247

There are two interesting restaurants side by side next door to the now-defunct Silom Village. I never quite understood the logic of calling a Sukhumvit shopping mall (be it open-air) Silom Village and know there is a Silom Village in Silom, and I know all about branding, but why not Sukhumvit Village? I digress. The Silom Village bit is being redeveloped across the road and another condo block is also going in where the original market was. This is on the green route where the numerous arms of Soi 31 connect to the various arms of Soi 23. This is on the road that mates the two multiple sois and is still technically part of Soi 31.
Inevitably, as they are in similar shophouses, Antonio's and Sonie's have a similar layout. They both have a small downstairs restaurant with a bar and kitchen, while upstairs there is a larger mezzanine restaurant. I have already covered Sonie's see article.
Antonio Armenio, an Aussie with clear Italian background, is the inspiration at Antonio's. Tony has plainly set his stall out to run a proper restaurant and in the blurb at the front of the menu he promises the freshest produce, the most delicate of preparation and truly personal service. Last time I read such an offer to personal service it was not in such an altruistic establishment. However, I think I got the gist. In addition, Tony refers to his family background in Puglia in southern Italy. Tony cares and it's all very personal. In other words, if it ain't right, just say 'fix it again, Tony' and he will.
The last time I visited, it was a Sunday evening and Tony was not at home. However, the black-and-white-clad staff were more than keen and were most definitely on the case. I had phoned ahead, mainly to check the restaurant was open on a Sunday, and therefore a table had been set aside. In fact, it was what I suppose is the most sought-after place in the house: the table in the window bow. Unfortunately, it is a trifle tight for a proper-sized person and instead I elected to move to the other downstairs table. There are only three and one was occupied.
The moment we were seated, the staff positively flapped around us, bringing water and bread with nibbles as well as offering drinks. As ever, I requested the wine list. I was disappointed that it was a very short list and on the whole expensive. We had two wines that I know well from other restaurants: Banfi la Rima, a Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay blend from Tuscany, and Mandrarossa Merlot, from Sicily. Both were priced at 1,500 baht, which was more than I normally pay for these wines.
The menu was not long, but then why should it be? It is a small restaurant. However, before we could get to the menu, the waiter flashed clingfilm-covered seafood in front of us so that we could 'ooh' and 'ah' at the selection. And then with a great flourish that would have impressed Tommy Cooper, he revealed a Maine lobster under a cloth. It was unsurprisingly dead. Now I like lobster but if I am going to meet it pre-pot, I would rather like some proper communication. A waved manacle claw is a good start. Once in Croatia this process ended up in disaster as the lobster jumped free and attacked a fellow diner, but that is another story. I am not keen on inspecting the beast before I eat it. Some Italian restaurants, including some very good ones, have a glass display fridge that allows customers to see the food rather than having it stuffed under their noses. It also normally produces a wonderful aroma. But on plates at the table? It could be construed as a little naff, but others may like it.
The most important section of the menu is 'Antonio's famous top five house dishes'. The first dish is home-made ravioli filled with porcini mushrooms, topped with a cream of truffle sauce. This is very much Antonio's signature dish. I had it for the second time and it is well worth a decent detour just to taste it. The other starter we had was garlic prawns off the main menu. On's dish looked good with plenty of juice and she really enjoyed it.
For On's main, there was much banter in Thai that kept me out of the loop, but she ended up with another top-five dish: whole 'live' mud crab with angel hair paste agio olio. I reasoned it should have been wallowing in a gold mine at 1,200 baht, but it certainly was appreciated by the receiver as opposed to the payer. And I certainly did not get to greet said crab before its final journey in the eco-cycle, but I will assume it was indeed alive.
For my main course, I opted for yet another top-five dish, this time Australian veal rack pan-fried in breadcrumbs (alla Milanese). I did ask exactly what it was before I ordered. Rack to me means three ribs as in a rack of lamb. Three baby cow ribs would make a hungry lion happy. In fact, it was a single thick chop butterflied. It was delicious with plenty of meat. As with Vienna schnitzel, it came with lemon and it had a good slug of sage in the cooking: lots of flavour and some nice pink meat in the middle.
I resisted a pud but On had her usual ice cream before we summoned the bill and each received a complimentary lemonchello.
I think you will understand from my description that the food was fabulous, but some things irritated me. I found the service slightly condescending and thought the pricing was slightly optimistic. However, I must add that this is a popular restaurant and on that basis it is clearly charging what people will pay. Antonio's is certainly worth a visit: maybe on that special night out or just when you are feeling flush and want a special meal.
So two eateries: both successful and with two totally different styles sharing the same wall. Proof again, if it was needed, that there is no fixed formula for restaurant riches.

This article all was first published in the Sukhumvit Eye.

The story of the lobster attack is here